It’s no secret that ballot initiatives can be confusing, but Proposition 19 takes obfuscation to a whole new level. Voters can’t be blamed if they can’t remember whether Prop. 19 is the initiative that is a massive property tax hike or the measure that actually has something good for homeowners or the initiative that has […]
Of the many propositions that voters must decide this November, one of the most contentious is Proposition 15, also known as the split roll initiative. One of the arguments advanced by the proponents is that it won’t have any impact on homeowners because it just raises property taxes on commercial and industrial properties. Can the […]
On Wednesday of last week, the California Supreme Court declined to hear a case involving the validity of a local special tax initiative that failed to secure two-thirds voter approval. That requirement is found in Proposition 13 (1978) as well as Proposition 218 (1996), also known as the Right to Vote on Taxes Act, both […]
The California Legislature either didn’t read or ignored my column from last week on the toxic effects of one-party rule because, shortly thereafter, it held what can only be described as a dumpster fire of a last day of session. Then again, that would be an insult to dumpster fires. Or, as Sen. Melissa Melendez, […]
According to U.S. Census Bureau projections, California will lose at least one seat in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2020 Census. This is because the total number of representatives is fixed at 435 and allocated to population. This zero-sum game means that states with decreasing or static population will lose, and states with […]
Last Thursday, the Fair Political Practices Commission imposed one of the largest fines ever against Los Angeles County for using taxpayer funds for political ads touting Measure H, a sales tax increase on the ballot in 2017. The action by the FPPC was precipitated by a complaint filed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. The […]
Tax and bond proposals did not fare very well in the election just last March. For the first time since the 1990’s, voters rejected a statewide school bond, ironically designated as Proposition 13. Local bond and tax measures also had rough sledding, particularly those requiring a two-thirds vote. Prior to that, in June of 2019, […]
Former Gov. Jerry Brown often said that he subscribed to the “canoe theory of politics” — paddle a little to the left, a little to the right and then glide down the middle. He deployed that strategy through many of the crises he had to manage. From this conservative’s perspective, he did a lot more […]
Last week, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association filed a lawsuit against California Attorney General Xavier Becerra for his abject failure to produce impartial ballot material related to Proposition 15, the “split roll” attack that seeks the partial repeal of Proposition 13. What Proposition 15 does can be described simply: It raises property taxes on commercial […]
Anyone who’s ever managed a household knows that it’s not only how much money you make that matters. It’s also how much you spend. California’s budget is vastly more complicated, and less transparent, than family finances. So it’s even more important for taxpayers to watch closely as elected officials spend our money. The Howard Jarvis […]
