Steady buildup

FOR lack of a better phrase, let's refer to this suburban syndrome as "education tax creep." It's a relatively insidious condition that, over time, has begun to afflict a number of San Mateo County communities. Special taxes devoted to public school entities have proliferated over the past few years.

They have become especially noticeable in the southern portion of the county. Individually, they don't seem like all that burdensome. When added together, though, they can be rather onerous for some residents of modest means.

Parcel taxes and construction bond measures, along with levies for what are called "maintenance assessment" needs, have become significant on a typical property tax bill.

Take San Carlos for instance. Homeowners there are faced with two more school bond measures on the Nov. 8 ballot.

The first is Measure A, a massive $468 million proposal floated by the county's Community College District. The second is Measure E, a $38 million plan courtesy of the San Carlos Elementary School District.

If those fiscal packages are approved by at least 55 percent of the electorate (Measure A will be voted on countywide), the owner of a San Carlos house with an assessed value of $600,000 will wind up paying a grand total of more than $700 when all education taxes are combined.

That includes money already on the books for the Sequoia Union High School District generated by several bond issues and a maintenance assessment tax. Together, Measure A and Measure E would account for an estimated $200 of that $700.

Interestingly, both bonds are coming on the heels of previously approved capital-improvement measures in the two districts. Their trustees agree that more work needs to be done.

It's worth noting that public school authorities have been going to the voters for such bond funds with increasing frequency ever since the

55 percent threshold (in a general election) was established several years ago.

That modified the previous 67 percent rule, which remains in place in a special election for a public school bond.

WHERE IS SHE? -- That was a disturbing police report out of South San Francisco recently.

A man told the cops that he couldn't find his wife and couldn't recall when he had last seen her. Thus, the obvious question: Can this marriage be saved?

Then again, the poor fellow also stated that he couldn't remember his own telephone number. The issues here may go well beyond those of marital bliss.

Send Peninsula vignettes to John Horgan by telephone at 348- 4334, by fax at 348-4446 or by mail at P.O. Box 5400, San Mateo, CA 94402.

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