Lightning does strike more than once in the same place. Once again, the Lompoc Unified School District (LUSD) has placed a bond measure on the ballot, this time for $125 million with levies projected to be 6 cents/$100 of assessed valuation of your property, i.e., $240 per $400,000 property value. The past election seasons have seen three bond proposals for $65 million to $79 million, all of which were defeated by the voters, after the LUSD spent thousands of our dollars to sell them to us. Measure A2022 would be another tax in addition to the present Measure N bonds being paid for now by us taxpayers until 2032.
In 2002 the voters were generous and passed:
• Measure N—LUSD school bond—$38 million.
• Measure E—the hospital bond—$83 million.
• Measure I—the Allan Hancock school bond—$138 million.
• The Lompoc pool bond—$20 million.
• The Lompoc flood zone assessment—ongoing.
So Lompoc property taxpayers are presently paying on five bonds.
These new bond proposals are clearly a way around Proposition 13. The yearly increase in our taxes could be way more than the 2 percent limited by Proposition 13.
We seniors are overtaxed and cannot pay more taxes on our homes. We supported the past taxes, but not anymore. We are on fixed incomes. We recommended a smaller bond with a clear program, but what we have gotten four times is an overwhelming bond price and an unbelievable slush list of projects for just about anything.
The LUSD is mismanaged. They know they need maintenance, but instead they put all of their funds into benefits while the students get no new facilities.
As a member of the Measure N bond oversight board, we saw firsthand the deterioration that is the result of mismanagement. “Oversight boards” have no power to change or control anything.
Vote no now.
Justin Ruhge
Lompoc
