As the election draws near, supporters of Proposition 15 call on elite and private country club owners in San Diego to pay their fair share in property taxes to fund our schools and communities. Country clubs are among the largest landowners in the region, but they pay some of the lowest commercial property taxes. In San Diego County, some of the most exclusive golf clubs pay pennies per square foot while many homeowners across the street pay 50 times as much.

Five of the oldest and biggest country clubs in the region — The Crosby Club, Del Mar Country Club, San Diego Country Club, La Jolla Country Club, and The Farms Golf Club — own more than 750 acres valued at more than $55 million dollars, and each one of them pays pennies per square foot in property taxes, a fraction of what homeowners and new small businesses pay throughout the county. Prop 15 will close the corporate tax loophole that allows these exclusive country clubs to get away with not paying their fair share, contributing to the chronic underfunding of the schools and communities that lay beyond their perfectly manicured lawns.

1. The Crosby Club

Property owner -  Bando National Corp. (international company with $1.5 billion in assets) 

Property size - 204 acres (8.9 million square feet)

Assessed value of property - $9.8 million Property taxes paid per square foot - 2 cents 

How the club describes itself - “The finest private golf club in Southern California.“

Received PPP loan during pandemic - $350,000 to $1,000,000

2. Del Mar Country Club

Property owner - Del Mar Country Club Inc. (owned by Madeleine A. Pickens)

Property size - 154 acres (6.7 million square feet)

Assessed value of property - $13.3 million

Property taxes paid per square foot - 3 cents 

How the club describes itself - “The exclusive private country club in Southern California.”

Received PPP loan during pandemic - $350,000 to $1,000,000

3. San Diego Country Club

Owner -  San Diego Country Club Inc. (member owned) 

Property size - 154 acres (6.7 million square feet)

Assessed value of property - $10.1 million 

Property taxes paid per square foot - 2 cents 

How the club describes itself - “The only private club in southern San Diego County.”

Received PPP loan during pandemic - $350,000 to $1,000,000

4. La Jolla Country Club

Owner - La Jolla Country Club Inc. (member owned)

Property size - 129 acres (5.6 million square feet)

Assessed value of property - $10.8 million

Property taxes paid per square foot - 2 cents 

How the club describes itself - “A private, member-owned club.”

Received PPP loan during pandemic - $0

5. The Farms Golf Club

Owner - Rancho Santa Fe Farms Golf Club Inc. (member owned)

Property size - 114 acres (5 million square feet)

Assessed value of property - $11.5 million

Property taxes paid per square foot - 3 cents 

How the club describes itself - “An exclusive, year-round, private golf club near San Diego.”

Received PPP loan during pandemic - $350,000 to $1,000,000