Back in 1978, California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 13, a landmark measure that limited how much property taxes could increase each year and required voter approval for new local taxes. For nearly five decades, Prop 13 has been considered the cornerstone of taxpayer protection in California — shaping everything from home ownership to local government budgets.
But today, supporters say a series of court rulings have chipped away at those original protections, allowing certain tax increases that voters never intended. In response, a new proposal — the Local Taxpayer Protection Act to Save Proposition 13 — aims to restore and reinforce those limits.
Susan Shelley, Editorial Writer and Columnist for the Southern California News Group, President of Valley VOTE, and Vice President of Communications for the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, the organization that has championed Proposition 13 since it began, explains what's at stake.