What??? Homes in San Diego are already out of reach for many people and some of the supervisors think it is wise to add thousands of dollars to the sale? Even if the state gives them the right to change the transfer tax the county would still have had to put such a tax to voters in a ballot measure.
From what I could find online the only supervisor vocally against raising this tax is Jim Desmond. Desmond raised the issue during Wednesday’s meeting, but the board delayed the discussion until February’s meeting. An article that came out today on NC Pipeline has more information on Desmond's position. He is in the loop and says this issue hasn't gone away even if hiring a lobbyist to promote the issue is off the table.
I called Supervisors Terra Lawson-Remer's office On January 13 for her perspective since several publications indicate she was the one who suggested the increase in the transfer tax. I spoke with Omar Teran Sosa, Constituent Service & Field Representative for her. Omar didn't directly answer my question regarding if it was her idea but he did follow up with an email which said. "Please see the statement below from Chair Lawson-Remer: Thanks for reaching out - I understand there is a lot of misinformation out there right now. There is no proposal before the Board to raise the property transfer tax. The County does not have the authority to impose such a fee— only voters can do that, and I believe that decision should rest with the public."
It is important we pay attention to this issue. Call your supervisor and let them know how you feel. If you don't know who that is look at the county map.
If all you remember from this is one thing this is it - Supervisors wanted state lawmakers to allow counties to raise taxes on real estate sales from 55 cents for every $500 in value to $30.55 for every $500 — more than 55 times the old rate. If imposed on the sale of the average San Diego County home worth $985,000, such a rate would add $60,200 in new taxes. This would further the divide between the haves and the have nots. Who can afford that much more money to add to the purchase price of a house? Not the average buyer.
