RED ALERT: Protect Prop 13 and Voter Rights

C.A.R. opposes ACA 13, a threat to voter influence and Prop 13 protection, urging Californians to stand against higher taxes and reduced homeowners’ rights.

UPDATE:

Yesterday (9/6/23), the California State Assembly voted to pass ACA 13 (Ward). We have another chance to stop this measure in the Senate, but time is short. WE NEED YOU TO CALL YOUR SENATOR RIGHT AWAY! We anticipate that the Senate will vote on ACA 13 (Ward) quickly. If ACA 13 becomes law, it would become a serious threat to the limits on tax increases in Prop 13. 

C.A.R. OPPOSES ACA 13 (Ward), a proposed state constitutional amendment, which will significantly weaken California citizens’ ability to use the statewide initiative process by imposing a higher vote requirement to pass citizen-led initiatives, making it much easier to pass property taxes.  

C.A.R. opposes ACA 13 because it seeks to undermine Prop 13, which will lead to higher property taxes and make housing much less affordable. 

Defending Homeowners’ Rights: C.A.R. Takes a Stand Against ACA 13 Threatening Prop 13 and Voter Power

• C.A.R. strongly opposes ACA 13, a state constitutional amendment limiting Californians’ initiative process.
• ACA 13 seeks to raise vote thresholds, eroding voter influence and undermining Prop 13 protections.
• This proposal disproportionately affects citizen-led initiatives, creating an unfair advantage against voters.
• Potential consequences include increased housing costs and reduced homeownership opportunities. Stand against ACA 13!

Link for C.A.R. Members only

Measure to Radically Weaken Prop 13 and Limit Voter’s Influence in Ballot Initiatives

C.A.R. OPPOSES ACA 13 (Ward), a proposed state constitutional amendment, that will significantly limit the ability of California’s voters to seek change through the initiative process by imposing a higher percentage of votes needed to approve state and local measures. C.A.R. opposes ACA 13 because seeks to undermine Proposition 13 by allowing for more taxes on homeowners and limits their ability to stop tax increases. C.A.R. has issued a Red Alert asking all California REALTORS® to contact their Assemblymember to urge them to vote NO on ACA 13. 

Under current law, state voter initiatives and constitutional amendments (outside of those that impose certain taxes) require a simple majority of voter approval to pass. Depending on the city or county, local measures usually also follow the same system. The exception is when a measure creates or extends a local or special tax. Then the vote requirement is usually two-thirds.

ACA 13 is an effort by the state Legislature to topple a system that protects the ability for California’s voters to seek change fairly and equitably through the initiative process. ACA 13 would require that any state constitutional amendment that attempts to increase the percentage of the vote needed to pass a local or state ballot measure must itself pass by the same percentage. For example, if the initiative proposes that issues such as taxes, animal rights or environmental laws be subject to a two-thirds vote by the electorate then that same statewide ballot measure must be enacted statewide by the same margin being proposed by the circulating initiative.

Additionally, ACA 13 ONLY applies to citizen-led initiatives. Any measures referred to the ballot from the Legislature would NOT be subject to the same requirement This creates an unfair advantage against voters who are seeking to reaffirm their values on a variety of policy issues impacting homeowners and private citizens.

While, at first glance, this may seem like a reasonable approach, the consequences of such a proposal could have disastrous effects across a spectrum of issues – from the ability of local citizens to address environmental or human rights and fair housing issues to making housing even less affordable by undermining the protections in Prop 13 – a measure that protects homeowners from over taxation.

Here is why C.A.R. OPPOSES ACA 13:

It could make buying and owning a home even more expensive by eroding Proposition 13 protections. ACA 13 seeks to undo protections enacted by Proposition 13 which established a 2/3 vote requirement for local governments increase various taxes on homeowners. The passage of ACA 13 will only make it more difficult for homeowners to protect their homes from unfair taxation.

It will undermine the voice of California’s voters. The legislature shouldn’t be attempting to change the rules just to avoid an outcome with which it might disagree.

ACA 13 will further keep working families from being able to purchase a home. On August 15, KTLA reported that California’s housing affordability “hit a 16-year low in the second quarter of 2023.” Increasing property taxes will make it even more difficult for first-time buyers to make the leap from renting to homeownership. California’s growing diverse population continues to face uphill battles in buying a home and grow family savings, which is THE fundamental step needed to close the state’s wealth gap.