2026 Election: Placentia Measure L would increase the hotel tax

• October 4, 2026

The Placentia Hotel Tax, or Measure L, proposes to increase the city’s transient occupancy tax (TOT) from 10% to 14%.

The measure is expected to generate approximately $715,000 annually, city officials said. Revenue would go into the city’s general fund and could be used for services in the city such as the police patrols, fire protection, 911 response, and road repairs mentioned in the measure.

Measure L also contains accountability safeguards, including annual independent audits of tax proceeds and expenditures, and spending reviews by the city’s existing Citizens’ Oversight Committee, which is required to submit an annual report.

The rate could not be raised above 14% without future voter approval, and the tax would remain in effect unless repealed by voters. If approved, the measure would take effect Jan. 1.

Supporters say the tax, which is charged on an overnight’s stay, would be paid by guests at hotels, motels, and short-term rentals in Placentia, and is not a tax on residents’ property or everyday expenses.

Supporters include Robert S. McKinnell, chair of the Citizen’s Oversight Committee, and Kenny Binnings, president of the Placentia Chamber of Commerce, who said in the argument they penned to go with the ballot that the city’s current rate “has not kept pace with inflation” and falls below other Orange County cities. They call the measure a “fair, common-sense way to increase revenue” that ensures “visitors pay” while  “residents benefit.”

There was no ballot argument submitted against the measure.

Measure L requires a simple majority vote in favor to pass.

​ Orange County Register 

Inglewood mayor fires back against accusers spreading rumor of improper behavior

• October 4, 2026

An unconfirmed allegation that Inglewood’s longtime mayor acted inappropriately with a teenage girl at a public photo op has upended this year’s political campaigns, sparking a barrage of personal attacks and retaliatory threats of litigation.

Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr., who has denied the allegation, has sent cease-and-desist letters to at least two City Council candidates for circulating it and said he plans to seek “phone records and texts” to uncover what he believes is a conspiracy, potentially involving the billionaire owners of the city’s sports and entertainment venues, to unseat him, he told the Southern California News Group.

“This is orchestrated, this has the earmarks of something coming from strategists in Sacramento,” Butts said. “This is going to be investigated. People can’t get away with things like this.”

Attacks have overshadowed recent City Council meetings, with public comments targeting either Butts, or Councilmember Gloria Gray, who is running against him in the Nov. 3 election, taking up the majority of the runtime at the Sept. 29 meeting. The city’s projected $30.8 million deficit received comparatively little focus, though the City Council approved the budget that same day.

At one point, the meeting came to a halt after Butts cut off a remote caller accusing him of an unspecific “sexual assault.” The audience exploded into an uproar over the muting, with one audience member hurling expletives at the mayor as she and others — including mayoral candidate Fre’Drisha Dixon, who called out to the city attorney that the mayor was violating California’s open government laws — were escorted from the room.

Butts eventually let the caller finish.

“This is why you’re going to lose reelection and why absolutely everyone hates you,” the caller shot back before hanging up.

Butts, the city’s mayor since 2011, described attacks against him at the council meeting as “pure evil” and unlike any he has experienced before.

Speakers targeting Gray at the same meeting accused her of holding incompatible offices, questioned cost overruns at a district event and insinuated, without evidence, that funds must have been misused. They were not cut off, a point that Gray highlighted later.

“I don’t agree that someone can pick and choose what they don’t like to hear and stop a meeting,” she said at the time.

In an interview, Gray, a longtime political figure, said this election has been more vicious than others.

“I’ve been here 40 years and it is a new experience for me, too,” Gray said in an interview. “If you look at how Inglewood has grown, there’s a lot at stake.”

The self-anointed City of Champions has transformed over the past 15 years, turning from a city teetering on insolvency to a national destination with three major sports teams and a constant lineup of massive events. At the same time, residents have struggled with gridlocked traffic, rising costs and uneven development as a result of those changes.

What’s been alleged

Recent attacks on Butts focused largely on the allegation involving the photo op at the city’s voter registration drive, VoteChella. No accuser has publicly come forward, but candidates for various offices in Inglewood have publicly alleged the mayor touched the student “inappropriately,” with one calling on Butts to resign at a press conference.

“There is no report, there was no misconduct, and the original inference was of a touching on the waist, that’s it,” Butts said at the Sept. 29 meeting. “People went so much further today.”

