This past week, most California homeowners received the two most important pieces of mail they are likely to get all year. These are your property tax bill and your mailed ballot for the 2024 general election. While both deserve individual attention, let me suggest that you open them on the same day to put both in context. When reviewing your tax bill, the best place to start is to pull out last year’s bill and make a side-by-side comparison. Typically, your tax bill will show three categories of charges: the General Tax Levy, Voted Indebtedness and Direct Charges and Special...