Property Tax Bills Bring Sticker Shock
If you haven’t opened your property tax bill yet, prepare for a surprise.
Readers are reporting their residential assessments are up 10 to 12%, while local businesses are faced with increases as high as 14%. This difference reflects City Council's tendency to up charge commercial properties in parcel tax measures as they did for the recently passed Measure FF.
You can view your property tax bill online.
Part of the increase reflects new parcel taxes approved by voters in 2024 — including the Library Tax (Measure X), Sidewalk and Street Repairs Tax (Measure FF), and an additional 16% hike in the Parks, Trees, and Landscaping tax (Measure Y). On top of that, the City Council quietly passed three parcel tax increases exceeding 6% each, all appearing on the Consent Calendar at City Council on June 24th with no discussion.
The Consent Calendar is meant for routine, non-controversial items that can be approved with a single vote and little or no discussion — such as approving meeting minutes, accepting standard reports, confirming committee appointments, or renewing ordinary contracts.
It is deeply troubling and, frankly, disrespectful to the public process when actions with such far-reaching consequences — in this example parcel tax increases involving tens of millions of dollars — are bundled into the Consent Calendar and approved without any discussion or deliberation.
We are currently speaking with both business owners and residents on fixed incomes to understand how these increases are impacting them. Stay tuned for further assessment and recommendations in our upcoming posts.
A Victory for Ballot Transparency: Governor Newsom Vetoes AB 699
In August, we reported on Assembly Bill 699, which would have removed key financial details—including the estimated tax rate, duration, and annual revenue—from the ballot labels of local bond and parcel tax measures.
Despite widespread public concern (see comments in previous report), Assemblymember Buffy Wicks and Senator Jesse Arreguín voted in favor of the bill.
Fortunately, on October 1, Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed AB 699, citing that it would “reduce transparency for local tax and bond measures.”
His veto preserves voters’ ability to see essential financial information directly on the ballot — a critical safeguard for fiscal transparency and informed decision-making. We commend the Governor for this veto.
Berkeley's endless tax and spend policies are the single greatest drawback to owning property here.I am proud to have voted against nearly every tax measure the city has floated since 1972, and will continue to do so.Unfortunately city government long ago became a soap box for social activists to play out their fantasies at taxpayer expense. Very little focus on actually running or maintaining a safe and beautiful city.
ReplyDeleteThey have yet to take meaningful action on the structural deficit with the exception of the Library Fund which has requested more parcel tax increase!
DeleteReaders are reporting increases of 18%; let us know how this is impacting you.
ReplyDeleteI just checked my residential bill & it's up 10.9%. The City definitely needs to scale back its employees toward the much lower numbers of our neighboring cities. We can't just raise taxes to cover the structural deficit.
ReplyDelete