When the Saratoga City Council Proposed a Parcel Tax…

As a fiscal moderate, I believe in thoughtful, data-driven governance—not impulsive, poorly planned tax hikes that risk becoming a modern-day Tughlaq moment.

The Saratoga City Council is currently facing a growing budget deficit, and our public works projects are falling behind. In 2022, the Public Works team raised a red flag: our Pavement Condition Index (PCI) was slipping below the target of 70. They warned that the lower it fell, the harder—and more expensive—it would be to recover. The message was clear: fix it now or pay far more later.

City staff recommended a bond measure or a parcel tax to cover the costs. Most of my council colleagues were ready to follow that path. But I couldn’t support it.

I stood alone as the dissenting vote—not because I ignored the urgency, but because I believe that good governance starts with fiscal responsibility. 

As a fiscal moderate, I’ve always believed that tax increases should be a last resort, not a default reaction. Before asking our residents—many of whom are already struggling with inflation and rising living costs—to pay more, we owe them a full accounting of how current dollars are being spent.

California is filled with cautionary tales of government inefficiency and financial mismanagement:

• The $20 billion in EDD unemployment fraud during the pandemic.

• High-Speed Rail, originally estimated at $33 billion and now projected to exceed $128 billion, with no completion in sight.

• Homelessness spending, where billions have been poured into programs with little to no measurable reduction in homelessness across major cities.

These examples reflect a troubling trend: government too often reaches for more funding without first demonstrating results or accountability.

In Saratoga, I pushed for austerity, optimization, and performance auditing before even considering a tax hike. We hadn’t conducted a deep enough review of inefficiencies or explored creative reallocation of funds. I believed we could—and should—do better.

Despite my objections, the council moved forward, hiring a consultant to prepare for a potential ballot measure. But then the community weighed in. Residents began asking: Have we truly done everything possible to manage our finances wisely?

The pressure worked. The City Council ultimately shelved the parcel tax proposal.

Had I voted “yes,” the tax measure likely would have advanced to an expensive, unnecessary election. Instead, my “no” vote served as a line in the sand—a message that leadership is about protecting taxpayers, demanding accountability, and insisting on smart, efficient governance before asking for more.