Prop. 90 Tax Benefit Stays in Santa Clara County

In a grueling week of budget decisions, Santa Clara County Supervisors took one vote that will make Charlie and Pam Mikulis happy.

The supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday afternoon to keep the county opted in to the provisions of Proposition 90. "Great results!" exhulted Los Altos Realtor Nancy Carlson while at the meeting.

The one-time tax benefit, passed by voters in 1988, allows non-county residents, 55 or older, to keep the Prop. 13 tax rate they had on their old home when they move into participating Prop. 90 counties.

The county assessor, as part of his budget, had submitted a proposal to eliminate Prop. 90 participation by Santa Clara County, arguing on the one hand that Santa Clara County didn't get what the property tax they could be getting, and on the other hand that there were only a handful of counties participating in the program.

Los Altos and Silicon Valley realtors didn't see it that way.

Carlson has spent some time with the the Mikulises, showing them condos and townhomes for a possible move close by their daughter and year-and-a-half-old twins. The retired naval officer and his wife want to sell their home in El Cerro, near San Diego, and replace it with a home near to Mountain View, where their daughter lives.

"We're driving up every two weeks," Pam Mikulis said. "It's a lot of gasoline and a lot of driving. But we want to be near our grandchildren." 

Voters approved Prop. 90 in 1988 so that seniors and the disabled could make a one-time move and transfer their Prop. 13 tax rate if they purchase a home at the same price or lesser in a participating county. Currently there eight counties that participate: Alameda, Santa Clara, San Mateo, San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange, El Dorado, and Ventura. El Dorado just opted into participation in 2010.