The taxman cometh

Re: “Letters to the editor” [Volume 25, Issue 1 or bit.ly/2CRPuUO]

The “tax revolt” opinion letter from Joe Ney in the captioned issue is spot on.

The gas tax surprise from the exiting Jerry Brown was just the tip of the iceberg.

I truly hope that Californians will wake up and understand what the recently elected governor plans to do to this state.

We need to start holding the elected officials accountable for the misuse of our tax money and stop the “raise taxes” as their answer. A big part of the equation is fiscal responsibility, just like we all have at our homes.

I ask Californians to think about what the state of California will look like five, 10, 15, 20 years from now, if not sooner.

If we think it is difficult to do business or live here now, just think about what the future has in store for us under the present leadership in Sacramento.

Think about that when you deposit your ballot in the ballot box.

—Jim Sorensen, Allied Gardens

A new ‘institution?’

Re: “News from the Del Cerro Action Council” [Volume 25, Issue 1 or bit.ly/2D9QL9X]

 On the evening of Jan. 24, 2019, the Del Cerro Action Council held a meeting. One of the topics discussed was the land use just east of the entry to Del Cerro on College Avenue and a presentation by the All Peoples Church, which is currently located on University Avenue in San Diego. The vacant area on College Avenue has been designated in the master plan as “residential” for over 60 years. We became aware that All Peoples Church and their paperwork filed with San Diego’s planning commission references “institution.”

There are many types of institutions. Patton State Mental Hospital is an institution. Donovan State Prison is an institution. Father Joe’s Villages, a religious organization, is a homeless institution, as is the Path homeless facility. Webster’s dictionary has a number has a number of definitions for “institution.”

The pastor and one of his associates assured those in attendance that their intention was to build only a religious facility they represented, and that traffic studies had been done and are currently on file with the city. Pastor Robert Herbert’s associate commented that the church would lobby the city for a traffic signal to be located “halfway down the hill on College Avenue to help mitigate congestion on Del Cerro’s main traffic artery into our residential community.”

This, of course, would raise concerns and that we would have three traffic signals between Del Cerro Boulevard and the Interstate 8 freeway entrance. Even with a traffic signal, it would still require the city to re-engineer College Avenue, removing the existing median and re-engineering both north and southbound traffic lanes because the southbound traffic lanes on College Avenue are significantly elevated higher than the northbound lanes. Which begs the question to be answered: What would be the cost to the taxpaying residents of Del Cerro?

While we would like to postulate that the church’s intentions are solely religious, what are the unforeseen consequences in years to come with the city recognizing and approving an “institution?” There are so many unanswered questions and concerns that I, and others in attendance, have.

—Donna Dose, Del Cerro.