The family has retained an attorney, according to council candidate Leonard Redway, who first published the allegation in a since-deleted Instagram post. The attorney did not respond to multiple calls and an email.

In an interview, Redway, who serves as Gray’s appointee on the Construction Appeals Board, said that while he did not see the alleged incident, he did see a commotion and an upset girl and then later spoke with the father of the student.

He declined to talk about the specifics of what he was told that day and directed a reporter to the family’s attorney.

“My position is always going to be that I did what I did and reported it because it was inappropriate and it was not being handled properly,” he said.

Redway later deleted the posts because he felt his continued involvement had become a distraction, according to his Instagram.

He already has provided a statement about his involvement to the family’s legal team, he said.

Suspicious timing

Butts publicly denied the allegation at his own press conference last week and again in an interview. A group of local and state politicians, including James Morris, the county administrator of the Inglewood Unified School District, stood beside Butts at City Hall at the time. Signs flanking the podium read: “Stop the lies. Stop the billionaires.”

Butts does not have a “direct linkage” tying any billionaires to the allegation, he said, but he believes the timing is suspicious because of recent court victories upholding Inglewood’s decision to place billboards around the venues and voiding the development agreement foundational to the construction of SoFi Stadium.

“I find it extremely coincidental that this happens less than two weeks after we won overwhelming victory, after three trials,” he said.

The mayor, once cozy with the city’s biggest developers, has been fighting with the companies behind SoFi Stadium, the Kia Forum and the Intuit Dome for roughly a year over the city’s decision to partner with WOW Media on billboards near the venues that could cut into the stadium and arena’s own advertising.

Hollywood Park and WOW Media have spent millions this election season on opposing ballot measures that threaten each other’s bottom lines, according to The LA Local. One would severely restrict the types of advertising on the city’s billboards, while exempting the venues; the other would eliminate a cap on taxes from tickets, potentially unlocking tens of millions in additional revenue for the city.

Butts would not say directly if he will file a lawsuit, but when asked if he plans to take any additional actions, following the cease-and-desist letters, he responded: “You better believe I do.”

“This is not just election politics,” he said. “This is evil and this is an attempt to destroy.”

Cease and desist

His attorney sent cease-and-desist letters to Redway, who shared a copy with the Southern California News Group, and to City Council candidate Yolanda Davidson, who denied receiving it.

Both are running for the City Council seat in District 1, currently held by Gray, rather than against Butts.

The cease-and-desist letter from Butts’ attorney, Adam Braun, to Redway demanded that he remove the posts, stop repeating the accusation, “issue an unequivocal public retraction and correction,” and preserve evidence “including communications with the student or her family, Gloria Gray or her campaign, any other candidate or campaign representatives, city officials, (IUSD board member) Brandon Myers, and anyone who provided information concerning the incident.”

The letter included a picture — which Braun said “speaks for itself” — showing Butts with his right hand on the shoulder of a female student. The other hand, which is not visible in the picture, was “holding several items, rested behind the group,” Braun said.

“If you fail to immediately retract these accusations and cease their dissemination, Mayor Butts is prepared to pursue all available legal remedies,” he wrote.

Redway hasn’t issued a correction or apology and doesn’t regret his initial posts, he said.

“I 100% would do the same thing again, even though it may affect my campaign, or affect me personally and get me sued,” Redway said. “It doesn’t matter, it’s not about politics, it’s about being a human being and a dad.”

He denied making the post at the behest of anyone else, or to damage the mayor’s reputation, and said he had not “talked to anyone associated with billionaires.”

“He is more than welcome to investigate, or whatever he can try to do to me,” Redway said of Butts. “Eventually, when this ends wherever, we can release the phone records, we can release all of the video that they have.”

Asked about the disruption at Inglewood’s last council meeting, Redway said he isn’t surprised that residents are upset.

“I think it is boiling over,” Redway said of the last few weeks in Inglewood.

Councilmember denies involvement

Gray, who was mentioned in the letter, denied having any involvement in the matter. At Butts’ press conference, Morris, the IUSD administrator, referenced receiving a call from an unidentified political opponent of Butts the night of the event and said he assured her that he had fulfilled his duty as a mandated reporter.

Gray confirmed she called Morris, but denied she was attempting to influence him.

