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Health & Fitness

Hell Freezes Over: CA Voters Willing to Change Prop. 13

According to a new Field Poll, the unthinkable is happening in California. Voters are now mostly willing to make some changes in the once thought sacrosanct law that is Proposition 13. How this translates into legislation or an initiative, however, is a whole ‘nother story.

The poll found bipartisan support for changes to Prop. 13 to prevent businesses from structuring property transactions to avoid triggering reassessments under the law. The more telling question is how the average CA voter even knows about – much less understands – this ‘split roll’ concept.  One guesstimate is the average voter never misses an opportunity to “stick it to The Man” (in this case, BIG business) even though 99.2 percent of all businesses in the state are small businesses but why confuse the issue with facts.

About half of California voters – 49 percent – generally support changing some parts of the law, while 69 percent of voters support indirectly increasing taxes on businesses by making it harder for commercial properties to avoid reassessments. (Specifically – and no surprise here – 71 percent of the Donkeys and 64 percent of Pachyderms favor the change.)

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Approved by voters overwhelmingly in 1978, Proposition 13 reduced property taxes and made it harder for government to raise taxes in general. Polling in recent years shows continued support for the measure, and most politicians wisely have been wary of proposing changes.

In fact, Prop. 13 has long been considered untouchable which makes this attitudinal shift Richter Scale material. One pundit opined this is an ‘erosion issue.’ First, government and special districts have become so adept at getting money out of property owners that the old “stick-it-all-on-the-property-tax-bill” method has given way to other innovative money raising schemes.

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Second, many of today’s property owners (despite the continued kingpin status of the Baby Boomers) have no substantive recollection of the struggle that ensued when Prop. 13 was introduced. At the time, government railed and moaned that it would devastate the provision of services.  This led to the ‘residential is bad; non-residential is good’ mindset and suddenly, the NIMBYs, Enviros, No Growthers and their spawn had an unforeseen ally in Prop. 13 even if they didn’t understand it.

Last, it’s a matter of attrition. The bulk of properties in CA may have turned over at least once, which under Prop. 13, triggered a reassessment to current market value. Bottom line: No matter how you slice it - this is a quantum change in the attitude of CA voters.

Field Poll - Take 2: Voters Unamused with Congress… And?

With mid-term elections about six weeks away, the CA voting public also likes their own but maintains its displeasure with the job Congress is generally doing.  Say what? Oddly, to me, the logic is crystal clear. If you (IMHO) have an Anna Eshoo or a Jackie Speier who are doing good jobs representing us (vs. the representation that Harry Reid’s or Mitch McConnell’s constituents are getting), then you support your own but recoil at the actions of goobers like Elizabeth Warren or John Boehner… and that’s exactly what the Field Poll revealed.

Nearly 80 percent of CA voters said they disapproved of the job being done by Congress and only 13 percent approve. The results are consistent with recent national measures showing the Federales held in low esteem following political setbacks for both parties. Republicans are blamed for the partial government shutdown, and Democrats have and will continue to take prolonged fire for the botched rollout of Obamacare. (Ya think!?)

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