Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • beats
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
    • California Dream
    • Videos
    • Photos
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Roots
    • Eclectic
    • Videos
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight
    • California State of Mind
    • The View From Here
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • Insight Music
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • CapRadio Travels
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support / Underwriting
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Volunteering
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 

Sacramento Mayor Calls For Increase In Sales Tax To Pay For Jobs Training, Affordable Housing, Neighborhood Equality

  •  Bob Moffitt 
Thursday, June 7, 2018 | Sacramento, CA
Listen
/
Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg.

Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

Mayor Darrell Steinberg kicked off an effort on Thursday to renew and increase the city’s sales tax to pay for jobs, housing, and social-equity programs.

The city’s Measure U sales tax was first passed by voters in 2012 and currently raises around $50 million a year to pay for police, fire, and parks, services that were impacted and lost during the recession. The tax will expire next year, however, and Steinberg is asking his city council colleagues and voters to re-up it this November election.

He’s also proposing to double Measure U to a full penny, and to use the new revenue to pay for a variety of social services. The new increase would also be permanent.

During a speech at Sacramento City College on Tuesday, the mayor outlined his vision. He discussed how the Stephon Clark shooting “shed a harsh light on the continued cycle of poverty, despair and generational trauma that is the reality for too many members of our community,” and how “a single penny could change Sacramento” while making his case for increasing the sales tax to benefit communities of color.

Stephanie Bray is the head of the United Way Capital Region and attended the speech. She points to a recent study by the Policy Link group. She says it shows a need for investment.

"Inequity costs about $20 billion for this region. So, when you have communities that are left behind from an economic development standpoint, that results in a real loss,” Bray said.

Barry Accius is founder of Voice of the Youth leadership program. He says he's waiting to see the City's plan for spending the money before he decides whether to support it.

"If we're going to put out the idea of helping these marginalized communities and putting some real effort into the economics and the growth, that does not involve with community policing or any idea like them thinking, 'We're going to put some more police over here or we'll set this stage.' We need to focus on economics," Accius said.

David Wolfe is with the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, which typically opposes tax increases.

"Sales taxes are very regressive. It tends to be your lower-income people that tend to pay a greater percentage of that sales tax revenue. And, listen, we have two dozen cities right now in California with sales taxes over 10 percent," Wolfe said.

He added he worries the money would end up paying for unfunded pension liabilities and arena costs. 

The mayor proposed that half of the new tax, an estimated $25 million, could go toward a capital fund to invest in jobs in low-income neighborhoods and affordable housing. He says this fund would accumulate over the years, and that any expenditure by the city would need to be matched by the private sector — “a smart requirement that would allow us to invest as much as $2-and-a-half billion in Sacramento’s economic future,” he said.

Steinberg said the other estimated $25 million from the increased Measure U tax could be allocated to neighborhood-based services, public safety and investments to get young people ready for the workforce.

The original Measure U was a specific-use tax and required only a majority of voters to increase the sales tax from 7.75 percent to 8.25 percent.

Steinberg’s vision for the new Measure U would increase the sales tax to 8.75 percent. It would be a general sales tax, as well, which would still only require 50 percent of the vote, since it would not ask voters to spend the money in specific ways: The council would say how it could spend the money, but the city wouldn’t be required to those expenditures.

City Council is expected to discuss Steinberg’s proposed Measure U increase next Tuesday.

 

Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

    Related Stories

  • Bob Moffitt / Capital Public Radio

    Sacramento NAACP Chapter Comes Out Against City’s Measure U Sales Tax Increase

    Friday, October 12, 2018
    The organization says city leaders are trying to generate more revenue “on the backs of working families who already struggle to survive economically.”
  • Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

    Mayor Steinberg Makes Case For Higher, Permanent Sales Tax

    Friday, June 8, 2018
    Mayor Darrell Steinberg explains his plan to permanently expand and extend Sacramento’s sales tax to a full penny.

 darrell steinbergtaxes

Bob Moffitt

Former Sacramento Region Reporter

Bob reported on all things northern California and Nevada. His coverage of police technology, local athletes, and the environment has won a regional Associated Press and several Edward R. Murrow awards.  Read Full Bio 

Coronavirus Newsletter

Get answers to your questions, the latest updates and easy access to the resources you need, delivered to your inbox.

 

Want to know what to expect? Here's a recent newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

We'll send you weekly emails so you can stay informed about the coronavirus in California.

Browse all newsletters

More Stories

Anne Wernikoff / CalMatters

When Will Nursing Homes Reopen To Visitors? State Officials Won’t Say

March 2, 2021

Sarah Mizes-Tan / CapRadio

Sacramento Leaders Speak Out As Asian And Pacific Islander Hate Crimes Continue In City

March 2, 2021

Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

CDC Says It's Safe For Vaccinated People To Do These Activities

March 8, 2021

Most Viewed

California Coronavirus Updates: California Counties Don't Want Blue Shield's Vaccine Program

When Can I Get A COVID-19 Vaccine? How Will I Find Out? Answers To Your California Vaccine Questions.

California To Expand COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility To Residents With Severe Health Conditions, Disabilities

California Coronavirus Updates: CDC Endorses Johnson & Johnson Vaccine

More Than 12,000 Coronavirus Cases Have Been Reported At California Child Care Centers

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Most Viewed

California Coronavirus Updates: California Counties Don't Want Blue Shield's Vaccine Program

When Can I Get A COVID-19 Vaccine? How Will I Find Out? Answers To Your California Vaccine Questions.

California To Expand COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility To Residents With Severe Health Conditions, Disabilities

California Coronavirus Updates: CDC Endorses Johnson & Johnson Vaccine

More Than 12,000 Coronavirus Cases Have Been Reported At California Child Care Centers

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Jobs & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Smart Speakers
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2021, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.