Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

3 days ago

Trump Says He’s Willing to Let Migrant Farm Laborers Stay in US

3 days ago

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

4 days ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

4 days ago

Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Wins Congressional Approval

4 days ago

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

4 days ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

4 days ago

Nvidia Set to Become the World’s Most Valuable Company in History

4 days ago

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

4 days ago
Poll Confirms Californians’ Sour Mood on Higher Taxes
dan_walters
By Dan Walters, CalMatters Commentary
Published 5 years ago on
November 24, 2020

Share

Proposition 15 would have been the largest tax increase in California history and its defeat this month was, by any definition, a huge setback for its sponsors, primarily public employee unions.

They had been yearning for decades to crack Proposition 13, the 1978 ballot measure that limits property taxes, and convinced themselves that singling out commercial property for new taxes would be a winner, especially in a high turnout presidential election.

Dan Walters

Opinion

After Proposition 15 was defeated, its advocates tried to place a positive spin on the outcome, hinting that they would try again to persuade voters to pass new taxes of some kind on someone or something. However, the notion that Californians really want to raise taxes was destroyed last week in a new poll from the UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies.

The poll, conducted just before the election, found that by 53% to 19%, voters still support Proposition 13, which explains, in large measure, why Proposition 15 failed so badly. The opposition campaign’s own polling obviously found the same sentiment and used it effectively to warn voters that its passage would be only the first step toward repealing the 42-year-old property tax limit.

Thus, while California voters gave Democrat Joe Biden a nearly 2-to-1 victory over Republican President Donald Trump, they were also disinclined to accept pleas from other Democratic politicians, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, for higher taxes.

Proposition 15’s Defeat and the UC Berkeley Poll Are Huge Headwinds

More importantly, voters’ sour attitude about taxation isn’t confined to Proposition 13 and property taxes.

“In addition, the poll found that an historically large proportion of voters (81%) now feels the level of state and local taxes paid by the average Californian is high, while just 19% consider taxes in the state to below or about right,” poll director Mark DiCamillo said in his analysis.

“In previous statewide surveys dating back to 1977, the only other times that greater than three in four voters described the level of state and local taxes as being high were in 1982 and 1991, both years in which the state was experiencing an economic downturn. By a nearly 5-to-1 margin (78% to 16%) voters also agreed that taxes in California were already so high that they were driving many people and businesses out of the state.”

Proposition 15’s defeat and the UC Berkeley poll are huge headwinds for those who earnestly believe that Californians’ tax burden, one of the nation’s highest as a percentage of personal income, should be increased. Additionally, when he endorsed Proposition 15, Newsom specifically rejected an income tax hike. And last week’s unexpected projection of a $26 billion state revenue windfall undercuts pro-tax increase advocates even more.

If Californians Believe Their Taxes Are Already Being Misused, They’ll Never Be Inclined to Shoulder More

The UC Berkeley Poll didn’t probe further into why voters believe taxes are too high, but a contributing factor may be the seemingly endless reports of official incompetence.

The managerial debacles at the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Employment Development Department are spectacular examples, but certainly not the only ones.

Just last week, the state auditor, Elaine Howle, issued a report that said lack of coordination between the state’s four housing agencies and other administrative failures had squandered $2.7 billion in funds meant to build affordable housing.

Two days later, she issued another report that added to the employment department’s image as an agency that is failing to provide timely benefits to millions of unemployed workers. The new report said that despite warnings, the department is still putting Social Security numbers on communications with clients, putting them at risk of fraud.

If Californians believe their taxes are already being misused, they’ll never be inclined to shoulder more.

[activecampaign form=19]

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Trump Executive Order Seeks End to Wind and Solar Energy Subsidies

DON'T MISS

US Threatens California With Legal Action Over Transgender Sports Law

DON'T MISS

US Veterans Affairs Will Cut Nearly 30,000 Jobs, Far Fewer Than Planned

DON'T MISS

Houston Astros Donate $1M to Help Recovery From Texas Floods

DON'T MISS

Tucker Carlson Aired Interview With President of Iran

DON'T MISS

California Fails to Stop 23andMe Founder From Re-Acquiring Company

DON'T MISS

Madera County Multi-Agency Effort Leads to Arrest of Felony Suspect in Atwater

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Arrest DUI Driver During Crackdown on Illegal Street Racing and Sideshows

DON'T MISS

July 4 Weekend Was No Picnic for Fresno-Area Firefighters. How Bad Did It Get?

