Talega Residents to Capo School Board: We Want Our Money

Talega residents came before the Capistrano Unified school board Wednesday to complain about a decision made in August to not lower taxes for property owners there when trustees had the chance.

Instead, with San Clemente High School facing $60 million in repairs and needed upgrades, trustees decided to hold onto a $17 million windfall – achieved with a recent refinancing of bonds paid for with special levies on Talega landowners’ tax bill, called Mello-Roos fees.

That didn’t sit well with Talega residents when they finally found out about it.

“It’s amazing how a community of 9,000 people could be left in the dark,” said resident Laura Ferguson. “Talega residents felt that they had been disenfranchised.”

The discussion came up as the school board was discussing the enormity of the district’s facilities needs and the paucity of funds. One of the ways the district funds new buildings is with the Mello-Roos money.

While such money is usually restricted to schools which serve the children who live in the so-called Community Facilities Districts, for Talega, San Clemente High is one of those, which is why trustees decided in August to hold onto the refinancing savings.

But after doing some research, Ferguson realized other districts, such as Fullerton School District, passed on the savings to taxpayers. She said it’s only fair that Capo Unified do the same … like it already did for property owners in Las Flores.

“We got no break here. Why are they so much more deserving than us?” Ferguson asked.

Talega resident Susie Hattan said she’s usually one to sit on the sidelines. But this issue struck a chord and prompted her to action.

“I’ve talked to no one in my community who knew about this. We would have like to known to be able to voice our opinions,” she said.

Several other residents, including President of the Talega Homeowners Association Andrea Ewell, spoke and Ferguson presented a petition asking for a reduction in taxes signed by 260 people.

They had the sympathy of Trustee Ellen Addonizio, who made a motion in August to refund the Talega landowners, but it died for lack of a second. They also had a compadre in board President John Alpay, but because he lives in Talega, he cannot vote on the matter.

While Addonizio and Trustee Jim Reardon expressed hope that the board would again address the issue – as envisioned at the August meeting – and perhaps right a wrong, Trustees Amy Hanacek and Lynn Hatton said the money was too important to the district to let go.

” The needs are so vast,” especially at San Clemente High, Hanacek said. That “trumps” the needs of the Talega residents.

Hatton seemed to agree. She said the trustees have to remember that their primary mission is to protect students and serve the greater needs by providing a quality education.