“The mayor can create whatever false narrative he wants,” Gray said. “Whatever happened was not because of anything that I did. I’m not involved in it.”

Morris did not respond to a request to comment.

Council candidate urges resignation

Davidson appeared at the earlier press conference and called for Butts’ resignation, but acknowledged that she did not see the alleged incident for herself either. She participated because she heard “something had happened at VoteChella” from people she trusts and believes Butts should resign for “all of the different things that have happened throughout his tenure.”

She accused the mayor of trying to hurt her campaign by implying she is a puppet and suggested she may take legal action as well.

“He lied and said we’re in cahoots with the billionaires against him,” Davidson said. “It’s just not true.”

Davidson previously ran in the 2022 election and described the candidates as running “pretty clean campaigns” at the time. “It was not like this,” she said. “I think the mayor is just not used to people publicly going against him.”

Police investigating

The Inglewood Police Department has opened an investigation into the original allegation, according to Butts. The department has interviewed multiple people so far, including him, he said.

Butts has faced other allegations in the past. His former assistant and ex-girlfriend Melanie McDade-Dickens sued him and the city for wrongful termination, alleging she was fired and faced sexual harassment, endured verbal abuse and lost lucrative assignments as a result of their breakup in 2018. The city has maintained that McDade-Dickens was fired for cause.

The case was thrown out in November 2025 after McDade-Dickens, who was representing herself, failed to file an opposition to a motion by the city’s attorneys.

​ Orange County Register 

Senior Moments: Thinking about the small things

• October 4, 2026

I have a very good friend who lives in England. Our apartments were next door to each other over the Press Club Bar and Grill in midtown Manhattan.

We were two young women, from two different parts of the world, who were pursuing our dreams. Marian had crossed the pond by boat, and I had taken the midnight bus from Virginia to begin life in the big city. When she introduced herself by helping me break into my apartment after I locked myself out, it was the beginning of a very long friendship. We probably walked every street in New York together, something only 21-year-old feet can do. Secrets were shared. A lasting bond was formed.

Since she moved back to England many years ago, she has been excellent about keeping in touch, writing rich and interesting missives. Me not as much. She has been asking me to write to her about the little things in my life. She doesn’t want to just read about my life on Facebook or my newspaper column. She wants the small stuff. So this narrative, with an emphasis on small, is for Marian.

Sitting on the deck in my lavender rocking chair this evening, I was bemoaning the early onset of nightfall that anchors the summer to the next season. I love it when it’s light until 9 p.m. So I stayed outside until the lights on the lemon tree twinkled playfully across the deck, leaving a warm ambiance.

This left me thinking that maybe I should put lights on the bougainvillea that is growing back after collapsing with the backyard fence during the bad wind storms last year. From where I was sitting, I could see parts of the mountains that were ravaged in the Altadena fires sporting green again. How kind nature is to grow things back. Even my hip bone has grown back together since I fractured it, and I am walking pretty much as before.

About then, the sprinklers came on, watering my little meditation garden, and I pictured myself running barefoot through the green garden hose in my childhood home in Virginia. We never had sprinklers, but the lavender wisteria and sweet-smelling yellow honeysuckle that crawled up the backyard fence blossomed just fine with water from the hose. I wondered if they were still there and who watered them. The evening asked for a poem, so I dictated a draft into my phone, which brought images of the young Patty sitting on her pink bedspread, writing poems in a lined notebook.

And finally I pictured Marian and me dipping our bare feet into a fountain in midtown on a hot summer New York evening. I will probably rewrite the poem in the morning. That’s the joy of poetry; like friendship, it keeps rewriting itself anew.

Email patriciabunin@sbcglobal.net. Follow her on Patriciabunin.com.

​ Orange County Register 

Successful Aging: Tips to prevent falling for older adults

• October 4, 2026

Older people are falling … a lot. And as each of us gets older, we become more vulnerable. And with age, the consequences of a fall become more serious.

Here are a few facts from the Centers for Disease Control: One in four Americans aged 65 and older fall each year. That’s about 14 million people. Roughly one million end up in the hospital. Each year, about 4.5 million ER visits are due to older people falling. Falls are responsible for almost 90% of hip fracture deaths. And each year, more than 300,000 older people are hospitalized because of a fall.

