During this past summer there were dozens of media stories about big increases in property tax revenues. Orange County was typical. The taxable value of real estate went up $33 billion to over $600 billion. Assessments increased in all of Orange County’s 34 cities. Further north, San Mateo County saw a 7.1% increase in its […]
Perhaps California’s political structure hasn’t quite devolved into the kind of despotic regime like we see in North Korea or Venezuela, but that doesn’t mean we’re not headed in that direction. As reported last week in this column, the attack on Proposition 13 is now in full gear as proponents of the infamous “split roll” […]
After several fits and starts, the battle over the defense of Proposition 13 began in earnest last week as progressive interest groups began gathering signatures for their new and hardly improved ballot measure to impose a multi-billion dollar “split roll” property tax on Californians. These same tax-and-spend interests had already qualified a previous version of […]
There is little debate that California is a harsh, anti-taxpayer environment ruled by a tax-happy majority party. However, in this super-partisan environment that grips both California and the entire nation, it is important to point out when our political adversaries do something positive. In that spirit, let’s acknowledge what Gov. Gavin Newsom did right for […]
Cassandra of Greek mythology was blessed with the gift of prophecy and doomed by the curse that no one would ever believe her. Conservatives in California know just how she felt. California’s modern day Cassandras have repeatedly warned about the misuse and diversion of public funds for roads and highways. In no other area have […]
Anyone paying attention to California politics knows that our public pension funds are in big trouble. Notwithstanding a vibrant economy, both the California Public Employee Retirement System (CalPERS) and the California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) are tens of billions of dollars in debt. Unfunded liability, a fancy name for that debt, is not the […]
By Jon Coupal and Sharon Quirk-Silva | Prior to the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978, it was not uncommon for seniors on fixed incomes who had already paid off their mortgages to nonetheless lose their homes because they couldn’t afford to pay their property taxes. While Proposition 13 continues to protect millions of older […]
California’s 2019 legislative session recently came to a merciful end. Despite the fact that the Legislature passed dozens of bills assaulting basic economic rights, it could have been far worse for taxpayers. Indeed, in remarkably good news, the most dangerous threat to Proposition 13 was defeated. Proposition 13 has been called the third rail of […]
By Jon Coupal and Martin Wilson | The tools of direct democracy — initiative, referendum and recall — are a powerful check against intransigent or corrupt politicians. These powers are enshrined in the California Constitution for reasons that are just as compelling in 2019 as they were in 1911. That’s when Governor Hiram Johnson, seeking […]
In a victory for taxpayers, the Fresno Superior Court decided in favor of Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association on Thursday, ruling that special taxes proposed by a voter initiative are not exempt from the state constitution’s two-thirds vote requirement. At issue was Fresno’s Measure P, a sales tax initiative on the November 2018 ballot that proposed […]
