COVID-19 lockdowns

A ConsumerAffairs analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data ranks the Jacksonville metro area No. 2 among the 100 largest U.S. metros for property taxes rising faster than home values from 2022 to 2024. The typical homeowner's tax bill rose 21.7% while median home values increased 8.1%, a gap second only to Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida. Nationally, home values rose faster than taxes over the same period, though a five-year view shows Jacksonville home values up 63.1% since 2019, outpacing a 44.9% rise in taxes.

Florida's Amendment 3, needing 60% approval, would raise the non-school homestead exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028 while cutting the non-homestead assessment-growth cap from 10% to 5%. Backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, it has split Republicans and drawn opposition from police, firefighter, and county groups warning of billions in lost local revenue; proponents argue local governments can absorb cuts after years of rapid tax collection growth.

The Onondaga County Deputy Sheriff's Benevolent Association, representing Justice Center jail deputies, announced a "no confidence" vote against Sheriff Toby Shelley days before early voting opened in his reelection race against Republican challenger RJ Lenhart. The union cited understaffing, low morale and frequent labor disputes, also opposing Shelley's plan to close the downtown jail and consolidate operations at the Jamesville facility. Shelley attributed the vote to a contentious relationship with union leadership and disputed grievances, calling many complaints gratuitous. Two other sheriff's office unions, covering patrol and Jamesville deputies, declined to issue no-confidence votes, with one voicing qualified support for Shelley.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has withdrawn a proposed update to Chapter 27 regulations covering communicable and noncommunicable diseases after facing intense public and political backlash. The Independent Regulatory Review Commission received more than 10,000 public comments on the proposal, far exceeding the typical five or fewer comments a regulatory package usually draws.

Republican lawmakers, including Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, criticized the 502-page proposal as a potential power grab that could allow the department to impose quarantines, mask mandates, and warrantless searches without legislative approval, drawing comparisons to COVID-era lockdown measures. A group of GOP state senators also sent a 40-page letter to the IRRC outlining concerns about administrative overreach and diminished legislative and judicial oversight.

After initially defending the update, the department reversed course, saying it would incorporate public feedback before filing revised language. The episode highlights ongoing tension over public health authority and pandemic-era policy legacies in state governance.

Los Angeles's Fairfax District, once a thriving symbol of the California dream, is grappling with a roughly 20% storefront vacancy rate, crumbling sidewalks, and struggling businesses, including the well-known comedy club The Dime, which now faces closure. Local leaders, including LA Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, acknowledge the neighborhood's streets need repair and that the COVID-19 pandemic dealt a severe blow to retailers already losing ground to online shopping.

The district has struggled to recover from lockdowns imposed during the pandemic and from unrest in late May 2020, when protests tied to the Black Lives Matter movement turned destructive, with rioters smashing storefronts and setting police cars ablaze. Business owners say they felt abandoned as the city failed to protect them. Rising sales taxes, including a countywide increase approved by voters in June, add further strain. Rebuilding the area, observers say, will require renewed jobs tied to Hollywood, infrastructure fixes, homeless encampment cleanup, and restored public safety.