bg: I believe the OP is considering a for-sale house in Austin to a similar house in a similar neighborhood in San Diego. So the issue we are discussing is what taxes would be paid on each. Accordingly, including Prop 13-advantaged CA taxpayers is not relevant to the decision.
As to your Mello Roos fees, yes, they can really become as high as you state, and that further makes the Austin house look better in comparison. Of course, they don’t apply to older houses in older neighborhoods.