Older adults typically have more falls than our younger counterparts because of the increased risk factors that come with age. Some of those risk factors as outlined by AARP include:

Medications. Although medications keep us healthy, many have side effects that we may discount. The CDC lists antihistamines, muscle relaxers and blood pressure medication. The latter is taken by roughly 70% of older adults. Add to the list antidepressants, sedatives and medications to treat urinary tract infections, incontinence and COPD.

Tips: Keep a list of your medications and discuss side effects with your doctor or pharmacist. Include over-the-counter medications.

Diabetes and other diseases. People with diabetes often have other problems that increase their risk of falling. That might include loss of vision (retinopathy) or sensory functions (neuropathy). Furthermore, some medications that control blood sugar can cause levels to go too low, which may cause a person to become lightheaded. Parkinson’s disease and stroke can affect a person’s ability to walk, again increasing the risk of falling.

Tips: Keep medical appointments, take medications as prescribed, follow a healthy lifestyle. In some cases, discuss with your doctor about doing a fall-risk assessment.

Pets. We love them. An excited dog may be so happy to see us that “Fido” greets us with a friendly jump … on us. The same wonderful pet or perhaps a cat can get underfoot in our home. And then there’s the leash that gets twisted in front of us on a leisurely walk with our dog. In a study from 2009, roughly 87,000 falls among older adults were caused by a pet dog or cat.

Tips: If a pet is in your way, have your pet move rather than stepping over it. If you can’t easily walk your dog, hire a dog walker or ask a helpful neighbor.

Changes in vision. It’s easy to have changes in our vision without realizing it. At the same time, we know these changes come with age. If untreated, one’s balance and judgment of distance are impaired. Perhaps the good news is that over 90% of medicare beneficiaries wear glasses. A problem could occur if the current prescription is no longer effective.

Tips: Have your eyes checked regularly to ensure prescriptions are up to date. We also can reduce the risk of falling by taking some practical steps. Here are just a few. Wear sensible shoes and remove home hazards, including securing loose rugs, keeping hallways clear, and storing clothing, dishes and food within easy reach. Quickly clean up spilled liquids, use nonslip mats in your bathtub or shower and keep high-traffic areas clear. And don’t step on a ladder.

And then there is lighting. Place night lights in your bedroom, bathroom and hallways; turn on lights before going up or down stairs. Keep a flashlight in an easy-to-find place.

Assistive devices are important for fall prevention. These include handrails and grab bars for shower or tub, nonslip treads for bare-wood steps, handrails for stairways and a raised toilet seat if needed.

We have yet to discuss an important variable. And that is physical activity to the extent possible. The following activities reduce the risk of falls by improving strength, balance, coordination and flexibility. These include strength training exercises, walking, water workouts, tai chi and yoga, including chair yoga. The idea is to keep moving.

I recall a conversation many years ago with the late Dr. Walter Boortz, a noted Stanford geriatrician. He said that the biggest enemy of old age is not disease; it’s frailty. And we can do something about that. Frailty, a risk factor for falls, involves loss of muscle mass and strength. Resistance or strength training can build muscle mass at most ages. It’s never too late to start.

September was Fall Prevention Month. This column is a reminder that risks of falling are also present among the other 11 months of the year.

Stay well, stay safe and know that small acts of kindness matter.

For tips on home modification, go to the University of Southern California Fall Prevention Center of Excellence at https://gero.usc.edu/labs/pynooslab/projects/.

Helen Dennis is a nationally recognized leader on issues of aging and the new retirement with academic, corporate and nonprofit experience. Contact Helen with your questions and comments at Helendenn@gmail.com. Visit Helen at HelenMdennis.com and follow her on facebook.com/SuccessfulAgingCommunity.

​ Orange County Register 

Can fiber-enhanced food products really improve our health?

• October 4, 2026

Over the past few decades, emerging evidence on the human microbiome has helped us make more informed nutritional choices. More recently social media trends have further shaped demand for foods and products to help optimize gut health. From bread and tortillas to protein bars, cereal, cookies and even soda, fiber is a major marketing strategy. Can these fiber products really improve our health?

Fiber recommendations are based on calorie needs, but a good general target is about 14 grams for every 1,000 calories eaten. For many adults, that is about 25 to 38 grams of fiber daily. Fiber helps keep our digestive systems moving and higher fiber intake is associated with better heart health, including lower cholesterol and reduced cardiovascular risk.

