By Jon Coupal, President Howard Jarvis Taxpayer’s Association – May 22, 2019 –
ACTION ALERT: We need every HJTA member to oppose Assembly Constitutional Amendment 1, which attacks Proposition 13 by making it easier to raise taxes. ACA 1 cleared the Assembly Appropriations Committee last week, and is now awaiting a Floor vote. Unlike previous committee votes, and per Proposition 13, passage on the Assembly floor requires a two-thirds vote. Communicating with your legislators now is crucial.
WHEN TO TAKE ACTION: NOW! A vote on ACA 1 could occur at any time. We’ve been told by reliable sources that a vote will likely occur tomorrow or Friday.
WHY:
- ACA 1 would lower the vote needed to approve new local taxes from two-thirds to just 55 percent if the tax hike was for “infrastructure” (which is almost anything).
- The most imperative message is that a vote for ACA 1 is a vote for a tax increase because it makes it easier for local governments to propose and authorize higher taxes.
- Lowering the two-thirds vote for bonds and parcel taxes makes it easier to approve debt that is included “below the line” on property tax bills and is not included in Prop 13’s one percent cap. This can add hundreds of dollars a year to residential and commercial property tax bills, and last for decades.
- Parcel taxes are very regressive in that all property owners typically pay the same amount, regardless of the size of the home or business.
For ACA 1 to be defeated, eight Assembly Democrats must oppose or abstain. While the odds seem daunting, we do believe there is a path to victory. Please call the following Members of the Legislature who have yet to clarify their position on the bill, especially if you live in the areas they represent. Also, for calls to Mr. Ramos, please thank him for abstaining on ACA 1 in the Assembly Local Government Committee and ask him to do the same on the Assembly Floor.
Assembly Member James Ramos (Rancho Cucamonga, San Bernardino) – 916-319-2040
Assembly Member Rudy Salas (Bakersfield, Hanford) – 916-319-2032
Assembly Member Christy Smith (Santa Clarita) – 916-319-2038
Assembly Member Jacqui Irwin (Camarillo, Thousand Oaks) – 916-319-2044
Assembly Member Al Muratsuchi (Torrance) – 916-319-2066
You can also call your own representatives and urge them to oppose ACA 1. To find their names and contact information, go to findyourrep.legislature.ca.
Thank you for helping to strengthen the voice of taxpayers in California. We greatly appreciate you.
Everyone who buys a home in California is covered by prop 13. A home I bought 6 years ago for $125,000 is locked in at that number, for tax purposes, even though it is worth $250,000 today.
I wonder what percentage of homeowners are still covered by Prop 13? If one sells a property purchased in the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s to buy a home elsewhere, they have lost that low Prop 13 tax rate unless they lived in one of the 11 counties and bought in one of those counties that offer Prop 13 transfers. (Del Norte County is not one of the 11 counties.)
So as homeowners that benefited by this proposition become fewer and fewer due to death or downsizing to a smaller home, the number of homeowners that still have a low Prop 13 rate drop.