Under heavy scrutiny from the federal government and an administrative freeze on the city’s permit program, medical marijuana dispensaries in Sacramento could face a full ban – but if Sacramento’s dispensaries are shut down, what happens to the city budget bottom line? In total, the city has received approximately $1.4 million since the start of the permit process for medical marijuana dispensaries – nearly $1 million from one-time fees – according to Maurice Chaney, Economic Development Department spokesman. If the city were to ban medical marijuana dispensaries, they could see a potential $528,000 budget shortfall from reduced or eliminated marijuana business operations taxes in the 20

The 2012 race for Sacramento mayor just gained another candidate: Edgar Hilbert. Hilbert, a tax preparer in Oak Park, said Wednesday that he was motivated to run for office by a desire to serve the Sacramento community in a meaningful way. “It will be my duty and goal to not just protect the quality of life in Sacramento, but to improve it,” he said in a press release Tuesday. Hilbert, 45, is married and has three children. He was born in Mexico City and moved to the United States in 1993. He has lived in Sacramento since 2001. Hilbert’s wife, Leticia, ran for City Council District 5 in the 2010 election, and Hilbert acted as his wife’s campaign manager. One of the biggest issues that

There is a lot of talk about changes to redevelopment agencies in the state and the impact those changes will have on development projects in Sacramento. To get a better idea of how redevelopment agencies work from a fiscal point of view, Sacramento Press has put together a “redevelopment primer” to make it easier to understand where the money comes from, where it goes and how the city benefits from redevelopment funding – and how it doesn’t. “It all starts with property taxes, guaranteed school funding from Proposition 98, and state redevelopment law,” said Peter Detwiler, a consultant with the state Senate Governance & Finance Committee. FIRST, WHAT IS A REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY? Cities a

The Internal Revenue Service announced June 10 that it revoked the tax-exempt status for more than 1,000 nonprofit organizations in Sacramento, though the majority of them were no longer in existence. Those that still exist, including several Sacramento-area organizations, will have to re-file for their tax-exemption status, said IRS spokesman Jesse Weller. “We believe that most of the organizations on the list are defunct, although some may still be in existence and just didn’t get the word,” he said. Nationwide, the number of nonprofit organizations whose tax-exemption status was revoked was 275,000. The revocation was an automatic action taken after the passing of a pension reform a

The deadline for paying the second installment of your 2010-2011 Sacramento County property taxes is coming up! Payments are due no later than April 10; however, because April 10 falls on a Sunday this year, taxpayers have until the next business day, Monday April 11, 2011, to pay the second installment without penalty. Late payments will incur a 10 percent penalty plus $15.00 cost for each tax bill. Partial payments cannot be accepted. If you recently purchased the property for a lesser value or you are disputing the assessed value with the Assessor’s Office or the Assessment Appeals Board, the annual tax bill must still be paid by the delinquent date to avoid the addition of penalties.

Hangar 17, a local bar and restaurant that started with valet service and famously huge hamburgers, closed its doors for the final time last Monday, due in part to unresolved tax issues and a floundering economy. Joey Madrid, 40, co-owner of Hangar 17, spoke with The Sacramento Press about the events leading up to the restaurant’s closing. “Everyone thinks we’re terrible people, that we did everyone wrong, but that’s not true,” Madrid said. “We did the best we could, but things got the better of us.” Madrid and co-owner James Lombardi became acquainted when Madrid and Lombardi’s younger brother, Chris, worked together at Chops Steakhouse in Sacramento. Madrid and the older Lombardi bro

Sacramento City Councilman Kevin McCarty is working on a proposal to tax soda and use the revenue on programs to combat childhood obesity. McCarty outlined his plan in an interview with The Sacramento Press on Wednesday. McCarty said he is examining a soda tax of one cent per ounce of soda, with a cap of 10 cents per soda can or bottle. The tax would be confined to the city of Sacramento. McCarty is considering having the revenue go to the city’s Parks and Recreation Department for recreation programs. “You could use the money for recreation – to keep kids fit – but also keep them out of trouble,” McCarty said. McCarty’s proposal is in its early stages. He said he is talking to City At

Bridge maintenance difficulties abundant in Sacramento It’s no secret to the daily drivers in the Sacramento region that our local roads, freeways and even bridges have some less-than-perfect driving conditions. Any observant motorist can attest to this fact with their own experiences of avoiding potholes, deciphering sometimes illegible road markings, and bracing for strong bumps when crossing gaps between roadway segments. What may surprise you, however, is the staggering amount of data freely available to the public which, when drawn together, paints a dire portrait for the future of Sacramento roads. In a nutshell: There are many existing problems we know about, not enough money to p

Free tax preparation services for low-income and disadvantaged residents will start in Sacramento and Carmichael on February 1 and continue through the April 18, 2011 extended filing deadline. Because people often pay $75 to get a simple EZ return done, cutting into much-needed refunds, families who make less than $49,000 can get their tax return done for free at these sites. The sites will have tax preparers for all returns, including Earned Income Credit. Tax preparation services will be held on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Mutual Housing’s Victory Townhomes, 1075 Dixieanne Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95815. Tax preparations will take place on Tuesdays from 9 a