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Seizes 300 Pounds of Illegal Fireworks Over Fourth of July

UP NEXT

US Threatens California With Legal Action Over Transgender Sports Law

UP NEXT

US Veterans Affairs Will Cut Nearly 30,000 Jobs, Far Fewer Than Planned

UP NEXT

Houston Astros Donate $1M to Help Recovery From Texas Floods

UP NEXT

Tucker Carlson Aired Interview With President of Iran

UP NEXT

California Fails to Stop 23andMe Founder From Re-Acquiring Company

UP NEXT

Madera County Multi-Agency Effort Leads to Arrest of Felony Suspect in Atwater

UP NEXT

Fresno Police Arrest DUI Driver During Crackdown on Illegal Street Racing and Sideshows

UP NEXT

July 4 Weekend Was No Picnic for Fresno-Area Firefighters. How Bad Did It Get?

UP NEXT

Tulare County Seizes 300 Pounds of Illegal Fireworks Over Fourth of July

UP NEXT

US Proposes Rules That Could Boost Oil, Gas Output in US West

Houston Astros Donate $1M to Help Recovery From Texas Floods

1 hour ago

Tucker Carlson Aired Interview With President of Iran

1 hour ago

California Fails to Stop 23andMe Founder From Re-Acquiring Company

1 hour ago

Madera County Multi-Agency Effort Leads to Arrest of Felony Suspect in Atwater

1 hour ago

Fresno Police Arrest DUI Driver During Crackdown on Illegal Street Racing and Sideshows

1 hour ago

July 4 Weekend Was No Picnic for Fresno-Area Firefighters. How Bad Did It Get?

3 hours ago

Tulare County Seizes 300 Pounds of Illegal Fireworks Over Fourth of July

3 hours ago

US Proposes Rules That Could Boost Oil, Gas Output in US West

3 hours ago

Trump Administration Acknowledges Lack of Evidence From Epstein Documents

4 hours ago

Dollar Rises After Trump Announces Japan, South Korea Tariffs

4 hours ago

Trump Executive Order Seeks End to Wind and Solar Energy Subsidies

President Donald Trump on Monday directed federal agencies to strengthen provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that repeal or modify ...

26 minutes ago

A wind farm is shown in Movave, California, U.S., November 8, 2019. (Reuter File)
26 minutes ago

Trump Executive Order Seeks End to Wind and Solar Energy Subsidies

U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon testifies before a Senate Appropriations hearing on U.S. President Donald Trump's budget request for the Department of Education, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 3, 2025. (Reuters File)
48 minutes ago

US Threatens California With Legal Action Over Transgender Sports Law

United States Department of Veterans Affairs logo and U.S. flag are seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. (Reuters File)
1 hour ago

US Veterans Affairs Will Cut Nearly 30,000 Jobs, Far Fewer Than Planned

A group of search and rescue workers paddle a boat in the Guadalupe River in the aftermath of deadly flooding in Kerr County, Texas, U.S., July 7, 2025. (Reuters/Sergio Flores)
1 hour ago

Houston Astros Donate $1M to Help Recovery From Texas Floods

1 hour ago

Tucker Carlson Aired Interview With President of Iran

Attendees visit the 23andMe booth at the RootsTech annual genealogical event in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S., February 28, 2019. (Reuters File)
1 hour ago

California Fails to Stop 23andMe Founder From Re-Acquiring Company

Jose Efrain Guardado, 32, was arrested Thursday, July 3, 2025, at an Atwater Walmart after repeatedly evading law enforcement and now faces multiple felony charges. (Madera County SO)
1 hour ago

Madera County Multi-Agency Effort Leads to Arrest of Felony Suspect in Atwater

Fresno police impounded seven vehicles and issued 35 citations during a Sunday, July 6, 2025, night crackdown on illegal street racing and sideshows. (Fresno PD)
1 hour ago

Fresno Police Arrest DUI Driver During Crackdown on Illegal Street Racing and Sideshows

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend