New anti-tax fervor seems to be growing

Today, with a general election looming in four months, wide-spread discontent over taxation again shows distinct signs of growing. Small wonder. We endure some of the very highest taxes in the nation. The burden continues to escalate inexorably.

The November ballot is ticketed to include a bulging buffet of fresh measures to raise more “revenue” for a range of public programs, institutions and projects. A proposed sales tax increase to bail out transit systems in four Bay Area counties, including ours, is generating organized opposition.

County voters may also be faced with a significant bond extension planned by the community college district. A new construction bond package is also on the drawing board in the San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District, among others. Several local cities are preparing sales tax hikes of their own. All of this is occurring at the same time the cost of living and inflation are continuing to rise.

On the state level, a concerted drive is underway to remedy a controversial court-sanctioned work-around that hamstrings an important aspect of Prop. 13; it allows some public agencies to avoid a two-thirds voter approval mandate for certain tax measures. The aim is to reinstate the two-thirds threshold, the original intent of Prop. 13.

All in all, the landscape for the smooth passage of tax increases may be less than promising these days. Time — and, eventually, results at the ballot box — will tell.

JOHN DILLINGER HE ISN’T: A would-be bank robber seemed to be unclear on the concept not long ago in San Carlos. He seems to have lost the playbook. Law enforcement authorities reported that the flummoxed guy approached a teller and demanded $10,000. Pronto. The teller responded by noting that the bank didn’t have that kind of money available right out of the chute. So the wannabe John Dillinger offered a surprise discount — how about $5,000 instead? Sorry, again no dice. The gendarmes, alerted by the savvy teller who had activated an alarm on the sly, arrived on the scene, arrested the befuddled suspect and hauled him away to the local lockup. Pretty Boy Floyd and Bonnie and Clyde were no doubt spinning beneath their headstones at the news of this fellow’s boneheaded display.

BEACH PARKING IS A PROBLEM: There’s an occasionally nasty debate roiling Pacifica these days and nights — and it has nothing to do with the fate of the community’s deteriorating fishing pier. The issue at hand is intrusive parking at Linda Mar Beach. Some individuals are living in their vans, cars and RV’s in the beach parking lot all day and all night. Surfers, locals and others aren’t pleased. They argue that the situation is creating problems, including health worries. They want tougher restrictions instituted there. A ban on parking at night has been broached. City authorities appear to be sympathetic to their concerns as hard feelings persist. But the state has significant authority within the coastal zone. Negotiations continue as the vexing kerfuffle persists.

IT’S DELAYED GRATIFICATION: Have you noticed? Paying close attention to World Cup action and hoping to see a goal or two is a lot like spending time out on the coast whale-watching. On some days, you get lucky and view what you came for and on others you don’t. You may have to wait awhile for the real action, elusive though it may be, but, when it does occur, it’s well worth it. It’s delayed gratification writ large. In a good way. Ole!

EVEN DIRT ISN’T CHEAP THESE DAYS: You know that old economic bugaboo, inflation, remains with us when you check out potting soil at the Dollar Tree in South San Francisco, a favorite haunt for those devoted to saving a buck or two, and a modest sack of the mundane stuff is advertised thusly: “Dirt, $5.” Maybe it’s soil imported from Atherton.