Despite all of this, most Americans aren’t consuming nearly enough fiber. More than 90% of women and 97% of men fail to meet dietary fiber intake recommendations. The most likely reason is that we aren’t eating enough foods naturally rich in fiber such as beans, lentils, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.

At the same time, the food industry has found a way to put fiber into just about every kind of food. Walking through a supermarket, you’ve probably seen many of these items with the words “fiber” or “prebiotics” written on the front of the package. Many of these products contain 5 to 10 or more grams of fiber per serving. While these products may help us reach fiber consumption goals, they are not the same as whole foods naturally rich in fiber.

These products differ significantly in their nutritional structure, how the body processes them, and their overall health benefits. Fiber isn’t a single substance. Varying fiber types behave differently in the body. Some are fermented by the bacteria in our gut, while others are not. Some have well-established effects on cholesterol or blood sugar, and others may primarily help with bowel regularity. The amount matters, but so does the type.

A food containing added fiber isn’t necessarily equivalent to a food that naturally contains fiber. Fiber-enhanced foods typically contain isolated or synthetic fibers like inulin and chicory root added during manufacturing. These products may also contain added sugar, sodium and preservatives. Whole foods naturally rich in fiber are often packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and occasionally healthy fats. In addition, the fibers in natural whole foods are digested more slowly, which may result in better tolerance and health effects.

For example, let’s compare canned beans with fiber-enhanced bean chips. While canned black beans contain intact plant fiber, bean chips contain added fiber like soluble corn fiber in addition to legume fiber. The canned beans contain water and possibly added salt. The chips have added oil, starches and salt. While the intact structure of the beans and higher water content are more likely to trigger fullness, the chips are manufactured to be highly palatable and are easier to overconsume.

This doesn’t mean that we should avoid fiber-enhanced food and beverage products. These foods can be useful, especially when they help someone who otherwise struggles to get enough fiber. It’s important to remember that being “high fiber” doesn’t automatically make a food a healthy choice.

If you are trying to consume more fiber, start by assessing your typical eating pattern. You can even track your fiber in a food tracking app like Cronometer to compare your current dietary fiber intake to your goal. When increasing high-fiber foods in your diet, go slow and steady and be sure to drink adequate fluids. Include fruit and vegetables at meals, opt for whole grains instead of refined grains, add in some seeds and nuts and include more recipes using beans and lentils. Fiber-enhanced products can be a useful swap to help fill in any gaps. By crowding out processed foods with fiber-rich whole foods, a higher fiber diet will be the result.

LeeAnn Weintraub, MPH, RD is a registered dietitian, providing nutrition counseling and consulting to individuals, families and organizations. She can be reached by email at RD@halfacup.com.

​ Orange County Register 

Rivian R2 vs. Tesla Model Y, an Edmunds electric SUV showdown

• October 4, 2026

By MICHAEL CANTU of Edmunds

The Tesla Model Y has been the sales king of small electric SUVs since the moment it arrived. Many rivals have chased its success, but none have come close. Now it’s Rivian’s turn. The Rivian R2 is the California EV automaker’s first small electric SUV, and it’s gunning for the Model Y. Rivian’s R1T truck and larger R1S SUV are excellent EVs, but their $80,000-ish price tags put them out of reach for most shoppers. At a starting price of about $45,000, the R2 is finally a Rivian many Americans can afford. To help you decide, Edmunds compared these two head-to-head to find out which is the better buy.

Range and charging

The Rivian R2’s range spans from 275 miles in the base Standard model to 345 miles in the Standard Long Range. Most other versions are rated at 330 miles. In the real-world Edmunds EV Range Test, the R2 Performance covered 304 miles, falling short of its 330-mile EPA estimate.

The Tesla Model Y outperforms the R2, ranging from 294 miles in the all-wheel-drive base model to 357 miles in the rear-wheel-drive Premium. The rear-wheel-drive base Model Y Edmunds tested covered 337 miles, and the new three-row Model Y L managed an impressive 358 miles — both beating their EPA estimates. For both rivals, all-wheel-drive versions are rated lower than their rear-wheel-drive counterparts.

Both electric SUVs use Tesla-style (NACS) charging ports, giving them access to Tesla’s vast Supercharger fast-charging network. Under ideal conditions, Tesla says the Model Y can add up to 162 miles in 15 minutes, edging out the R2’s cited 150 miles in 15 minutes. Edmunds’ testing confirmed that the Tesla charges slightly quicker.

