Since the passage of Proposition 13, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association has fought relentlessly for California’s citizen taxpayers and homeowners. Through its nearly 50-year history, we’ve had more than our share of victories as well as defeats.
Although not all the votes have been counted – due to California’s typical refusal to conduct elections in a timely manner – it appears that Proposition 43 may fail. If it does, it would be truly disappointing.
Prop. 43 would have restored a provision of Prop. 13 that requires that any local tax for a specific purpose obtain a two-thirds vote of the local electorate. That protection was eroded by court decisions allowing special taxes to avoid the two-thirds vote requirement if they were placed on the ballot via a “citizens’ initiative.” Unsurprisingly, this led to collusion between local government entities and special interests who would receive the tax revenue.
While our fight to pass Prop. 43 appears to have come up short, we made every effort to get the message out in the media through radio and TV advertising, interviews and newspaper articles, and a grassroots army that distributed thousands of signs and doorhangers throughout the state.
Regrettably, the loss of Prop. 43 was not the only injury to taxpayers from the election. Voters approved numerous state and local tax increases including the extension of California’s highest income tax rates in the nation.
Voters also seemed unconcerned with government debt by approving several state and local bond measures. The one bright spot is the apparent defeat of Proposition 40, a wealth tax on billionaires.
Voters didn’t believe that the tax would only be imposed once or that it wouldn’t be later extended to people who weren’t even close to being billionaires. The sad part is that Prop. 40 merely being on the ballot convinced many of the state’s most productive individuals to leave the state.
For taxpayers wondering why the overall election results in California were so disappointing, it is clear that our interests were overtaken by the national environment. Disappointment with the high cost of living, lack of affordable housing, and the cost of gas drove voters across the nation to seek a change. (whether they will get the change they’re looking for with the new crop of political leaders is very much in doubt).
However, taxpayers should take heart knowing that the fight to defend our interests is never resolved by a single election. In his efforts to secure property tax relief for California homeowners, Howard Jarvis tried and failed on four different occasions starting in 1968 before succeeding on the fifth try in 1978. Like other political figures whose names we know well (Lincoln, Nixon, Churchill) political defeats are often the foundation for subsequent victories.
Going forward, taxpayer advocates must double their efforts to educate voters, not just about how Prop. 13 protects them, but also the extent to which the government wastes vast quantities of tax dollars on fraud.
Too many Californians fail to understand the impact of the oddly titled measures on their ballots. Polling indicates that Californians are concerned with the cost of living and then, inexplicably, vote for higher taxes which increase the cost of living.
Although the mid-term election is over, HJTA and its affiliated Foundation will continue to work to inform voters as to the dismal state of California’s governance, tax climate and regulatory burdens that are compelling so many of our fellow taxpayers to flee the state. Only through education will we be able to right the ship.
In the meantime, our members and supporters should know that HJTA is here for the long game. We will never stop advocating for California taxpayers.
Jon Coupal is president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association