California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph. D., Announces that a Proposed Initiative Has Entered Circulation Limits Ability of Voters to Raise Revenues for Local Government Services. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.
Sacramento, Calif. – California
Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph. D., announced that the
proponent of a new initiative was cleared to begin collecting petition
signatures on July 16, 2025. The
Attorney General prepares the legal title and summary that is required
to appear on initiative petitions. When the official language is
complete, the Attorney General forwards it to the proponent and to the
Secretary of State, and the initiative may be circulated for
signatures. The Secretary of State then provides a calendar of
deadlines to the proponent and to county elections officials. The
Attorney General’s official title and summary for the measure is as
follows:
LIMITS ABILITY OF VOTERS TO RAISE REVENUES FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. Limits
voters’ ability to pass voter-proposed local special taxes by raising
the vote approval threshold requirement for such ballot measures from a
simple majority (over 50%) to two-thirds. In charter cities, prohibits
voters from approving real estate transfer taxes that exceed the rate
specified in Revenue and Taxation Code section 11911 (0.11%). Overturns
all existing voter-approved property-related taxes that do not comply
with these requirements two years after the measure is enacted. Summary
of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal
impact on state and local governments: Annual
loss of revenues to local governments totaling up to a couple of
billion dollars, predominantly affecting certain charter cities.
Potential future reduction in what local governments would otherwise
collect in revenues due to a higher vote threshold for certain taxes,
limits on tax rates, and fewer types of taxes that local governments
can adopt. (25-0005A1.)
The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is 1982 and the Attorney General's tracking number is 25-0005A1.
The
proponent of the measure, Jon Coupal, must collect signatures of
874,641 registered voters (eight percent of the total votes cast for
governor in the November 2022 general election) in order for the
measure to become eligible for the ballot. The proponent has 180 days
to circulate petitions for the measure, meaning the signatures must be
submitted to county elections officials no later than January 12, 2026.
The address for the proponent is 921 11th Street, Ste. 1201,
Sacramento, CA 95814.
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