Split-Roll Initiative

The San Francisco Business Times reported June 23 that in light of the split-roll initiative and proposed local tax increases in various parts of California, economic recruiters in Texas “are drawing up their game plans to attract Bay Area companies growing weary of the Golden State’s tax burden.” “Every time California is looking at new tax structures or adjusting the cost for employers to do business, we do see an uptick in calls and people inquiring what the opportunities are…

The California Assessors’ Association (CAA) announced June 3 that it opposes the split-roll property tax increase that recently qualified for the November ballot because the measure would be nearly impossible to implement. “The implementation costs and administrative issues raised by our analysis have only become more problematic due to pending budget cuts and hiring freezes which are being implemented by counties across the State,” CAA President Don Gaekle, assessor for Stanislaus County, wrote in a letter to lawmakers. “Current local…

The split-roll property tax initiative has qualified for the November ballot, the Secretary of State’s Office announced today. Qualification was expected, as proponents submitted approximately 1.7 million signatures to county election offices in April – roughly 700,000 more than needed to qualify. The “Schools and Communities First” measure (Initiative 19-0008) seeks to repeal Proposition 13 protections for commercial and industrial property owners, and require market-value reassessment of commercial and industrial properties every three years. Proponents estimate that the changes would amount to a property tax increase of $12 billion…

Support for the split-roll property tax initiative continues to hover near 50 percent, the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) reported April 22 in its latest poll on the measure. The PPIC found that 53 percent of likely voters expressed support for a split-roll property tax increase when asked as part of a survey on public education issues, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percent (this means that 95 times out of 100, the results will…

The split-roll property tax initiative would increase taxes on agricultural property, leading to higher food costs for Californians, the California Farm Bureau Federation said February 18 in a statement announcing its opposition to the measure. The split-roll measure (Initiative 19-0008) would repeal Proposition 13 protections for business property owners, and would require market-value reassessment of commercial and industrial properties every three years. It is being circulated for signatures to replace an earlier version (Initiative 17-0055) that qualified for the November…

Only 45 percent of California’s registered voters support the split-roll property tax initiative, according to poll numbers released this month by the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education. This is the fifth independent public poll during the last 12 months to show that less than 50 percent of voters support the measure. The weak support for the $12.5 billion-a-year property tax increase was voiced despite a separate finding in the USC poll that 56 percent of the respondents…