Winner: Tesla Model Y

Tech features

The R2 and Model Y boast an impressive amount of standard tech, including a generous collection of advanced driver aids, wireless smartphone charging pads, large touchscreens with sharp-looking graphics, Google-based navigation, and camera systems that record your drive and monitor the vehicle’s surroundings when parked.

A hands-free driving mode is also available on both EVs. Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) drives hands-free on highways and city streets, obeying stop signs and traffic lights and changing lanes on its own — in Edmunds’ testing, it’s been the most useful hands-free driving system available. Rivian’s Autonomy+ also works hands-free on roads with painted lane markings, but it doesn’t operate during city driving.

Overall, however, the R2’s tech features are impressive. Unlike the Model Y, it has a digital driver display that keeps important info in your line of sight. Also, the R2’s touchscreen system proved more responsive and enjoyable to use in Edmunds’ testing.

Winner: Rivian R2

Interior comfort and utility

The Model Y rides more smoothly over bumps than the firmer R2, though both have comfortable, supportive seats. Passenger space is similar, though the R2 has a bit more rear headroom. Tesla one-ups Rivian, however, with an available third row in the Premium and in the extended-length Model Y L — though it’s best for kids and small adults, and it eats up a lot of cargo space when raised.

As for cargo, the R2 tops the Model Y behind the rear seats when you include their underfloor storage compartments, and it offers far greater total capacity: 90.1 cubic feet versus the five-seat Model Y’s 75.5 cubic feet. Its front trunk is slightly larger too, and its 4,400-pound max towing capacity tops the Model Y’s 3,500 pounds.

The Model Y is more comfortable and offers third-row versatility, but the R2 delivers more utility and a roomier back seat.

Winner: tie

Pricing and value

Including destination fees, the Rivian R2’s starting prices range from $46,485 for the Standard trim to $59,485 for the top-level Performance trim. The Model Y spans $41,380 for the base trim to $63,380 for the three-row Model Y L. Note that for the R2, only the priciest Performance trim is available now; more affordable trim levels arrive in late 2026 and spring 2027.

In general, the R2 will likely cost you a little more to buy. But it justifies its premium with a richer-looking interior, distinctive styling, superior off-road capability, and uncommon touches like a drop-down rear window and dual glove boxes. Rivian also backs it with a one-year/12,000-mile adjustment warranty covering wheel alignment, factory defects and more — something Tesla doesn’t offer.

Winner: tie

Edmunds says

This electric SUV comparison ends in a tie — both earned the same overall rating score and are at the top of Edmunds’ rankings for electric small SUVs. You can’t go wrong with either, but if range and comfort top your priorities, the Model Y is for you. If you’d rather have a more capable, premium-feeling SUV, order the R2.

This story was provided to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds.

Michael Cantu is a contributor at Edmunds.

​ Orange County Register 

Strings attached: Inheriting the family home

• October 4, 2026

For many middle-class estates, the family home is the most valuable asset.

If the home is held in a trust, its terms generally allow the successor trustee to sell it after the owner dies, pay any remaining expenses, and distribute the proceeds among the beneficiaries.

In some cases, parents may want the home they are leaving to be more than an immediate cash windfall that can evaporate quickly. They might specify in their trust that the home stays in the family as a residence for one or more of the children or to provide rental income to the beneficiaries.

While the parent’s intentions may come from love and concern, passing down a home with strings attached can create legal and financial complications. What was meant to be a meaningful gift could become a burden and source of arguments and litigation for the next generation.

For example, Stella was a widow with three children. Her son Jason suffered a traumatic brain injury in his 20s and had lived with her ever since. She worried that after her death, her daughter, the successor trustee, might sell the house and leave Jason without a home. Stella wanted to make sure he would have a place to live for the rest of his life. Her trust gave Jason the right to remain in the family home, with the house to be sold after his death.

This sounds like a good plan, but what happens if Jason wants to move? He might find the upkeep too difficult, he might eventually need to enter an assisted living facility, or he might just want to live elsewhere. Stella needed a way for the trustee to act if the home no longer met Jason’s needs.

When siblings live in the home

Other parents will instead give a child transition time in the home before moving, perhaps with an option to pay rent, take over the mortgage, or buy the home if they want to stay.

