TOAV’s pollster has a history of push polling for tax increases (July 27th, 2015)
Apple Valley, CA — After the Town of Apple Valley announced on Thursday that they had commissioned a poll that showed growing support for eminent domain of Apple Valley Ranchos, more questions arose about the history of the pollster that the Town had likely paid over $20,000 to conduct the survey. True North Research has for over a decade consistently been hired by municipalities seeking to build support for tax increases.
It’s no surprise that the Town Government refused to release the entire survey at the same time as its puffed up press release,
said Greg Raven, Apple Valley resident and co-founder of Apple Valley Citizens for Government Accountability. What citizens should be concerned about is the pollster they hired, True North Research, is the same that has been used by dozens of governments seeking to raise taxes.
True North Research’s own website claims it has designed and conducted over 200 studies for public agencies to estimate the feasibility of establishing revenue measures for a variety of purposes using different funding mechanisms, such as a bond, parcel tax, sales tax, utility users tax, or benefit assessment.
True North Research, in addition to being used almost exclusively by governments seeking to raise taxes, has also been accused of biased questioning—or push polling—to make the case for tax increases.
In 2010, the San Diego Union Tribune editorial board called out a True North Research sales tax increase poll for the City of Lemon Grove as a ’push poll,’ designed to give the city the answers it wants to hear.
In a rare non-tax increase poll for the City of Dana Point, concerned with allowing short-term rentals, resident Gary Clark wrote that the True North Research survey was slanted to produce a ‘wanted’ outcome.
The Apple Valley Citizens for Government Accountability opposes the Town of Apple Valley taking Apple Valley Ranchos Water Company by eminent domain, citing the high cost for ratepayers and taxpayers.
With its ‘spend now, pay later’ approach to small-town government, the Town needs money, and this survey demonstrates once again that it’s willing to do or say anything to get what it wants,
added Raven.
You can find more information at AppleValleyCitizens.org
Source: Apple Valley Citizens for Government Accountability (CFGA)
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