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June 1, 2007
Oppose Proposed Law that Kills
Economic Improvements
A
proposed new law, AB 1459, would negatively impact jobs and
economic growth in coastal communities. The new law would
also prohibit cities, counties, and the Coastal Commission
from ever permitting the construction of condominium hotels,
timeshare units, and other similar interests in Redondo
Beach, which is designated as a Coastal Zone.
“This would only hurt our local economy and the recruitment
of new businesses,” stated Marna Smeltzer, President/CEO of
the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce & Visitor’s Bureau.
One aspect of the local economy is tourism. Ranked as
California’s fourth largest employer and fifth largest
contributor to the gross state product, tourism would
definitely suffer. Furthermore, condo hotel units and
timeshare construction would also decline. These projects,
in recent years, have become essential in the growth of our
local economy.
The proposed legislation will stop the creation of
significant new lodging accommodations in the Coastal Zone
which is overseen by the California Coastal Commission. The
Commission is the authority for oversight and when projects
are approved, the commission imposes appropriate conditions
to protect the public’s interest in access to the coast and
overnight lodging.
“There is already a check and balance system in place to
protect the general public and see that construction of new
condos and timeshares happen appropriately,” explained
Smeltzer. “AB 1459 is simply not beneficial to our
businesses,” Smeltzer continued.
December 2, 2004
Chamber
Urges Council for Less Aggressive Business License Tax
At
the November 16th City Council meeting the City Council struggled with an
aggressive proposal for increasing the Redondo Beach Business License Tax..
The Business License Tax has not been increased since 1991, and Redondo
Beach fees are the lowest in the South Bay. Our City is facing a $1.5 to $2
million deficit in the 2004 / 2005 budget. The City Manager's proposal is an
attempt to bring Redondo Beach's business license tax in line with other
South Bay cities and to help offset the city's budget deficit.
The
Chamber lobbied that the proposal was too aggressive and playing catch up
all in one year is just too dramatic. Business leaders agree there is
justification for adjusting the tax. Additionally, implementing an annual
CPI is a good idea in order to keep up with inflation. However, they pointed
out that since the issue needed voter approval in March, there should be
careful consideration to place a measure on the ballot that could be
supported by the voters.
The
original recommendation proposed to increase the business tax from $99 to
$150 for each business plus increase the per employee fee from $18toS35. A
second proposal for consideration added a "square footage fee" for
businesses with over 10,000 sq feet to be assessed up to 10 cents per sq ft
with a cap of $160,000.
The
Mayor and members of the City Council agreed with business leaders that the
plan was far too aggressive to implement all in one year, but struggled with
an equitable solution.
A
final decision whether to place a measure on the March ballot will be
decided at the November 30 City Council meeting.
The
two alternatives that will be discussed are the following.
Alternative #1
Increase the business tax, and the employee
tax, rooms and other rentals, 20% each year for the next 2 years and then go
to an annual increase based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
Alternative #2
Increase the business license tax and the employee tax,
rooms and other rentals, 10% each year for the next five years, and then go
to an annual increase based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI)
The Chamber would like to thank the members who took the time to complete
the Business License Survey that was faxed and e-mailed. The results were
shared with the City Council who reviewed the results with serious
consideration.
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