The Rebrand: From Tsunami to Zombies
For years, CSTACE has relied on our trademark TAX TSUNAMI branding to terrify Marin County homeowners into opposing school funding. And it worked — beautifully. A 52-cent-per-square-foot levy to fund elementary education became, in the minds of voters, a wall of churning water about to swallow their McMansions whole.
But Board President MeMe Grimsworth has a vision. A vision that came to her in a darkened movie theater in January 2026, during a sold-out screening of 28 Years Later.
The board voted 6-0 to explore a full rebrand. The lone abstention was Chadsworth Pennington-Thwaite III, who felt "Tax Tsunami" still had legs. MeMe reportedly replied, "Chadsworth, zombies literally have legs. That's the whole point."
Why Zombies Are Scarier Than Tsunamis
CSTACE retained a political consulting firm at $25,000 to conduct focus groups on the rebrand. The results were clear:
| Tax Tsunami (Current) | Tax Zombie Apocalypse (Proposed) |
|---|---|
| Natural disaster — implies it's nobody's fault | Horror villain — implies someone is doing this TO you |
| One wave, then it's over | Zombies keep coming back, just like school tax renewals |
| Hard to personify a wave | Easy to personify: "The school board is the zombie. YOUR WALLET is the brain." |
| Culturally insensitive to actual tsunami victims | Culturally insensitive to nobody (zombies aren't real, unlike our fear tactics) |
| Fear level: 7/10 | Fear level: 9/10 (focus group tested) |
| Pun potential: limited ("Tsu-NO-mi"?) | Pun potential: unlimited ("No-Brainer to Vote No," "Dead on Arrival," "Don't Let Them Eat Your Brains") |
MeMe's Vision: The Full Campaign
Board President Grimsworth has outlined an ambitious campaign plan that she described as "28 Days Later meets Proposition 13." The proposal includes:
Campaign website: StopTheTaxZombies.com. A full campaign website featuring a zombie-green color scheme, a counter showing "DAYS SINCE LAST SCHOOL TAX ATTACK," and an interactive map of Marin County where each school district is represented by a shambling horde of undead. Users can click on their district to see exactly how many dollars the zombies are coming for.
Yard signs. Forest green signs reading "NO ON [X]: DON'T LET THE TAX ZOMBIES EAT YOUR PROPERTY VALUE" with a cartoon zombie in a graduation cap. MeMe insisted the zombie be "hunky, like the big one in 28 Years Later" but the graphic designer talked her down to "menacing but family-friendly."
Text message campaign. Automated texts reading: "🧟 ALERT: The [District Name] school board has risen from the dead with ANOTHER tax measure. They want $X per sq ft of YOUR home. Don't let the zombies win. Vote NO."
Webinar series: "Surviving the Tax Zombie Apocalypse." A three-part educational series featuring MeMe Grimsworth in what she describes as "tasteful zombie makeup — nothing gory, just enough to make a point." Topics include "Boarding Up Your Wallet," "Headshots: Targeting School Tax Ballot Language," and "The Cure: Prop 13 and You."
The 28 Years Later Connection
Sources close to the CSTACE board report that MeMe Grimsworth has seen 28 Years Later three times since its release and has described it as "the most important film about tax policy since Atlas Shrugged, which was not a film but should have been." She has been particularly vocal about the "hunky big zombie" — a large, muscular infected character in the film — whom she has referenced in at least four board meetings, two op-eds, and one somewhat uncomfortable dinner party in Tiburon.
"There's something about him," MeMe told the board during the January meeting, according to minutes obtained by this parody website. "He's relentless. He doesn't stop. He doesn't negotiate. He just keeps coming. That's what school tax renewals are like. And also, he's extremely well-built for a zombie, which I respect."
Vice President Prescott Wainwright-Chadwell reportedly attempted to steer the conversation back to ballot language analysis, but MeMe held the floor for an additional twelve minutes describing what she called "the metaphorical resonance of fast zombies versus slow zombies as it relates to special election versus general election tax strategies."
Fundraising for the Rebrand
CSTACE is currently seeking donations to fund the Tax Zombie Apocalypse campaign. The estimated budget is $85,000, which includes:
$25,000 — Political consulting firm (focus groups, message testing, convincing MeMe that the yard sign zombie cannot be "hunky")
$20,000 — Campaign website and digital ads
$15,000 — Yard signs, mailers, and print materials
$12,000 — Text message campaign platform
$8,000 — Webinar production (including MeMe's "tasteful zombie makeup")
$5,000 — Legal review of whether a zombie-themed anti-school-tax campaign constitutes protected political speech (it does)
For context, $85,000 is approximately what it would cost to fund a full-time art teacher at a Marin County elementary school for one year. But CSTACE believes the money is better spent on zombie graphics.
Donate to the Tax Zombie Apocalypse campaign →
What the Critics Say
Not everyone is on board with the rebrand. A parent at Ross Valley Elementary told the Marin IJ: "They spent $25,000 on focus groups for zombie branding? Our school's entire annual art supply budget is $3,200."
CSTACE's response, issued through a spokesperson: "We appreciate the feedback and encourage all concerned parents to seek cost efficiencies within their household budgets. Perhaps fewer art supplies would teach children the value of fiscal responsibility."