"The 600-acre Palo Alto Flood Basin is just a short walk from Mountain View's Pond A2W, and the motorized sluice gate that is meant to regulate muted tidal flows into the basin's estuary has been inoperable for over five years. The city of Palo Alto is responsible for maintaining the sluice gate but is reluctant to proceed with the expensive repair."
"Proposition 13 was passed by voters almost 50 years ago. Since then, voters have amended it dozens of times, each time carving out another category of people who get a huge break on their property taxes. Now we have a person running for assessor who wants to carve out all seniors and also a movement to make it easier for kids to inherit their parents' low taxes."
The South Bay salt pond restoration has produced significant habitat gains, yet shoreline stewardship is uneven. The 600-acre Palo Alto Flood Basin has had an inoperable motorized sluice gate for over five years, preventing muted tidal flows that many estuarine species need. The city of Palo Alto is responsible for the gate but has been reluctant to fund costly repairs. Longstanding property-tax rules under Proposition 13 have created repeated carve-outs that favor certain groups and heirs, shifting burdens onto market buyers and undermining equitable funding for schools and local government.
Read at The Mercury News
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