30 YEARS OF
HIDDEN TAXES IN THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE
Holding true by their mission statement?
“The City of Riverside Public Utilities Department is committed to the highest quality water and electric services at the lowest possible rates to benefit the community.”
In 1978, Californians approved Proposition 13, which further defined the word “tax.” It led to the adoption of Gov. Code Section 50076, which states: “A special tax shall not include any fee which does not exceed the reasonable cost of providing the service or regulatory activity for which the fee is charged and which is not levied for general revenue purposes.”
Before Proposition 13, voter approval was not required for taxes, charges or fees; with Proposition 13, a two-thirds voter approval is required for “special taxes” and property tax otherwise limited to 1% of assessed valuation. Subsequent Propositions 62, 218 and 26 further clarified the people’s right to vote on the issues of taxation and limit government’s authority to charge fees in lieu of taxes.
In 1984, Proposition 62 was approved, which requires a majority vote for “general taxes” in general law cities and counties.
In 1996, Proposition 218 was approved by California voters, and requires majority vote approval for “general taxes” in general law and charter cities and counties. It also requires property-owner approval for all assessments and property-related fees and charges.
In 2010, Proposition 26 became law, and affirmatively re-stated language from Proposition 218 to further limit local government from evading a local vote on taxes and fees in lieu of taxes.
For 30 years, the City of Riverside has avoided complying with Proposition 13. The City continues to be in non-compliance with the provisions of Propositions 13, 62, 218 and, more recently, 26. This non-compliance has been most egregious in terms of utilitypricing within the City.
The City of Riverside employs hidden taxes in the utility prices it charges citizens in order to transfer large sums of cash to the City General Fund. Since 2007 the sum of these unconstitutional transfers has exceeded $300,000,000 and continues at an annual rate in excess of $70,000,000. The City’s method of creating hidden taxes and collecting these monies denies the citizens their constitutional rights to vote on special taxes and property assessments.
The extent of the various schemes perpetrated by the City of Riverside and the seriousness of these acts, which in effect constitute multiple violations of State Constitutional law, gives rise to the question: has the City of Riverside designed and implemented secret plans to commit fraud, in fact committing federal crimes by using the US Mail to further the misappropriation of funds?
“If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.” — Mark Twain
ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF LAW COMMITTED BY THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE, COMING NEXT IN A SERIES ON TMC.
jehunter51
TMC: Thirty Miles of Corruption 
Finally, someone has the courage to print these facts. Thank you. We utility payers in Riverside deserve some very large monetary rebates. What the City of Riverside has done is not just mismanagement; it’s not just “gaming the system”; it is criminal action of the most egregious sort and should be prosecuted. City Council members, the Mayor, the ex-City Manager, and the City Attorney hopefully will find themselves as defendants in a Bell-like trial. If only the Press-Enterprise would dissect this situation as well as they have done for San Bernardino and San Jacinto. But they know where their bread is buttered, so probably they won’t. For shame. Anyone want to go to the LA Times with this?