This new State ballot initiative seeks to provide additional protection to local government revenues collected by the State.
While efforts are still underway to qualify the measure for the statewide November ballot, City officials are hopeful that approval of this ballot initiative would close loopholes and change the Constitution to further prevent the State from interfering with tax revenues designed for and dedicated to funding local government services, including redevelopment, street improvement projects and mass transit.
Goleta Mayor Eric Onnen commented that “while it is unfortunate that a ballot measure such as this is even necessary, support for it becomes critical in order to protect local revenues from what has become a regular and on-going raid by the State of California of local funds.”
Specifically, the proposed measure repeals State authority to borrow local property tax revenues, prohibits the reallocation of a city’s share of property or vehicle license fee revenues for State mandates, prohibits the taking or borrowing of Public Transit Account or Proposition 42 Gas Tax revenues, and prevents the taking or borrowing of Redevelopment Agency funds, and it allows that a court can force repayment by the State through their continuous appropriations to local jurisdictions.
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