Overturning of Prop. 13 sought in lawsuit (California)

[SunSeeker]

70. Prop. 13 was a trojan horse sold as saving grandma but it killed her grandkids

I have been a resident of CA since before Prop. 13 took effect and what it has done to my state is nothing short of disasterous--and yes I own CA property. Prop. 13 would have no bad effects if all it did was keep property taxes low for elderly with fixed incomes. But that was just the hook rich commerical interests used to get everyone to vote for a horrendous wish list of right wing goodies, the worst of which is the 2/3 supermajority legislative requirement to raise ANY taxes, not just property taxes. Worse, it shifted the property tax burden from commercial properties to individual homeowners.

You see, under Prop. 13, the property is taxed using the "basis" of what you paid for the property. The basis jumps up to full market value when the property changes ownership, which happens quite often with individuals. But businesses create corporations to hold the property and corporations live forever, so the basis never goes up. That is why, as Gormy Cuss points out, single-family residences accounted for 39.9% of the tax roll, by value, in 1975, before Proposition 13. This year their share is 55.8%. In the same period, commercial-industrial property has gone from 46.6% of the tax roll to 30.9%. So, Prop. 13 turned property tax into a regressive tax.

As a result, California has gone from being the Golden State to being Tennesee by the Sea. Schools, libraries, infrastructure are crumbling and college (University of CA used to be free!) is now out of reach for our kids. Taxes on the rich can't be raised to pay for desperately needed healthcase for the poor or anything else; there's just enough Repugs in the state legislature to keep the Dems from getting a 66% vote on any tax. Our kids have no future in California.