Baby, it was cold outside; but our hardy members of LWV Palos Verdes Peninsula / San Pedro and Torrance Area braved the chill to  garner signatures for the "Schools and Communities First Initiative." On Saturday, January 11th, and Tuesday, January 14th at the Torrance Farmers' Market, our members fielded questions from passersby. We sent off 7 completed petitions with a total of 56 signatures.  All told we did fairly well as the number of shoppers on Tuesday was pretty limited.

WHAT IS THE "SCHOOLS & COMMUNITIES FIRST INITIATIVE"?

Most of us want similar things: good schools for our children, a healthy family, and safe neighborhoods. But for nearly four decades, big corporations have not been paying their fair share, leaving California with the most overcrowded classrooms in the U.S. and with some of the worst ratios of counselors, librarians, and nurses per student.Schools & Communities First ensures that our schools and communities come first with the resources to educate all of our kids and the services to support all of our families. It closes  commercial property tax loopholes benefiting a fraction of corporations and wealthy investors, without affecting homeowners or renters, and reclaims $12 billion every year to fund world-class schools and strengthen local economies to lift up all Californians. It’s time to invest in California’s future.

What Does Schools & Communities First Do?

• RECLAIMS over $12 billion per year for K-12 schools, community colleges and local communities.
• CLOSES commercial property tax loopholes and ends shady schemes that big corporations and wealthy investors use to avoid paying their fair share of property taxes.
• PROTECTS all homeowners and renters by maintaining tax protections for ALL residential property.
• INVESTS in educating all of our kids and in the vital services necessary to support our families and communities.
• PROVIDES the single largest tax incentive in a generation to spur new investment in small businesses.
• LEVELS the playing field for all the businesses that already pay their fair share.
• ENSURES strict accountability so that money goes directly to our students and communities.

Help Qualify Schools & Communities First for the November 2020 Ballot:

1. Collect petition signatures - email amusefisher [at] lwvc.org to learn more
2. Spread the word to friends and family
3. Join the campaign: text "our future" to 9777