Emma and Brad’s parents’ trust gave Brad two years to continue living in the family home after they passed away, along with his responsibility to pay the mortgage payments. As trustee, Emma could sell the house, but Brad would have the first opportunity to buy it. More than two years have passed, and Brad has not moved and refused to pay the mortgage.

Brad wants to buy the house, but he cannot qualify for a loan at its fair market value. He pressures Emma to sell it to him at a substantial discount, but other beneficiaries are involved. The trust was silent on how to determine his purchase price. Emma is left personally paying the mortgage while she, Brad and the other siblings disagree over the sale.

In my experience, arrangements like children paying rent or being able to buy a family home cause some of the worst arguments amongst siblings, often leading to litigation. It can be further complicated if the beneficiaries living in the home have mental health or addiction issues, and the trustee sibling may feel responsible for them because they continue to live in the home they all grew up in.

Legacy trusts

Keep in mind, the more strings you attach, and the longer and more complicated your trust document, the more expensive it will be to administer.

Lisa and Mandy’s parents left their main home and a vacation home in what is called a legacy or dynasty trust, which is an irrevocable trust created to hold, protect and pass family wealth across multiple generations.

The trust instructed Lisa to rent out both properties and use the income to support her sister, Mandy. The properties would eventually be sold at Mandy’s death or after 20 years, and the proceeds would fund sub-trusts for the education of future generations. Lisa could be administering this trust for the rest of her life without an allowance for compensation.

The rent income has not been enough to support Mandy. The trust had no other assets to cover the shortfall, so Lisa paid expenses out of pocket. The trust could not afford the CPA or attorney’s help she needed to better understand her role and options.

Maintenance fell behind, and legal problems arose with the properties. The trust’s terms caused Lisa to dig a big financial hole, and it led Mandy to pursue litigation against her sister for breach of fiduciary duty.

Had the trust allowed Lisa to sell the property when the market was high, it would have given her an off-ramp to invest the funds elsewhere for her sister and the grandchildren. At the very least, the parents could have provided more than just real property as trust assets to maintain the trust.

One home for each child

Sometimes an estate will hold multiple properties to ensure each adult child receives a home.

I have seen this often in Hispanic and African American families with which I work. The parents want their children and grandchildren to have a stable place to live, regardless of their work status or the economy. For families who have faced barriers to homeownership, including redlining, passing down paid-for houses is a tremendous gift.

Since 1978, Proposition 13 has kept annual property tax increases low. Other rules allowed many parents to pass those low property tax assessments to their children when they left them the family home or other property.

Proposition 19 changed that.

Now a child generally must make the inherited family home their primary residence to keep the tax benefit, and the home’s value can limit it, even then. Rental and vacation homes generally no longer qualify.

In Los Angeles and along the coast, even an ordinary family home can be valuable enough to exceed the limit. A property tax bill of a few hundred dollars a year could increase into the thousands when the property passes to the children.

Property insurance costs have also increased significantly. In parts of Southern California, finding insurance can be difficult.

A child can inherit a home with no mortgage and still struggle to pay those costs. If parents want the children to keep the house, especially unencumbered, to provide lasting security for future generations, they may now need to set aside more funds to help their family to afford to keep it.

Thoughtful planning

Sometimes, you can keep the strings but still find creative solutions to make your plans work in the long run.

In our first example, my friend Stella did not want her daughter, whom she named as trustee, to sell the house and force her son Jason out. She also knew that Jason might someday want a smaller home or need care elsewhere.

Her attorney suggested naming me as trust protector, and Stella gave me authority to approve a sale if Jason wants or needs to move. His sister can remain trustee.

Having a trust protector gives Jason and the trustee options without the ongoing cost of a professional fiduciary or co-trustee. The trust protector does not have to be a professional, just someone you trust.

Leave your legacy

One thing I love about trust planning is that the estate attorneys can draft trusts that give parents what they want for their children and grandchildren.

But as a trust and estate CPA, I have seen that leaving a home with strings attached means asking a trustee and beneficiaries to live with those conditions long after the parents are gone.

Before deciding who may live in the house or when it can be sold, parents need to consider how their children’s needs and relationships may change, who will pay property taxes, upkeep, and other costs, and build that flexibility into the trust.

