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Friday, February 10, 2012
Youth jobs tax derailed
by Kathleen Haley, published on July 20, 2010 at 10:34 PM
Storyline: Sacramento City Hall / Politics
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A proposed measure to tax Sacramento property owners to pay for youth job training was derailed Tuesday night.
Councilman Ray Tretheway removed the proposal from the City Council’s agenda, which means that it won’t be placed on the November ballot.
Tretheway told reporters after Tuesday’s meeting he removed the plan from the agenda because council members were not interested in advancing it to the ballot. The City Council faced a Tuesday night deadline to move the proposal onto the ballot in November.
“I think that the respect for the process trumped what I believe is a chronic problem of lack of resources and investment in our youth.”
Tretheway said he thought his colleagues were concerned there would be a lack of public process if the council voted Tuesday to place the plan onto the ballot. However, he said he did not know the views of all the council members.
Tretheway had received criticism from Mayor Kevin Johnson for placing the proposal on the council’s agenda. In a July 20 blog, Johnson pointed out issues with the signatures the measure’s backers had gathered.
The Sacramento County Registrar of Voters had not confirmed that the measure’s backers had delivered the mandatory number of authentic signatures, according to Bill Camp, the executive secretary of the Sacramento Central Labor Council and one of the measure’s key supporters.
In his blog, Johnson wrote: “Rather than continue the drive and prepare for the next election, supporters last week decided to have the City Council place the initiative directly on the ballot — without discussion, analysis or debate.”
Camp told reporters that the proposal’s supporters will campaign for the proposal to go on a 2012 ballot.
The youth programs envisioned in the proposal would be funded by a $29 annual tax on parcels of property.
Young people ages 11 to 25 would participate in the programs. Funding would be doled out in three ways. Youth jobs and job training would receive at least 40 percent of the dollars.
Programs for at-risk youth would receive at least 20 percent of the funding. At least 20 percent of the money would pay for programs to help students with their academic skills.
Photo by Brandon Darnell.
Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.
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I had concerns with some of the programs mentioned..... Perhaps by 2012 the concerns can be addressed, discussion had with a comprehensive analysis which offer effective solutions/ results and something substantial will be presented to the voters. I was concerned with hand-picked organizations, lack of community discussion, backroom conversation away from the public (just like the SMI) Heck, we can't keep throwing good money after bad........ And we can‘t think that all that glitters is gold in Sacramento a city which has had it‘s fair share of fools gold when addressing youth violence. Perhaps by 2012 the community affected and exposed to violence won’t get their hopes up only to be disappointed with yet another power-over the community initiative verses a power-with the community initiative. I truly appreciate the heart and efforts of those who sought the Youth tax. And our children are dying and this needs to be addressed, resources, opportunites are needed. But too be honest the Youth tax really wasn’t that impressive at least not to some of us in a great deal of pain.
And I wonder having read our mayor's blog does he plan to have a discussion, plan to seek analysis, or debate?? Or will the time leading up to 2012 be spent on his SMI verses a Youth tax he wouldn't support? Will he plan on supporting the youth with something other than suppression? Or will this be all he has to say on the subject???