Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Category Archives: Taxes

First installment of O.C. property tax payment deadline on 12/10

Posted on by Posted in Orange County, Santa Ana, Taxes Leave a comment
OFFICE OF THE TREASURER-TAX COLLECTOR, SHARI L. FREIDENRICH, CPA, CCMT, CPFA, CPFIM
PRESS RELEASE, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 3, 2012
Contact: Shari Freidenrich, (714) 834-7625, Treasurer@ttc.ocgov.com
First Installment Property Tax Payment Deadline
Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector Shari Freidenrich reports that the first installment of the 2012-2013 secured property taxes must be paid by December 10, 2012 to avoid any late charges. Any first installment payments received after Monday, December 10, 2012 that do not have a US Postal stamp of the 10th or earlier will be charged a 10% delinquent fee. The second installment of property taxes are due February 1, 2013 and are delinquent after April 10, 2013. Continue reading→

Rancho Santiago Community College District Trustees support tax increase

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Dave Chapel, Education, Elections, Mark McLoughlin, Politics, Santa Ana, Taxes Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 5, 2012

Contact: Judy Iannaccone , Director, Communications , Phone: (714) 480-7503, e-mail: iannaccone_judy@rsccd.edu

Rancho Santiago Community College District Trustees Support Prop 30, Oppose Prop 38

(Santa Ana)—At a regularly scheduled meeting of the Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD) Board of Trustees on October 8, the trustees voted in favor of a resolution in support of Proposition 30, the Schools and Local Public Safety Protection Act. Continue reading→

The OC Taxpayers Association’s PAC supports Pulido with a campaign mailer

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, David Benavides, Elections, Miguel Pulido, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana, Taxes 1 Comment

The Orange County Taxpayers Association PAC has dropped a mailer in support of Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido into local mailboxes today.  The mailer touts Pulido’s record of “restoring Santa Ana’s fiscal health without raising taxes.” Continue reading→

50 million reasons to vote against Measure Q

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Education, Labor, Santa Ana, Taxes 1 Comment

In 2003, the Rancho Santiago Community College Governing Board placed a union-crafted Project Labor Agreement (PLA) on all Measure E bond work.
Measure E had been passed by voters in 2002 with no hint of a controversial PLA would be used.

The PLA vote occurred despite vigorous opposition from local workers, taxpayers, apprentices, contractors and contractor associations. The board was told that a PLA was simply a payoff to union bosses and that it openly discriminated against the 85% of the local construction workforce that was union-free. Continue reading→

Will high gas prices doom Team Benavides as they call for tax increases?

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Elections, Eric Alderete, Politics, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana, Taxes, Vince Sarmiento Leave a comment

“As early voting begins, Californians are dealing with a new cost crisis as gasoline prices explode upward all over the state. The five-dollar a gallon figure was crossed at a number of gas stations at the end of last week while other stations closed down for lack of supply,” according to Joel Fox, the Editor of Fox & Hounds and President of the Small Business Action Committee.

That could be bad news for Santa Ana Mayoral challenger David Benavides and his left-wing Council majority.  Benavides and his allies – Council Member Vince Sarmiento and Council candidates Eric Alderete and Roman Reyna, have all said, at a public candidates’ forum that they support every single tax increase measure on the Nov. 6 general election ballot, including Prop. 30, which “increases the sales tax, which is applied to gasoline sales,” according to Fox & Hounds.  Continue reading→

Sarmiento stiffs Santa Ana’s businesses and votes for red tape and more taxes

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Business, Jobs, Labor, Santa Ana, Taxes, Vince Sarmiento 8 Comments

Santa Ana City Council candidate Roman Reyna was not the only candidate that skipped out on the recent Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce Candidates Forum.  It turns out that Council Member Vincent Sarmiento also had better things to do than meet with the city’s business owners, according to the Voice of OC.  Even though Sarmiento posted about the forum on his own Facebook page!

To be fair, his opponent, Estela Amezcua, was absent too, but she is not really running much of a campaign.  Sarmiento, on the other hand, just sent voters a four page glossy mailer about himself. Continue reading→

Santa Ana College students are advocating for Measure Q

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Education, Santa Ana, Taxes 8 Comments

A group of Santa Ana College students are advocating for a new bond measure that is designated “Measure Q.” We will be voting on this bond measure in November.

I am personally opposed to all bond measures, particularly since we already raised our property taxes twice with SAUSD bond measures and once with a previous Rancho Santiago Community College District bond measure.   Continue reading→

Bustamante returns to join Benavides in supporting the PBID tax

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Arts and Culture, Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Taxes 11 Comments

Benavides tried to evade the PBID issue, but failed

A clearly chastened Santa Ana Council Member Carlos Bustamante returned to work tonight, showing up to the City Council meeting so that he could join his longtime friend and Council ally David Benavides in supporting the unethical PBID tax.  Benavides is also a mayoral candidate this year.

Bustamante’s presence allowed the City Council to discuss the PBID.  Only two other Council Members could participate in that discussion – Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez, who capably presided, and Council Member Sal Tinajero. Continue reading→

The Santa Ana PBID tax may finally go away after next year

Posted on by Posted in Business, Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Taxes 5 Comments

In the end the Santa Ana PBID tax may finally die – but it won’t be because our City Council had the guts to get rid of it.  Instead it is on its last legs because some Council Members are on vacation, others cannot vote on PBID matters due to conflicts of interest, and Council Member Carlos Bustamante is refusing to attend public sessions of the City Council, according to the O.C. Register.