The goal is to make sure the gift can still help those it was meant to help years from now.

Michelle C. Herting is a CPA, an accredited business valuation specialist, and an accredited estate planner specializing in succession planning and estate, gift, and trust taxation.

​ Orange County Register 

The truth about Prop. 43: Don’t fall for the fearmongering

• October 4, 2026

As voting begins in this election season, it is a good time to start considering some of the more egregious lies being foisted on voters in campaign ads, editorials and op-eds.

Let’s start with what is being represented about Proposition 43, the effort to close a court-created loophole in Proposition 13. Prop. 43 protects taxpayers by restoring Prop. 13’s two-thirds vote requirement to pass local special taxes, including sales taxes and parcel taxes. Courts have allowed special interests to pass earmarked tax increases with fewer votes. Prop. 43 closes this loophole, protecting taxpayers, homeowners and renters.

Note what Prop. 43 does not do. It does not cut any local taxes. It does not retroactively invalidate any existing tax. It does not limit any local governments from going to the voters for general tax increases, which pass with a simple majority vote. All that it does is restore the two-thirds vote for local special taxes – taxes imposed for a specific purpose.

Despite the negligible impact Prop. 43 would have on existing local government revenues, according to critics, Prop. 43 will result in the end of civilization. In an op-ed in the San Jose Mercury News, the president of California Professional Firefighters, Darrell Roberts, claims that Prop. 43 “would place a nearly insurmountable roadblock from placing any measure on the ballot” to impose a special tax. What Mr. Roberts forgets is that the two-thirds vote for local special taxes was a provision of the California Constitution from 1978 until 2017 when the California courts began crafting an exception. During that time, rather than being an “insurmountable” barrier, special taxes were routinely enacted with the requisite two-thirds vote, including sales taxes and parcel taxes.

The argument that supermajority vote requirements are somehow “undemocratic” collapses when one considers the long history of America’s constitutional framework. There are no fewer than twelve instances in the U.S. Constitution requiring a two-thirds vote. These include impeachment; expelling a Member of Congress; overriding a veto; amending the Constitution (Congressional approval of a Joint Resolution proposing an amendment to the U.S. Constitution requires a 2/3 majority); calling a Constitutional Convention; and ratifying a treaty.

Here in California, the two-thirds vote requirement on matters related to taxation dates back to 1879. That was when the higher threshold was placed in the state constitution for local general obligation bonds as a protection against excessive debt at the local level, repaid by property owners. Recently, in the November 2024 election, California voters overwhelmingly rejected an effort to lower the two-thirds vote requirement for most local bonds to 55%. Prop. 5 lost by ten points.

What is revealing about the opposition to Prop. 43 is that most is coming from public sector labor organizations – the very interests who want to remove all barriers to higher taxes.

Hyperbolic support for tax increases is prevalent throughout the local level of government as well. Although not a statewide measure, a proposal to raise the sales taxes in five Bay Area counties to generate billions for failed transit systems has driven proponents of the tax to near madness in describing the parade of horribles if the tax fails in November. But this “Regional Transit Measure” has weak support notwithstanding a well-funded campaign to promote it. Voters are suspicious because the transit districts in question, especially BART, have done nothing to correct their failures and inefficiencies. Not surprisingly, Bay Area residents want at least some proof that the new revenue won’t be as misspent as existing revenue.

Despite the track record of waste and fraud, major Bay Area media outlets are fully in support of increasing sales taxes, which everyone admits are very regressive. The San Francisco Chronicle warns that, “without an immediate infusion of funds, Muni could be forced to cut service by at least 30%, cancel at least 20 bus routes, end regular evening service, eliminate cable car service and reduce fare discounts for vulnerable populations. BART could close 15 stations and reduce service by 70%. Caltrain could reduce service to one train per hour and stop service on weekends.”

The organization Fixes Before Funding disputes these dire predictions, noting, “Transit costs and subsidies have exploded while service shrank; when ridership and fare revenue collapsed, the agencies did not restructure; spending per rider has gone off the chart; ridership never recovered, and never grew the way planners promised; and, the signature projects ran over budget and under-delivered.”

A great deal of overstatement can be expected in any political contest, but when it comes to the predictions of disaster if more taxes are not forthcoming, voters would be well advised to ignore the hype.

Jon Coupal is president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association

​ Orange County Register