Arguments Against Prop. 170 Are False

* Howard Samuel’s Nov. 14 letter regarding Proposition 170 repeated the two most bogus arguments against the use of general obligation bonds to build and repair schools.

Bond opponents and Proposition 170 opponents would have us believe

* only homeowners pay property taxes, and

* the two-thirds majority to pass bond measures is needed to protect homeowners against the voting power of renters.

The first is bogus because everyone who pays for housing pays property taxes. When someone rents an apartment, part of the monthly rent goes to pay property taxes on the building. The same is true for anyone who rents or leases office space or business property.

The second is bogus because there aren’t enough renters registered to vote to force anything on property owners. In Los Angeles, for instance, only about 20% of those who vote regularly are renters. If every one of them voted for a bond measure, it would still require the support of 58% of the property owners to pass the measure.

Finally, good schools mean stronger property values when homeowners sell their homes. Thus, the property owner stands to make a real, personal profit from the passage of a bond measure, while the renter gets only the benefit of the better school facilities.

LARRY LEVINE

Sherman Oaks