Proposition 13

Initiative Update: New Attack on Proposition 13

August 16, 2019

The proponents of the split-roll initiative that qualified for the November 2020 ballot filed a new version (Initiative 19-0008) August 13 in an attempt to fix drafting errors and make the measure more appealing to voters – in part by allocating tax-hike revenue to some school districts that would not have received as much funding under the original version. In an interview, the proponents said they will not remove the original version from the ballot until the new version (also…

Public Opinion Poll: Voters Strongly Support Proposition 13, Think California’s Tax Burden Is Too High

March 23, 2018

Public Opinion Poll

Likely voters in California overwhelmingly support Proposition 13, according to a poll released this week by the Public Policy Institute of California. The poll also found that Californians believe they pay the highest taxes in the nation, and more than their fair share in state and local taxes. Proposition 13 was approved nearly 40 years ago with support of 64.8 percent of the vote, and the PPIC poll found that this support has not wavered. Asked if they believe Proposition…

CalTax Commentary: Column by Split-Roll Supporter Ignored the Reality of the Proposition 13 Vote

February 6, 2018

Commentary

By David Kline, CalTax Vice President of Communications and Research (This column was published in the Ventura County Star, Napa Valley Register and Porterville Recorder.) In a recent syndicated column supporting property tax increases in California, Thomas Elias envisioned time travelers going back to view the 1978 property tax reform debate and not hearing much about commercial property taxes. Not so fast! Unless the time travelers were too busy disco dancing and buying bell-bottoms, they would notice a healthy debate…

Commentary: Thank Proposition 13 When You Get Your Property Tax Bill

November 27, 2017

Commentary

By David Kline, Vice President of Communications and Research This column was published October 30 in the San Francisco Chronicle. With property tax bills showing up in mailboxes throughout California, it’s the perfect time to thank voters for approving Proposition 13. Prior to the reform initiative’s passage in 1978, opening the property tax envelope was a frightening experience: How much did the tax go up this time? Now when you buy a home or business, you know what the tax…

CalTax Commentary: Voters Who OK’d Proposition 13 Knew What They Were Doing

September 8, 2017

Commentary

By Robert Gutierrez, Director of the California Tax Foundation This column originally appeared in the Bakersfield Californian It was disappointing to read Dolores Huerta’s description of California’s nondiscriminatory property tax law as a “loophole” – a label that misrepresents the facts and slights voters who overwhelmingly approved Proposition 13 to protect all property owners (Community Voices: “Fight to close state’s commercial property tax loophole,” August 18). When Californians went to the polls on June 6, 1978, they saw two competing property…