Richard Hatch is one of the featured interviewees in the locally produced documentary "Death or Taxes: The Sad Truth About Our American Taxation System" that will be screened as part of the Sacramento Film & Music Festival's WinterFEST this weekend.  Mr. Hatch will be attending the screening in support of the film and a question and answer session with the filmmakers will follow the screening. About the film - from the producers: With a run time of 78 minutes, Death or Taxes takes a hard look at the horrifying realities faced by the millions of taxpayers who owe back taxes, many of whom are forced to make life-changing decisions. Should they pay their rent or pay their back taxes? Put foo

The Sacramento City Council wants to start taxing pot dispensaries and possibly increase a business tax. Expecting California voters to legalize recreational marijuana in November and facing continued financial problems, the council discussed putting a measure on the general election ballot to ask Sacramentans to enact a tax on pot dispensaries and to increase the city's business operations tax (BOT) so bigger companies could pay a more proportionate share. At a public hearing Tuesday afternoon, several council members indicated they're leaning toward alternatives to a 5 percent, across-the-board pot tax after hearing from at least a dozen patients, operators and advocates for the indust

For more, visit PublicCEO.com I have a confession. I drink alcohol. I enjoy soda, too. Potato chips? Love ‘em. So why are politicians posing as moral leaders and digging into my wallet over these simple pleasures? Well, simply because their vision is just as simple. Cities, states and the federal government officials have locked into the mindless notion that these "sin taxes" are either morally or economically logical. They couldn't be more wrong. It's easy to find public support when you single out a faction that can be looked down upon as taking part in immoral behaviors, forgetting about individual rights or the ability for the public to make its own moral judgments. But the trut

I feel compelled to confess this simple truth: I love Target.  My Wife and I shop there all the time, not to say we shop excessively. We both think of ourselves as modest and frugal, and we rely on their affordable prices to get the products we need regularly: food, clothes, and household goods.   We loath Wal-Mart, and at the same time, I realize it is completely hypocritical to give Target a free pass,  since they too are a large faceless multinational corporation, easily vivified.  I also realize that this is not a perfect world, and we’ve all got to make our own way in it.  That being said since I heard that a new Target Store was going  to be built in walking distance from my front do

  "Don't forget your pitchfork!" - a friends response when informed that I would be attending a Tea Party.        Over the past year, I have heard a lot about the Tea Party movement, much of it negative, some positive. I do, from time to time, listen to conservative talk radio.             The Tea Party bashers would have you believe that these events are akin to that very famous tea party in "Alice in Wonderland." I'm talking about the cartoon classic here, not the Tim Burton rehash.  A few irrationally fearful lunatics, totally out of touch with reality, brought together by nonsense: "Unbirthdays" in one, "America's rapid deterioration into a Marxist state" in the other.  And the Te

Life. It's good, but it hasn't exactly been all rainbows and butterflies, what with the failing economy, record unemployment, escalating gas prices and health care 'reform'---oh, and lest I forget, Tax Day, which is mere hours away. Nevertheless, no matter how bleak the headlines read with my morning Fruit Loops, I rely on my nightly glass of  'vinous panacea' to ease the sting of the bureaucratic fingers digging deeper into my shallow pockets. Until now, that is. Adding insult to my fiscal injury, a couple from Southern California have proposed an initiative which would levy a massive 12,675% tax increase on alcoholic beverages. No, this is not a belated April Fool's joke. Kent and J

Disabled Veterans Win Battle in “Good Faith” Fight to Save Taxpayers Money Disabled veteran companies and taxpayers are both winners in recent changes promoted by California’s wounded warriors. The non-profit California Disabled Veterans Business Alliance has fought the Good Faith Effort (GFE) provision in State contracting as a useless diversion actually keeping business away from Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises (DVBE). Now, the State has acted on the recommendations of the Alliance in coordination with DGS and other state agencies and has passed legislation to eliminate the GFE effective 28 July 2009. By promoting equality with the State of California’s Small Business preference

Approximately 5,000 people gathered at the State Capitol Wednesday in a "Tax Day Tea Party" protest organizers said was aimed at fiscal irresponsibility in the form of Bailouts, the stimulus bill, increased taxation, and government waste. Speaking at the event were a mixture of media figures, politicians, and organizers, including State Representative Tom McClintock, talk radio hosts Mark Williams and Armstrong & Getty and others. The protest officially started at noon, but the crowd began gathering long before that. Many of the protesters were not Sacramento residents, traveling from Roseville, Grass Valley and other surrounding towns to be heard. The size of the crowd necessitated a gia

When you go to purchase something on April 1, 2009 and see that the sales tax has gone up by one percent, don't expect to hear "April Fools!" come out of the cashier's mouth. Beginning on the first day of April, as part of the state's budget, sales tax will increase by one percent throughout California. Sacramento County will now have a sales tax of 8.75 percent; Placer County and El Dorado County 8.25 percent; with the city of Placerville at 8.5 percent. San Francisco will have a 9.5 percent sales tax; Stockton will be at 9 percent. Davis, West Sacramento and Woodland will be at 8.75 percent as well, despite Yolo County being at 8.25 percent due to voter approved increases. According t

Have you received a letter? My household has been mailed two so far claiming that XYZ Company will help me lower my property taxes if I send them $95.00 or $179.00. Fellow residents, may I offer some advice? Don’t waste your money. We all want to pay lower taxes, especially in a declining market, but as a tax payer you can do this for free (or at least pay someone to help you when the time is right – only if you need to). Here is what you need to do: 1. First off, wait to see what the Sacramento County Assessor’s Office says your home is worth. They should have this data available around May 2009. Figures for 2009 property taxes aren’t even out yet, so how can these companies accurately