S.F. Taxpayer-Funded Poll Reveals S.F. Taxpayers Don't Want to Pay Taxes

San Francisco voters say 'Bah Humbug' to new taxes, poll claims...

​A poll commissioned by the San Francisco County Transportation Authority revealed that city voters are in no mood to pay the taxes the Board of Supervisors will likely today move to place on the ballot -- where voters will eventually have their say.

The $20,000 poll revealed support for a proposed $10 local vehicle registration fee. But a trio of other taxes proposed by the board's progressive wing -- a 10 percent jump on the parking tax; a revamping of the manner in which the city taxes businesses; and an augmentation of the tax on the sale of multimillion-dollar properties -- all polled dismally. So, if you're keeping score at home, taxpayers paid for a poll revealing they don't want to pay taxes.

The results of the poll, incidentally, were brushed aside by Supervisors David Chiu, Ross Mirkarimi, and John Avalos, who said questions were poorly written. The decision to use public money to fund the poll has come under fire, too.

It promises to be an eventful Board of Supervisors meeting. In addition to potentially placing the tax measures on the ballot, the supes will consider "Laura's Law" -- which would allow a civil court to order mentally ill people who refuse treatment into outpatient treatment programs -- and Chiu's proposal to allow non-citizens to vote in school board elections.

While some estimates pegged the cost of allowing non-citizen parents to vote in elections could be an exorbitant $800,000 a pop, Chiu told SF Weekly that an absentee voting system could be as little as $75,000. Currently, Chicago and several municipalities in Maryland allow non-citizen voting in local elections.

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