Alcalá View 1980 1.6

March, 1980 - Alcala View - Page 3

After The

(Near) OeluSle...

by Bill Ritter It started off quietly enough. Ju st another Thursday at USD. Empl oyees we re prepari ng for a th ree-day Washington's Birthday weekend; a nice respite from the weeks of steady rain . But then, at about 10 a.m. on that February 21, everything qu ick ly changed. The University received a call from the County's Office of Disaster Preparedness requesting that USD be used as a Red Cross emergency evacuation si te should the rains kick up aga in. Because of its high-ground settin g, the campus wou ld be needed to help those stranded from the anticipated rise in the San Diego Riv er in Missi on Vall ey. Immediately, an incredib le set of wheels were put into motion. Th e press and media were notifi ed that al l USD classes would be cance ll ed as of 2 p.m. that day . The Security Office took charge of planning how the campus would be patrolled shou ld a large number of people sudden ly fin d themselves camping out in Alcala Park. The deans and department heads were told to let their employees leave ear ly. Vice Presi dent for Student Affairs Tom Burke coordinated the logistics: Nearly 30 students signed up as TAX BREAK (Continued from Page 2) When tax time rol ls arou nd , nice days are often few and far between. For those who have managed to put the April 15 tax deadline on the back burners, your time is running out. And, while the Alcala Vi ew can't so lve your fin anci al woes, we can offer a few tips on the more obvi ous and often over looked new tax regulati ons fo r th e calendar year 1979. RENTER'S REBATES : If you were a renting resident of Cali fornia on March 1, 1979, lived in property which wasn 't exempt from property tax, an d did not recei ve the Homeowner 's Property Tax Exemption in 1979, then you are eligib le fo r the Ca li forn ia Renter's Credit. Th is year the credit is $137 for marr ied coup les, $60 fo r single people. This is a tax credi t, not simply a tax deduction. To fil e for the ren ter's credit, simpl y fill ou t the 1979 Renters Credit Claim,

IT'S NOT NICE TO FOOL MOTHER NATURE . .. and Mission Valley could attest to that during the heavy storms last month . USD, shown in the background, was used as an evacuation center by the Red Cross because of the campus' high-grounding . Photo by Bill Ritter

vo lunteers to hel p should a cr isis occu r; food was brought in and the USD Food Service began mak ing pl ans to fe ed hund reds of people; extra bottled water was delivered. The Sports Center, where the Red Cross would set up, was covered with mats, all in preparation for an influx of storm-weary citizens. The women's basketball game scheduled for that ni ght was cancelled. The an ticipated storm never came. The San Vincente Dam and El Capitan SDI TAX CREDITS: Th is year the state tax for ms contain a confusin g, but quite beneficial, clause all owing taxpayers to rece ive up to 80% of the money th ey put in to State Disability Insura nce (SD I). Because of a sur pl us in the SDI account, a one-time refund is avai lab le to taxpayers, if you know about it. Each paycheck, 1% of your gross sa lary or wages is taken out for SDI , up to a maxi mum of $114. To figure out your credit, si mply take 80% of the tota l amount you contri buted to SDI, up to a maximu m of $91 in tax credits. This credit is avai labl e to each taxpayer in you r family, so don't short change yourself. The worksheet for figurin g out your credit is on Page 11 of state income tax form 540. If you worked for more than one empl oyer, too muc h SDI migh t have Form 540RC in your state income tax brochure.

Reservoi r didn 't spill ove r that day. And the crisis which was so well planned for fa il ed to materi ali ze. Fortun ately! But everyone involved in working and pl anning that day at USD can hold the ir heads hi gh. The campu s, in the face of possible flooding in nearby Mission Val ley, danger and fea r, pulled together as a team.

And somehow, in th e midst of the chaos and uncerta inty, we were all brought a littl e closer toge ther. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

been taken out of your wages. If you contributed more than $114 into SDI, then you arc entitled to a refund of the amount you paid ove r $11 4, in additi on to the 80% tax credit. If you claim the state tax credit and cla im a dcducati on for the ta x paid on the fe deral tax form, then nex t year you must dec lare the tax credit as income on th e federa l return. If you have already fil ed your state income tax return, and forgot to inc lu de the SDI credit, wa it unti l you have rece ived yo ur or iginal tax refund befo re fi lin g an amended tax return. Filin g an amen ded tax re turn before your original tax return has been processed wi ll mean that both return s wi ll be kicked out of the compu ter. Of course, as with all tax qu est ions if you are not sure, contact th e IRS (236-1700), the state Franchi se Tax Board (tol I free at 800-8 52- 571 1) or a tax expe rt.