Dear Editor –
If you haven’t voted – Whatever You Do – YES on BL.
Save Culver City Businesses by voting YES on BL. This is incredibly important to our prosperous survival as a city.
Measure BL is a proposal for the voters to approve a long-needed modernization of our business fee structure in Culver City. We haven’t upgraded our business fees for 60 Years! It’s Time!
Business license fees are based now, and will be under BL, on gross revenues. If we were to base them on profits, huge corporations operating in Culver City who operate on Reagan-Trump tax philosophies, can appear to lose money while making their C-level execs and shareholders into billionaires. This fee is completely rational and in-fact conservative.
The measure would relieve ~60% of Culver City businesses of any business license fee! A regressive business fee structure hurts all of us. This is a great step to support entrepreneurs and people who actually contribute to the local economy. These are the business creators who generate revenue that goes right back into the local economy, not to executives or investors (Econ 101).
Businesses in the middle tier, who have for decades had a reasonable tax rate in Culver City, in fact lower than L.A., and most surrounding cities., would pay <HORRORS!!!> on average a couple of hundred dollars more. No one likes paying higher fees, labor costs are high, materials costs are high, but profits are also high in our booming Biden-Harris economy. These businesses benefit from our city’s infrastructure, which is actually well run. These businesses are not “endangered by this proposal.” That’s laughable, the type of thing from people who never have run a small business. Our businesses, which the Chamber of Commerce refuses to admit exist outside of our small downtown, are actually doing well in these challenging, changing times.
The anti-BL advocates tremendously disrespect our local business owners. The Chamber of Commerce can be these businesses’ worst enemy, instead of an ally.
The billionaires and unlimited funding from PACs are also fighting BL tooth and nail. We appreciate that we have created a favorable environment for the entertainment industry to embrace Culver City, but let’s face it, they have embraced Culver City for over a century.
These businesses have also embraced nearby Silicon Beach, Santa Monica, and other adjacent areas. All BL essentially does is bring our business fees in line with these other areas.
Businesses exist in our community as a privilege. Some misinformed people say they have every right to exist here, up to and including no fees or taxes! That is insane.
We are getting perhaps 10k+ more jobs in Culver City. That means a tremendous TAX on our infrastructure – our schools, streets, law enforcement, fire fighters, city hall services, etc. etc. The businesses creating the jobs for the profit of their executives and investors need to step up to provide a fare share of what they cost the city. We Do Not Provide Streets, Police, Fire, etc. for free. Homeowners alone can not bear the burden – businesses, finally paying what they would pay if they established across the street in L.A. – must simply pay their fair share.
Culver City’s pension deficit is indeed a problem that all businesses and residents have to contribute to, to help mitigate this problem largely not of our own making. Our new, small, transfer tax has generated enough revenue to help this situation, but businesses have to contribute their fair share.
The MAGA/Republican Protect/Neighborhood/Hackman advocacy on this issue is based in the same old, tired, dangerous and wrong supply-side Reaganomics trope that government is the problem and that taxes are theft. To vote against BL is to vote against a tax cut for the majority of Culver City businesses. The last half-century should be more than enough proof that this is absolutely the worst track for Culver City to ride.
The HALF MILLION DOLLARS from Hackman PAC is largely there to protect their own executive compensation and investor profits. This insane pile of money exists to put a foot on the neck of families and homeowners in Culver City. PLEASE do not vote for anyone benefitting from this corruption.
BL could double fees on oil operations in Culver City. This is another under-the-radar issue that is incredibly important to the billionaires opposing BL. Oppose Bl and you support the environmental devastation that our local oil production continues to cause. BL can help drive these polluters out of our city and far from our homes.
“Taxes are the price we pay for civilization.” O.W. Holmes. Jr.
YES on BL to continue providing an environment in Culver City conducive to families, homeowners, and yes, for business.
Doug Osborne
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