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Volume 8 Issue 250
Santa Monica Daily Press TROJANS GO 3-D SEE PAGE 16
We have you covered
THE ENJOY SUMMER WHILE IT LASTS ISSUE
Cities to get less sales tax BY MELODY HANATANI Daily Press Staff Writer
CITY HALL The economic downturn contin-
healthy and problems with her roommate. Nadel was one of many students in her dormitory who contracted mononucleosis, an illness she said is common in college because of the close living quarters. “In general I always felt like I always had a cold,” she said. “It’s like going to preschool for the first time because suddenly you’re around people who have germs from the entire country and you’re living together and eating together.” She learned that maintaining a routine schedule, going to sleep and waking up at regular hours, is not only good for staying physically healthy, but also staying mentally
ues to hurt businesses in Santa Monica where city officials are expecting to see less money come in from the state this month because of declining sales tax revenues. The California State Board of Equalization, which collects $53 billion annually in taxes and fees to support state and local government services, recently sent letters to 337 finance directors notifying that there will be a reduction in the local monthly allocation for August because of an unprecedented drop in taxable sales this year. For City Hall, that means a payment of about $1.67 million, which reflects a decline of about $209,183. There are 768 cities that receive the monthly allocation which is based on a formula that includes historical allocation, growth factor adjustments to the base, transfer and audits, and cash receipts. The state receives returns from most retailers on a quarterly basis but pays local governments an advance monthly to keep the money flowing, adjusting it after the reports are completed, Anita Gore, the board spokeswoman said. “We have been anticipating a 14.4 percent decrease so everybody knew that sales would be down in the economic downturn and the result in taxes would be reduced that go to local (governments) but the downturn has been greater than anticipated,” Gore said. The reductions this month affected those jurisdictions whose decline in revenues were greater than 21.4 percent. About 15 other municipalities received letters stating that they would not receive any August advance. “Because there is estimating that goes into these and it’s not precise until we get all the information in and all the returns are scrubbed to make sure nobody made an error in reporting, which takes several months, those localities that took an even greater hit … are the ones whose allocation we reduced this time,” Gore said. While city officials didn’t anticipate the
SEE COLLEGE PAGE 9
SEE TAX REVENUE PAGE 8
WELCOMED ADDITION
Brandon Wise news@smdp.com
Visitors to the Santa Monica Pier use the new public bathroom facility on its opening day Monday.
Preparing for the next four years BY MELODY HANATANI Daily Press Staff Writer
DOWNTOWN Jenny Saldana has a long todo list for the next four years — join the crew team, drama club, engineering society and fight for social justice causes. And of course, finish college. Saldana is among the hundreds of high school graduates from Santa Monica who will begin college in the next few weeks, some going to far-away universities to leave the familiar comfort of Southern California, others attending schools closer to home. For all, it’s a momentous step into adulthood.
“I just want to do things I have never really done before like being on the crew team and go to Europe to study abroad,” Saldana, who will attend Santa Clara University, said. “There are so many things I want to do in that school.” She will begin school next month with some idea of what to expect in college, like the heavy courseload and sea of unfamiliar faces. But like most college freshmen, Saldana knows to expect a year of adjustments. Such was the case for Erin Nadel, a Santa Monica High School graduate who will become a sophomore at Vassar College in New York and described her first year as being bumpy, mostly due to issues staying
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