Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has offered political cover to Governor Brown and other state lawmakers, as he offered to spearhead a compromise that would reform Proposition 13 while overhauling public pensions and funding for K-12 schools.

The Mayor said that the current tax structure was hurting California by limiting funding options, and that in order to address the politically tricky subject people from across the spectrum would need to come together in a ‘grand bargain.’

This isn’t the first time that a commission has been called for to address the state’s tax structure, Governor Schwarzenegger did so while he was in office, but the commission and its proposals never took hold. This time around, it remains to be seen how the commission will operate. However, limited government advocates and labor-backed groups are both digging in for battle.

As the Associated Press says, “Any major changes will be daunting.”

From the Associated Press:

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Tuesday challenged Gov. Jerry Brown and state lawmakers to think boldly in repairing California’s finances and pursue a “grand bargain” that would link property tax reforms to an overhaul of public pensions and K-12 schools.

The Democratic mayor said he was willing to provide political cover to the governor and lawmakers by suggesting changes to Proposition 13, the 1978 ballot initiative that rolled back property taxes and capped their increases. A pillar of California’s direct democracy, the initiative is seen as untouchable in the state because it so popular with the electorate.

Read the full article here.