u/notANexpert1308

Save on property tax. Don't forget to file your decline in value assessment.

You can file an informal request to your county assessor to reduce your property tax if homes around you are seeing decline in value. Also called as Prop 8. There is no downside risk to filing.

Head over to your county website to file it for free. You may have to prepare and submit the file manually. Or use a service like [saveproptax.com](http://saveproptax.com/) which does it automatically.

Don't sleep on Prop 8. The process is not as involed as appealing the assessment and its a free check which can lead to material savings if you qualify.

Got the city’s glossy tax mailer this week. Here’s what it doesn’t say.

What they show: Six tax measures over 30 years generating ~$19.4M annually. Framed as measured, responsible governance.

What they don’t show:

Total tax revenue grew 54% in 10 years on a population that shrank 5.3%, and much of that growth required zero voter approval:

•	Property tax: Up 40% since FY2015, not from new taxes, but because home values doubled. Every sale triggers a full reassessment under Prop 13. The city benefits automatically.  
•	Utility Users Tax: It’s a percentage of your bills. Rates went up, so collections went up: $5.0M in FY2020 to $6.3M in FY2024, no vote required.  
•	Sales tax: Prices up 20%+ since 2020. Percentage-based taxes collect more without anyone asking permission.

Meanwhile, spending grew 68.6% over the same decade, 15 points faster than revenue, on a shrinking population. The city’s own forecasts flagged this gap for 20+ years. The Grand Jury found they covered it with reserves instead of fixing it.

Then during the declared fiscal emergency, they signed raises for all bargaining units.

The Valero number in the mailer says “$8M.” Every independent source says $10.8M. And Benicia is now the highest sales tax rate in Solano County at 9.625%; there’s no room left for another ballot measure if things get worse.

The new leadership is more transparent than what came before, but transparency about where you are isn’t the same as accountability for how you got here.

The pension bill hits $14M/year by 2031. The mailer doesn’t mention that either.

The city will again ask to increase taxes and become a charter city. Y’all tired of getting squeezed by our city yet? Don’t forget about the constant raises including Mario’s very nice raise the day after the last tax increase passed.

Reject the Blank Check
Time to reject property transfer taxes that would make future City housing even more costly.  The measures would diminish government accountability while unnecessarily and unfairly raising taxes on property owners.  The revenue for the proposed transfer tax could be used for any purpose, including even more pay raises.  Say NO.