The National Socialist Democrats have two measures for the ballot to increase taxes and lower the standard of living and quality of life in California.
“Assembly Constitutional Amendment 1 (ACA1) goes well beyond school bonds and would make it easier to raise taxes by lowering the voter approval requirement for ALL local bonds and tax increases from the current two-thirds to 55 percent if the money would be used for “public infrastructure” and certain types of public housing projects.
The operative word here is “public infrastructure.” You can be sure that the term “public infrastructure” will be liberally interpreted by government to include anything they want.
ACA 13 will require that citizen-initiated constitutional amendments to protect taxpayers meet a two-thirds majority, a higher vote threshold than any other constitutional amendments, including any proposed by the Legislature, which require only a simple majority vote. If this provision had been in effect in 1978, it would have prevented Prop 13 from ever becoming law. It would make it much easier to kill the California Taxpayer Protection Initiative.”
And what is the response from the Close the Doors Republicans leadership? CRP Chair Patterson and Eisenhower Republican Tim O’Reilly put together a GOP Platform that does not give full support to Prop.13—only says they support it, in a single sentence without explanation or how the Dems are trying to kill it. Like Election Integrity, they do not support GOP values or principles.
The Tax Watchers: Taxation and deceptive representation
Colleen Britton, Daily Republic, 9/15/23 https://www.dailyrepublic.com/opinion/the-tax-watchers-taxation-and-deceptive-representation/article_4e0268a6-51a0-11ee-9bfa-d3250f00fb7f.html
“No Taxation without Representation” was a call to arms that lead up to the first American Revolution, and it is fast becoming a battle cry for Californians as ever-increasing state and local taxes force tens of thousands to flee the state every year.
Similar conditions prevailed in the early 1970s, and in 1978 citizens revolted. They overwhelmingly passed Proposition 13, capping property taxes at 1 percent of the assessed value, and protecting taxpayers from runaway taxes by requiring a two-thirds majority vote to pass future tax and bond increases.
Did this stop legislators? Hardly. They went to work, crafting different ways to get around Prop 13 and raise more revenue.
Mello-Roos districts (commonly called Community Facilities Districts), designed to fund infrastructure projects, appeared in 1982. They were merely a way to sidestep the Prop 13 cap.
Creative “fees” and surcharges appeared on things like vehicle registrations and water bills.
In 2000, voters passed Prop 39 to allow bonds for school construction to pass with 55% of the vote, instead of the required two-thirds, provided certain criteria were met.
Sales taxes were passed as general taxes, requiring bare majority votes, despite promises to devote the funds to essential functions like public safety and streets. Such promises should make them special taxes and require a two-thirds vote.
Citizens and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association have once again responded to these abuses. They secured more than 1.4 million signatures to qualify an initiative for the November 2024 ballot that will restore the two-thirds majority required to pass any tax increases. The initiative is called The California Taxpayer Protection Initiative. Remember that name!
It will also reverse billions in tax hikes previously imposed, and require honest ballot titles on all tax-hike measures going forward. The measure also puts an end to “fees” being imposed when they are really taxes – especially on skyrocketing utility bills!
How did the state legislature respond to this initiative qualifying for the ballot? Are they listening to the plight of citizens? No way. They’re working to pass Assembly Constitutional Amendment 1 (ACA 1) and Assembly Constitutional Amendment 13 (ACA 13)
Assembly Constitutional Amendment 1 (ACA1) goes well beyond school bonds and would make it easier to raise taxes by lowering the voter approval requirement for ALL local bonds and tax increases from the current two-thirds to 55 percent if the money would be used for “public infrastructure” and certain types of public housing projects.
The operative word here is “public infrastructure.” You can be sure that the term “public infrastructure” will be liberally interpreted by government to include anything they want.
ACA 13 will require that citizen-initiated constitutional amendments to protect taxpayers meet a two-thirds majority, a higher vote threshold than any other constitutional amendments, including any proposed by the Legislature, which require only a simple majority vote. If this provision had been in effect in 1978, it would have prevented Prop 13 from ever becoming law. It would make it much easier to kill the California Taxpayer Protection Initiative.
It’s likely that all three measures will appear on the November 2024 ballot. Voters must understand what each does because they will greatly impact our financial well-being. Don’t rely on just the title and summary on the ballot for all the facts; they have often been deceptive, especially when a measure would reduce government revenues. Know which groups support each measure and why. Know how each measure will directly affect you and your family.
The Tax Watchers will do our best to keep you informed. Join us.
