Mark Kersey

SD Taxpayers has more details on Prop 40 (the deeply flawed Billionaire Tax), and the other state and local measures online. sdtaxpayers.org/policyreport…

For your consideration.

We're in the final stretch. Election Day is Tuesday. This is the most consequential election in years and SD Taxpayers has a voter guide and policy reports allowing every voter to make an informed decision. sdtaxpayers.org/policyreport…

We know the Brewers and Rays are playing tonight and Halloween is coming up, but the election is next week. Please vote if you haven't already done so, and please reference the SD Taxpayer's voter guide and policy papers to make good choices. sdtaxpayers.org/tracker

Measure B, a countywide half-cent sales tax increase will be on the November ballot. It's opposed by SD Taxpayers. Mark Kersey, president of the #SanDiego County Taxpayers Association, noted that "neither wildfire prevention nor the sewage crisis account for a majority of what the money raised from the measure will go toward." "In reality, 60% of the money is earmarked to go to county social services, while 22.5% will go toward the sewage crisis and the remaining 17.5% is allocated for public safety. "But Kersey’s leading criticism of the ballot measure is that it goes on in perpetuity. "Many sales tax surcharges passed by voters expire after a set number of years and have to be reauthorized by voters. "The countywide sales tax surcharge has no sunset clause. "What’s more, how the money gets spent has no flexibility, as the law requires the dollars be spent following the expenditure plan adopted by voters. “'That is just bad policy,' Kersey said." sandiegouniontribune.com/202… The SD Taxpayers November 2026 voter guide is online sdtaxpayers.org/tracker

Nominations for the SD Taxpayers Golden Fleece and Golden Watchdog Awards are open. Please don’t everyone nominate the city of #SanDiego for paying to install parking meters at Balboa Park and then paying to remove them for a Golden Fleece. There are plenty of other worthy candidates: The city of #SanDiego for building ‘affordable’ housing at 101 Ash at a cost of $1 million per unit. sandiegouniontribune.com/202… The city of San Diego for “leaving money on the table or structuring real estate deals in ways that are unfavorable for taxpayers” sandiegouniontribune.com/202… The city of San Diego for its Fiscal Year 2027 budget, which includes an net increase of 1,000 staff positions since 2021 while taking no material steps to close the pension deficit. sandiego.gov/finance/annual docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F…

#SanDiego "has forsaken millions of dollars a year through lopsided agreements, lax enforcement and hundreds of expired leases, according to multiple city audits dating back years. "At the same time, the mayor and City Council confront a structural budget deficit that year after year has prompted a crush of new fees and service cuts. "Instead of working to increase revenues by leveraging existing real estate assets, the mayor and council have relied on new fees and cuts to public services to balance their budget." "Mark Kersey, the former council member who now runs the San Diego County Taxpayers Association, said the city has a yearslong record of struggling to properly value its real estate assets. “'Despite many examples of leaving money on the table or structuring real estate deals in ways that are unfavorable for taxpayers, not enough lessons have been learned from these past failures,' said Kersey, who served as a council member from 2012 to 2020. “'Especially now, when basic services like public restrooms are being cut and San Diegans are being told that we need to pay more fees for services like parking and trash pickup, the city owes it to taxpayers to do a much better job of managing its considerable real estate assets'” sandiegouniontribune.com/202…

"Should California be regulating tires? California will start regulating tires in the coming years, which some manufacturers and industry groups say will increase costs to consumers — something supporters say will do the opposite. Mark Kersey, $SanDiego County Taxpayers Association NO: State regulation will undoubtedly lead to higher prices for consumers, just as it has for years with gasoline. Regulators don’t even dispute that — they just argue that eventually the higher tire prices will be offset by better MPG. In the meantime, families already struggling with #California’s astronomical cost of living will shell out more money for tires, hoping that maybe someday the state will do something to actually help them afford to live here." sandiegouniontribune.com/202…

SD Taxpayers has released its positions on 15 local school district, city, and county ballot measures, providing recommendations to voters based on a months long process conducting in-depth policy analysis of each proposal. Recommendations center on a set of criteria that assess an agency’s history of stewarding taxpayer dollars, the strength of their spending plans, the taxpayer protections in place, and thorough discussion of what a measure would cost taxpayers and what it would deliver in return. sdtaxpayers.org/in-the-news/… The individual policy reports, including analyses of high-profile County of #SanDiego charter amendments and sales tax increase, are online. sdtaxpayers.org/policyreport…