It is too bad our City Council did not have the guts to get rid of the PBID outright.  And it is sad that the Downtown businesses are going to get stuck paying this tax again for another year.  But I do hope that this will prove to be the end of the PBID. Continue reading→

Santa Ana’s business tax amnesty program’s deadline is coming on 7/31

Posted on by Posted in Business, Civic Affairs, Santa Ana, Taxes Leave a comment

City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County

Community: TAX AMNESTY PROGRAM DEADLINE FAST APPROACHING FOR NEW AND CURRENT BUSINESS OWNERS

SANTA ANA, CA (July 5, 2012) – The City of Santa Ana is making its final call to new and current business owners to sign up for the Business Tax Amnesty Program. The deadline for participating in this one time only program is Wednesday, July 31, 2012.

Anyone doing business or registered as a business or corporation in the City of Santa Ana must have a business license. Existing licensed businesses that may have underreported or misreported their gross receipts or other assessment criteria qualify if they act fast in order to avoid paying penalties and interest on current and back year taxes. Continue reading→

O.C. BOE candidate Pedroza signs the Taxpayer Protection Pledge

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Art Pedroza, Bond Measures, california, Education, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana, Taxes 6 Comments

PRESS RELEASE, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 2, 2012
Contact: Art Pedroza, Candidate for the Orange County Board of Education, Area One
Phone#: (714) 606-7622, Email: artpedroza@votepedroza.org

SANTA ANA – Art Pedroza, a teacher at Cerritos College and the leading candidate for the Orange County Board of Education, has signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge.

Pedroza said, “I have never ever supported a tax increase and I have steadfastly opposed every local and state bond measure.” Continue reading→

Santa Ana Church caught promoting Nguyen’s O.C. Board of Education campaign

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Charities, Churches and Religion, Democratic Party, Education, Elections, Politics, Santa Ana, Taxes, Vietnamese 9 Comments

St. Barbara’s Catholic Church, in Santa Ana, has been caught promoting the political campaign of Ken Nguyen, a Santa Ana Parks and Recreation Commissioner, who is running for the Orange County Board of Education, in Area One, which includes the City of Santa Ana.

Repeated phone calls have been made to the church officials and to the Orange County Catholic Dioscese, but to date the signs are still all over the church’s property.  This is illegal and puts the church at risk of losing their tax exempt status, according to the IRS: Continue reading→

Isn’t it time to end the Downtown Santa Ana Pbid?

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, Bars, Business, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Restaurants, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Taxes, Vince Sarmiento 19 Comments

Santa Ana Council Member Sal Tinajero may put an item on an upcoming City Council meeting agenda to get rid of the Downtown Santa Ana Pbid, a property assessment that is collected and spent by a non-profit, Downtown Inc.  There has been a lot of anger on the part of small businesses made to pay these fees (either directly as property owners or passed on to them in their leases by their landords), but who feel that they don’t draw benefit from Downtown Inc’s marketing, which has apparently benefited the Downtown restaurants and bars more.

Need more proof of that?  Tara Jimenez, the owner of Drapes Vintage, was hired by Downtown, Inc. to run workshops to teach local Downtown businesses how they could make their stores more appealing to the downtown’s changing demographic,” according to the Voice of OC.  But she is now closing her business – and she has turned on Downtown Inc. too. Continue reading→

Correa to host free 2011 income tax prep event on April 3

Posted on by Posted in Entertainment, Garden Grove, Lou Correa, Taxes Leave a comment

(SANTA ANA, CA) — State Senator Lou Correa and State Controller John Chiang are partnering with Cal State University, Fullerton (CSUF), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the OC Financial Stability Alliance to provide free 2011 income tax preparation assistance.

The tax assistance workshop will take place on Tuesday, April 3rd from 1:00 to 4:00pm at the CSUF Garden Grove Campus in Room 150, 12901 Euclid Street, Garden Grove, CA 92840.

“Filing taxes can be a confusing and time consuming process, leaving many people at a loss for what to do,” said Senator Correa. “So many of our families need assistance filing taxes in order to get a tax refund, which is money that returns directly to our communities and supports the local economy. Because of the current economic conditions, it is important that we ensure hardworking taxpayers have access to free tax preparation services and receive the benefits they deserve.” Continue reading→

Property tax payment deadline is next Tuesday

Posted on by Posted in Orange County, Santa Ana, Taxes 1 Comment

OFFICE OF THE TREASURER-TAX COLLECTOR SHARI L. FREIDENRICH, CPA, CCMT, CPFA, CPFIM
P.O. BOX 4515, SANTA ANA, CA92702-4515
http://bos.ocgov.com/octaxbill

PRESS RELEASE, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 2, 2012

Contact: Shari L. Freidenrich, (714) 834-7625, Treasurer@ttc.ocgov.com

Property Tax Payment Deadline is next Tuesday!

Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector Shari Freidenrich today reminds Orange County taxpayers that the second installment of property taxes is due no later than Tuesday, April 10, 2012. Payments not received by Tuesday, unless they have a United States Postal Service stamp on or before April 10, will incur a 10% late penalty fee. Current second installment secured tax receipts are approximately 1% ahead of the same time last year with $38 million more in property taxes being received. Total secured tax receipts are $71 million ahead of the same time same year. Continue reading→