Santa Paula’s Sphere of Influence
* This is an open letter to the Local Agency Formation Commission members:
On Jan. 19, LAFCO will meet to vote on Santa Paula’s application to expand its sphere of influence. I would like to urge all the commissioners to vote yes for the following reasons:
* The increased sphere would benefit all the children of Santa Paula who would have the opportunity for more parks and ball fields, if we can seek good projects that include them.
* Our police and firefighters would benefit by an increased tax base that would provide ongoing funding for their departments and much needed raises.
* The merchants of Santa Paula would benefit by bringing in people who have more discretionary income to spend at their stores.
* The school districts would get higher property taxes from new houses not subject to Proposition 13 lock-in at low tax rates.
The people of Santa Paula expect their county supervisor to use her good offices to enlighten her fellow LAFCO commissioners about these benefits so that Santa Paula may be allowed to gently grow its way out of poverty.
MARY DEINES
Santa Paula
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
