Mayor Invites Select Group To Swanky Hotel To Hear Garcia, Foster, O'Neill Seek Support For Sales Tax Hike; Garcia Boasts Big Campaign Starting Day After April Election; Foster Blasts "Naysayer" Opponents; O'Neill Lauds Young Leaders

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LB Taxpayers Ass'n co-founder has this response

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(Mar. 26, 2016, 11:45 a.m.) -- LBREPORT.com has learned that on Weds. March 23, an event took place shortly after office hours at LB's elegant Maya Hotel, where Mayor Robert Garcia, joined by former Mayors Bob Foster and Beverly O'Neill, asked invited attendees to support (with their names, not fundraising for now) a June ballot measure tax increase that would raise LB's sales tax to 10% (currently 9% in Signal Hill/Lakewood and 8% in most OC cities) for general fund purposes that current and future Councils could spend on any general fund items.

An emailed invitation from Garcia (sent via his personal, not City email domain) told recipients the tax increase is "a temporary 1 cent sales tax to restore police and fire services and rebuild our aging infrastructure...We plan to share with you why this measure matters, our campaign plan, and how we plan to win in June.

Garcia's emailed added, "This event is NOT a fundraiser. We just want your support and feedback."

[Scroll down for further below.]

LBREPORT.com's sources estimate roughly fifty people were present. One source described those in the room as business people and monied types. Another source indicated the group included those who had been civically engaged on various matters.

Among those visible were some members of Mayor Garcia's office staff, along with Council incumbents Roberto Uranga and Rex Richardson, Harbor Commissioner Doug Drummond and former Councilman Steven Neal.

Our sources say Garcia told the invitees [rough paraphrase] that a major campaign would roll out on the day after LB's April election, including TV and mail pieces. Garcia said it would be a very active campaign, which he compared to the type of engagement energy he'd applied in his run for Mayor.

In arguing for the measure, Garcia said that while LB voters had approved ballot measures providing additional funds for schools and colleges, it had been about 35 years since the public approved a revenue measure for the City. [Ed. note: The local school/college measures were bonds with funding legally tied to specific items, not a general tax left to electeds.] Garcia said LB residents had been willing to open their wallets for various causes in the past but there had been reluctance to do so for the City. Garcia compared the monthly cost of the proposed sales tax increase to a Starbucks tall coffee.

Former Mayor Foster [rough paraphrase] told attendees they'd hear from unnamed "naysayers" who'd try to drive the issue; he urged attendees not be influenced by those he generally described as down on everything.

Former Mayor O'Neill [rough paraphrase] noted that the current Council is younger than in the past but said its members are commendably looking further into the future than most Councils do.

There were no audible requests for money, but forms were displayed that attendees could fill out and identify themselves as supporters of the measure.

To LBREPORT.com's knowledge, no ballot measure political committee has publicly surfaced to date by disclosing the sources of campaign contributions in support of the sales tax increase...although one expects one to do so shortly if a campaign is about to begin within weeks.

Asked for his response to the development, Long Beach Taxpayers Association co-founder Tom Stout commented:

I believe they'll lose votes when voters realize these Mayors have been part of the problem. O'Neill oversaw the 2002 pension spike that continues to harm LB. Foster supported pay raises without pension reforms in 07-08 for the big three city employee unions that endorsed him in 06, then tried to blame the recession for cutting 20% of police, leaving three fire stations without fire engines and failing to repair infrastructure (things other cities didn't do) and only belatedly sought pension changes that we'd advocated years earlier. Garcia supported management raises and now the Taj Mahal Civic Center that will drain millions citywide for over 40 years without voter approval.
And now they want taxpayers to accept one of the highest sales tax rates in CA that will leave Long Beach less competitive for businesses and consumers. That doesn't sound like a winning team to me; sorry.

Mr. Stout added, "I'm not minimizing the challenge. Foster outspent us for his attempted parcel tax and we stopped it although it managed to get about 52% support. This time Garcia and his Council hope to get the sales tax hike by that margin. To do so, they're trying to fool voters on the tax facts. We'll again be the truth squad in this."

And he added, "There's an additional factor this time. Voters nationwide are fed up with status quo approaches at both ends of the political spectrum. Long Beach needs reforms that those in power haven't been willing to provide. Increasing a regressive tax to do what LB's political insiders want won't provide reforms that LB taxpayers deserve."