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Local Elections
LA County Measure E – Los Angeles County Fire Tax
Measure E in Los Angeles County imposes a six-cent annual tax on the square footage of property located in parts of the county. The tax increase is expected to cost taxpayers $150 million annually, resulting in increased costs for property owners and businesses.
CalTax OPPOSES Measure E.
City of Santa Cruz Measure Z – Soda Tax
Measure Z in the city of Santa Cruz imposes a two cents per fluid ounce tax on the distribution of sweetened beverages in Santa Cruz. This discriminatory tax would cost taxpayers $1.3 million annually and harms residents in the city.
CalTax OPPOSES Measure Z.
Ballot Measures
Proposition 2 – School Bond
Proposition 2 authorizes the state to issue $10 billion in general obligation bond debt to finance the construction of projects at Kindergarten through Grade 12 schools and community colleges.
CalTax will not be taking a position on this measure.
Proposition 3 – Marriage Equality
Proposition 3 repeals an existing, unenforceable provision of the California Constitution that limits marriage to a man and a woman and adds provisions that recognize the “right to marry is a fundamental right.”
CalTax will not be taking a position on this measure.
Proposition 4 – Climate Bond
Proposition 4 enacts the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024 and authorizes the issuance of $10 billion in bonds to finance projects for safe drinking water; drought, flood, and water resilience; wildfire and forest resilience; coastal resilience; extreme heat mitigation; biodiversity and nature-based climate solutions; climate-smart, sustainable, and resilient farms, ranches, and working lands; park creation and outdoor access; and clean air programs.
CalTax will not be taking a position on this measure.
Proposition 5 – Vote Requirement to Raise Property Taxes for Bond Debt
Proposition 5 makes it easier for municipalities to increase property taxes above 1% (the rate limit established by Proposition 13 of 1978) to repay infrastructure-related bond debt. Currently, local governments need a two-thirds vote to approve new bond debt – Proposition 5 reduces the vote requirement to 55 percent, if a bond funds government housing, Internet projects, sea-level programs, public transit, roads, parks, or other infrastructure. To repay new debt, homeowners and businesses will pay higher property taxes. A CalTax analysis found that had Proposition 5 been law between 2012 through 2022, California property owners would be paying an additional $5.3 billion in annual property taxes (approximately $2.7 billion in new bond authorizations plus $2.6 billion in interest).
CalTax OPPOSES Proposition 5.
Proposition 6 – Prison Labor
Proposition 6 prohibits the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from disciplining any incarcerated person for refusing a work assignment.
CalTax will not be taking a position on this measure.
Proposition 32 – Minimum Wage Increase
Proposition 32 increases the state’s minimum wage to $18 per hour by 2025, with the wage adjusted annually every year thereafter to keep pace with inflationary changes. The minimum wage increase would significantly increase business operating costs, including payroll taxes, and result in fewer job opportunities as employers transition to technology alternatives when possible.
CalTax OPPOSES Proposition 32.
Proposition 33 – Rent Control
Proposition 33 allows local governments to impose rent control on new apartments and single-family homes. Proposition 33 would create severe housing market distortions in the state, reducing the supply of rental housing in California, decreasing property values, and decreasing property tax revenue.
CalTax OPPOSES Proposition 33.
Proposition 34 – Restricts Spending of Health Care Providers
Proposition 34 requires certain health care providers to spend 98 percent of revenue from federal discount prescription drug programs on direct patient care.
CalTax will not be taking a position on the measure.
Proposition 35 – Managed Care Organization Tax
Proposition 35 makes permanent the existing tax on managed health care insurance plans, currently set to expire in 2026, and requires revenue to be used only for Medi-Cal services. Proposition 35 is another example of ballot-box budgeting that severely restricts lawmakers’ ability to use existing revenue to solve the state’s budget challenges. With fewer budget options left during a budget crisis, lawmakers may be forced to solve bridge budgets gaps through higher taxes.
CalTax OPPOSES Proposition 35.
Proposition 36 – Increases Penalties for Retail Theft and Drug Possession
Proposition 36 increases penalties for retail theft, authorizes new criminal enhancements for organized theft, reclassifies non-prescription fentanyl as a “hard” drug for purposes of increasing penalties for distribution, creates new penalties for the sale of drugs that result in death, and mandates treatment for repeat drug offenders. Retail theft resulted in the loss of more than $1.5 billion in state and local tax revenue in recent years and has increased the state’s tax gap in the underground economy.
CalTax SUPPORTS Proposition 36.
