Introduction
Content
One of the propositions residents will be voting on is prop 15.
The tax would amend the state's constitution to tax commercial and industrial properties based on their market value.
Joining me.
Talk more about prop 15 and why the asian business alliance of san diego is urging people to vote.
No is ceo of the alliance.
Jason pagaio, hey, jason do I have let's start with the last name.
The last name is pronounced pagano.
Okay.
So jason I apologize for kicking it around like that.
Uh, I have a tendency to do that.
Unfortunately, uh, sir let's let's.
Talk about the prop as it sits as the the way my rudimentary understanding is it's, an added tax on commercial properties who have been for a long time, perhaps paying below market value for the land that their business is on to uh, take an added tax place it on them.
And then take that money and use it for educational and other business, related opportunities.
You say, it's a bad idea to do why? Well sure let me start by uh, telling you a little bit about our organization, the asian business association has been part of the senegal community for over 30 years.
And we provide no cost counseling educational resources workshops.
And we provide advocacy for the over 30 000 asian and pacific islander-owned businesses that call san diego home.
As you mentioned proposition, 15 is a property tax increase on the ballot this coming election, it's being sold as more money for government in schools.
Unfortunately, prop 15 hides that it is the largest property tax increase, uh in the state history that will crush our neighborhood small businesses.
We've had tara loss of reamers on uh, she's running for the district.
3 county, supervisor, see, she's a yes on 15.
When we've had our conversations she'll say to me, yeah, paul a lot of these big buck industries have been sitting on a piece of land for decades and they're, paying well below market value property tax.
Why shouldn't we bring them up to a more fair market value? You say, well, I'll tell you simply put prop 15 is the wrong tax at the wrong time.
And it actually hurts our most vulnerable, small businesses in a time when they need help the most we work with small businesses, every single day, these are mom and pop shops struggling to stay open, providing for their families, keeping their employees on payroll and are having trouble accessing resources, whether it's covet 19 disaster relief capital, going through the constant changes of opening and closing moving outdoors all these unfunded and a lot of them justifiable mandates like requiring ppe that all come at extreme cost to these small businesses.
I mean, can you imagine how much more difficult? It is for minority-owned businesses who on top of all that have language cultural and economic barriers, that's, why the state's three largest ethnic chambers of commerce, the cal asian chamber of commerce, the california, black chamber of commerce and the california, hispanic chamber of commerce.
All opposed prop 15, in fact, the naacp uh did a study with berkeley research and found that minority-owned and women-owned businesses will be disproportionately hurt by this 12 billion dollar tax increase.
And even worse, a prop 15 will lead to the loss of about 120, 000, private sector jobs, it's, prop 15 is the wrong tax at the wrong time.
Paul, uh, jason, we might have to take a commercial break in between this conversation.
How much time do we have before the break guys all right? So we have a minute and then we'll finish up after on the other side of the commercial break.
But jason, whenever I have this conversation with a yes on 15 folks, they don't talk about the small businesses or they're talking about the chevrons.
And these major corporations as as if they're financially untouchable, you then respond by talking about the small businesses.
Talk about the relationship of let's say, a small business, who's renting a piece of property from a bigger business.
Well, sure I think that's one of the big issues here is you see people say that large corporations will pay all the taxes.
I mean, the proponents who've written prop 15 to only be limited, you know, they they could have written this to be only limited to millionaires billionaires and big corporations, but they didn't, uh, like jason.
Let me interrupt you we're going to take a commercial break, we'll, come back and we'll.
Get you to finish your thought in just a second we'll be right back with more good morning.
San diego.
We are talking with jason baguio of the asian business alliance of san diego he's explaining why he's no on 15 before we were so rudely.
Interrupted.
We were talking about how the yes on 15 folks are always talking about big businesses, big companies like chevron, ignoring the trickle down connection to smaller businesses.
Would you like to finish your thoughts, sir well? Well sure to qualify as a small business under prop 15 you're required to own property in california.
I mean, how many truly small businesses do you know qualify or actually own their own property? Uh, 78 of small businesses across the state are renters.
If you rent and don't own your property in california, then you are not classified as a small business and not protected from prop 15's.
Huge tax increases.
You mentioned that you know, large corporations will pay all the taxes.
Well, the proponents could have written prop 15 to only be limited to millionaires billionaires and big corporations.
But they didn't.
They talk about large corporations like amazon disneyland, exxon all paying the bill.
But in reality, most of our favorite neighborhood, small businesses, like dumpling inn, pizza, pork craft street chicken and beer.
Bread mexican cafe, swami's.
Jasmine seafood will all be hit with this largest property tax increase in history.
We're talking facing annual rent and property tax increases of twenty thousand thirty forty and even fifty thousand dollars on a small business in one year.
But guess who can pay that all the large corporations we'll effectively, see gentrification some of our in many of our historic and cultural economic corridors as an unintended consequence of prop 15.
So jason, it seems to me like explain to me the last I've seen from polling information, it's running neck and neck.
Yes.
And no is it because there's the word education involved in the prop and everybody says, oh, we always want to pay, you know, pay for a higher quality education.
Why is this prop so close in the polling? Well, I think it's it's there's a bit of deception in the ballot measure itself.
It doesn't actually list it it's a property, that's that's, a tax increase and it's going to be passed on everybody else.
And I think what people understand uh with this proposition that, uh, both democrats and republicans local elected officials, actually oppose this measure.
You know, some of the issues with this proposition is there's.
No lock box on the increased revenue to ensure money spent on improving student education, there's zero, independent oversight for taxpayer monitoring the spending of this new tax money.
And the money can be spent on unfunded pensions and not on students, uh or are our streets.
I mean, it's the wrong tax at the wrong time.
You know, kova 19 has made it difficult for enough for many of our small businesses, that's that's, not for san diego, small businesses to close.
Well on that note, we will call an end to our two-part conversation.
A mutual friend of ours wanted me to tell you.
Jason you're, pretty darn smart for a chula vista spartan sounds like tommy got to you.
Huh? Tommy got to me all right.
Jason.
Thanks.
A lot for uh, joining us.
We'll talk, again.
