A tax on rising sea levels is making waves in the San Francisco bay

By Jessica Leber, Staff Editor and Writer

Home to a population of about 7 million, the region surrounding San Francisco Bay is banding together in an unusual step to do something about [ the rising disaster risk that comes with climate change and sea level rise]. In nine Bay Area counties, Tuesday’s ballot will include the country's first regional tax —a $12 annual fee paid by every parcel property owner in these counties—and it would all go towards buffeting the area’s shoreline against coastal flooding, while restoring marshlands that clean pollutants from the Bay’s waters and provide habitat for fish and wildlife.

But while Measure AA enjoys broad support from environmentalists, businesses, and politicians, including hundreds of organizations, it has also drawn some simmering criticism from some taxpayer groups and low-income advocates who say it is a giveaway to the rich people and tech companies that own expensive waterfront property. Since anyone who owns a parcel, even if it’s inland, pays the same $12 a year—it’s an example of a regressive tax that affects the poor at a higher proportional rate than the rich.