SENIOR CITIZENS

By Bob Davis

Seniors are an asset. Their spending creates jobs without burdening schools, prisons or roads. Building senior housing helps economy.

The senior citizen population in our state and nation is growing rapidly. With Southern California's ideal climate, it is to our advantage to create and inviting environment for retired people. We need to build more senior housing. Up scale and affordable scale mid-rise condominiums would help rejuvenate some areas. Seniors who sell their homes and buy smaller retirement homes need to be able to take their Proposition 13 tax base with them no matter where they move within the state. The house sold would revert to current tax assessment in most cases, providing more revenue for the schools, police, fire and other needs. The new community would benefit from the increased spending of the seniors.

A portion of the money allotted to California by the federal government for housing the homeless must be used for housing indigent seniors. Seniors must not be forced to live in the streets when they can no longer find employment.