Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

You Don't Call, You Don't Write...

On June 17, program manager for the City of San Diego's Economic Development Division, Luis Ojeda, responded to a claim from downtown resident Kathy Casey that approximately 2500 downtown residents living in condominiums were overcharged on their property and business improvement district (PBID) assessment. In her building, Kasey says 38 of the 54 units were improperly assessed. In all, the city overcharged anywhere from $10 to $60 per resident for a span of four years from 2500 downtown residents, totaling $260,000 for the entire assessment district.

Ojeda agreed that an error had been made: "Typically, under this type of circumstance, we either issue a refund check to the property owner or apply a credit toward the following assessment year," responded Ojeda in his email. "I will also try to ensure that the other property owners need not file an appeal, as we will work [toward] making any corrections. I will stay in contact with you and the others...with any new information regarding this issue."

Staying in contact is exactly what didn't happen, says Casey. After that email, Casey has been given the runaround. She has placed phone calls and sent emails to Ojeda's office, councilmember Kevin Faulconer's office, and representatives from the city attorney's office, most going unanswered.

Sponsored
Sponsored

"It has been three months since the error was discovered," wrote Casey in a September 18 email to Ojeda. "Why can't you tell me how the refunds are going to be processed?"

Ojeda’s response: "The City has a new financial system that replaced one that was over 30 years old. We are working with the comptroller's office on issuing refunds with the new system."

In that email, Ojeda reneged on his pledge that he would notify "other property owners" within the downtown property and business improvement district of the mistake so that they wouldn't have to file individual appeals. "Although [only] a few submitted an appeal from your complex, I will honor my word and refund the...property owners only in your unit in addition to anyone else who submitted an appeal. The refund issued will be only for last fiscal year ending June 30, 2009."

Casey was incensed: "Your offer to refund for only one year to only the property owners who filed an appeal is not acceptable," she wrote in a email to Ojeda. "I did believe you would be taking care of refunds for all affected taxpayers. I will continue to pursue this for all the taxpayers that were incorrectly assessed."

Now, seven months after bringing the issue forward to Ojeda, Casey and 2500 downtown residents continue to wait for refunds, or any word from the City on when to expect the refund. On January 12, Casey got through to James Lawson, a representative from councilmember Kevin Faulconer's office.

During their conversation, Lawson said he would contact Ojeda's office and get back to Casey with a response.

"It's not the money, it's the fact that the government knows there's been an error, and they are not doing anything about it. They are treating me like I'm invisible. If I don't pay my taxes, they add interest. It is an issue of ethics."

This correspondent contacted Luis Ojeda's office for comment, but there was no response.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Mid-range fleet scoring bluefin limits off Ensenada

Rockfish to open at all depths April 1st (no foolin’)

On June 17, program manager for the City of San Diego's Economic Development Division, Luis Ojeda, responded to a claim from downtown resident Kathy Casey that approximately 2500 downtown residents living in condominiums were overcharged on their property and business improvement district (PBID) assessment. In her building, Kasey says 38 of the 54 units were improperly assessed. In all, the city overcharged anywhere from $10 to $60 per resident for a span of four years from 2500 downtown residents, totaling $260,000 for the entire assessment district.

Ojeda agreed that an error had been made: "Typically, under this type of circumstance, we either issue a refund check to the property owner or apply a credit toward the following assessment year," responded Ojeda in his email. "I will also try to ensure that the other property owners need not file an appeal, as we will work [toward] making any corrections. I will stay in contact with you and the others...with any new information regarding this issue."

Staying in contact is exactly what didn't happen, says Casey. After that email, Casey has been given the runaround. She has placed phone calls and sent emails to Ojeda's office, councilmember Kevin Faulconer's office, and representatives from the city attorney's office, most going unanswered.

Sponsored
Sponsored

"It has been three months since the error was discovered," wrote Casey in a September 18 email to Ojeda. "Why can't you tell me how the refunds are going to be processed?"

Ojeda’s response: "The City has a new financial system that replaced one that was over 30 years old. We are working with the comptroller's office on issuing refunds with the new system."

In that email, Ojeda reneged on his pledge that he would notify "other property owners" within the downtown property and business improvement district of the mistake so that they wouldn't have to file individual appeals. "Although [only] a few submitted an appeal from your complex, I will honor my word and refund the...property owners only in your unit in addition to anyone else who submitted an appeal. The refund issued will be only for last fiscal year ending June 30, 2009."

Casey was incensed: "Your offer to refund for only one year to only the property owners who filed an appeal is not acceptable," she wrote in a email to Ojeda. "I did believe you would be taking care of refunds for all affected taxpayers. I will continue to pursue this for all the taxpayers that were incorrectly assessed."

Now, seven months after bringing the issue forward to Ojeda, Casey and 2500 downtown residents continue to wait for refunds, or any word from the City on when to expect the refund. On January 12, Casey got through to James Lawson, a representative from councilmember Kevin Faulconer's office.

During their conversation, Lawson said he would contact Ojeda's office and get back to Casey with a response.

"It's not the money, it's the fact that the government knows there's been an error, and they are not doing anything about it. They are treating me like I'm invisible. If I don't pay my taxes, they add interest. It is an issue of ethics."

This correspondent contacted Luis Ojeda's office for comment, but there was no response.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Celebrate Holi, Borrego Springs Music Festival

Events March 23-March 27, 2024
Next Article

Hip-hop artist Don Elway makes movies for his music

Not Ordinary EP tells a story of life on the streets
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.