Why SCC voters took the reins in support of Prop 13 in 1978

Image by the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art

Since voters overwhelmingly approved it by a 2:1 margin, Prop 13's endured constant attacks by Big Gov't advocates who'd rather mount taxes than cut expenditures. Even SJ's City Council is open to ballot measures that undermine Prop 13. In the Power Line blog, Independent Institute's K. Lloyd Billingsley analyzes what about Prop 13 resonated with 1978 voters—and why blaming it for CA's budgetary woes is plain ridiculous.

Back in the 1970s some Californians, primarily seniors, were literally being taxed out of their homes. Hereditary Gov. Jerry Brown and the legislature did nothing to address this problem, but a response came in the form of the “People’s Initiative to Limit Property Taxation,” Proposition 13 on the June 1978 ballot.

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This measure required that properties be taxed at no more than 1 percent of full cash value as of 1974, with increases limited to the inflation rate or 2 percent, whichever was less. Proposition 13 also prohibited the state from enacting new taxes on the value or sale of properties, and required a two-thirds vote of the legislature to increases non-property taxes. Jerry Brown denounced it as the end of the world, but the people didn’t think so.

Californians passed Proposition 13 by a landslide margin of 64.79 to 35.21. Brown then postured as though he had authored the measure and proclaimed himself a “born-again tax cutter.” Like most of what he said, that was not true.

Proposition 13 required no new state spending and no new state hires, but the ruling class has blamed it for any budgetary problems, which was also untrue. In California, taxpayer dollars must trickle down through bureaucratic sediment such as the Coastal Commission, the county offices of education, the multiple licensing agencies and so forth.

This article originally appeared in Power Line. Read the whole thing here.

Related:

• Santa Clara County was (and is) Prop 13 country—despite politicians' opposition

• Opinion: Why is CA Legislature so spooked about pro-Prop 13 measure?

• Perspective: Under ACA 1 & 13, property owners would shoulder “burden” of unrestricted tax hikes

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