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** Don’t let Sacramento hide the truth about new taxes
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Dear John,
Imagine you’re looking at your ballot and you see a measure titled something like: “Better Roads and Schools – See Voter Guide for Details.” Would you take a few minutes to dig into the fine print? Or would you just vote “yes,” assuming it sounds like a good idea?
Most people would expect the ballot to say something more straightforward, like “Raises the sales tax” or “Increases your property taxes to fund school bonds.” But how many voters will actually go searching for the truth when it’s buried in the voter guide?
Democratic lawmakers in Sacramento are counting on the fact that many voters won’t do the homework and will vote for a feel-good ballot measure feeling like they’re good citizens for doing so. Then, when the bill comes due, they will inevitably complain about having to pay higher taxes with little awareness that they brought it upon themselves.
California State Assemblymember Catherine Stefani (D-San Francisco) knows voters can be duped. And, being a Democratic legislator, she also knows Sacramento, cities and school districts want to raise more taxes. So, she authored Assembly Bill 699 ([link removed]) that would obscure tax increase proposals set before the voters.
This bill is too clever by half. Instead of honest transparency, Assembly Bill 699 makes it easier to pass tax measures that sound great on the surface but hit your wallet later. Since many voters only read the ballot label and do very little (if any) independent research, this slick modification will make tax increase initiatives easier to pass in the voting booth.
But it’s also insulting. Allowing for what can only be described as a cute manipulation is an affront to the intelligence of California’s voters. It’s a clear message from the majority party that they think voters aren’t smart or engaged enough to notice what’s really going on.
Right now, the law says that any tax measure on the ballot must clearly state the tax rate, how long it will be in effect, and how much money it will generate. That’s thanks to two good-government bills from less than a decade ago.
In 2015, I proudly joined all 40 of my Senate colleagues in supporting Assembly Bill 809 by then-Assemblyman Jay Obernolte. The statute required that ballots used for proposed county, city, or district ordinances submitted to the voters as an initiative measure be printed with specified text — including a statement related to the imposition of a tax or to raise the rate of a tax, as well as the amount of money to be raised annually and the rate and duration of the tax to be levied.
In 2017, 33 senators, including myself, voted for another Obernolte measure, Assembly Bill 195 that would extend this requirement for local initiatives and referenda with a requirement that the analysis be impartial. These were common sense, bipartisan reforms meant to make the ballot question easier to understand and more honest for voters.
So why are Democrats now trying to roll back that progress?
It seems the new crop of legislators is more interested in making it easier to raise taxes than in keeping voters informed. And that’s a problem. AB 699 is moving quickly through the Legislature on a party-line vote, with every Republican voting “No.” The bill now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday.
It’s time for Californians to speak up. Voters should not be tricked into approving tax increases because the ballot language was carefully crafted to hide the truth. The supermajority in Sacramento shouldn’t be allowed to con people into paying more without knowing it.
If this bill reaches the governor’s desk, he should remember that transparency is not just the polite thing to do; it’s the right thing to do. Voters deserve honesty, not manipulation. And lawmakers should respect the people they serve enough to tell them the truth.
— By John Moorlach, Director of the Center for Public Accountability at California Policy Center. He previously served in the California Senate and on the Orange County Board of Supervisors. An earlier version of this op-ed appeared in the Orange County Register. ([link removed])
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** Radio Free California #402: Torch the Los Angeles Olympics
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On this week's podcast with CPC president Will Swaim and CPC board member David Bahnsen: A city that can’t manage its own affairs was always bound for trouble in hosting the 2028 Olympics, and now President Trump has given progressives the excuse they need to bail out. California’s redistricting process was never nonpartisan, now it’ll just be worse. And the fascinating secret of Pasadena-born celebrity chef Julia Child. Listen now. ([link removed])
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** Is California’s Economy Really Larger Than Japan’s?
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California’s GDP recently surpassed Japan’s, prompting Gov. Newsom to declare the Golden State “the 4th largest economy in the world.” But when adjusted for purchasing power, Japan’s 2024 GDP was actually 79% higher. When prices are factored in, California’s rank drops to eleventh. Newsom's lofty ranking is a mirage driven by the state’s high cost of living — something he can take credit for. Read the article by CPC Visiting Fellow Marc Joffe. ([link removed])
** Logging Saves Species and Increases our Water Supply
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When you suppress wildfires for over a century, then overregulate and suppress any other means to thin California's forests, you get overcrowded and unhealthy forests. CPC's Edward Ring explains why reviving the timber industry in the Golden State would improve the health of our forests, reduce the risk of “superfires,” increase water supplies, create jobs — and even help wildlife thrive. Read the article. ([link removed])
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