Civil rights attorney Molly Munger came to San Diego Thursday for a town hall event promoting Proposition 38. The measure on November’s ballot would raise income taxes and direct that money to public schools.
But, the measure is going head-to-head on election day with Governor Jerry Brown’s tax initiative, Proposition 30. Only one measure can go into effect. If both pass, the one with the most "yes" votes would prevail.
Munger is the propositions's primary backer and said her measure has one key difference from the governor’s proposed tax increases.
“The money is collected in a lockbox in Sacramento and flows to every school in the state on a per pupil formula. That means that the political process in Sacramento can have nothing to do with this money,” she said.
Munger’s initiative would raise $10 billion annually for the next 12 years by raising income taxes on most state residents.
Brown’s proposal would bring in about $6 billion a year for seven years through a quarter-cent tax increase and income tax hikes on those earning more than $250,000 a year. The money would also funnel into an account dedicated to school funding - but that account would still be part of the state's general fund. It would be dedicated to meeting the state's school funding obligation, but wouldn't necessarily increase the amount of money flowing to schools in future years. Its failure would trigger $6 billion in mid-year cuts that would fall primarily on schools.
“Schools remain cut to the bone, they remain at the bottom of the country," Munger said in a phone interview Thursday. "The only thing that we’re offered in Prop 30 is that schools won’t be cut even further. And that’s just not good enough.”
San Diego Unified’s Board of Education has voiced support for both initiatives, while the San Diego County Taxpayers Association is urging voters to reject the measures.
