Governor Newsom Petitions the California Supreme Court to Reject the California Taxpayer Protection Initiative

The California Taxpayer Protection Initiative has been duly qualified, has a title and is ready to be on the November ballot, but Newsom is attempting to block it from the ballot by seeking an emergency injunction from the liberal-dominated California Supreme Court to prohibit voters from even voting on it. 

Let’s hope this effort fails like other election interference efforts in other states that have not survived the rulings of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Any court ruling that deprives citizens of a right to vote on a duly-qualified initiative violates the constitutional rights of California voters and destroys the California initiative process that has been followed to the letter of the law by the initiative proponents.

The California initiative process gives citizens the clear and simple right to place measures on the ballot following a rigorous process. It is not a simple task to bring an initiative forward. This initiative required one million signatures statewide to qualify. The wording was carefully developed to be clear and understandable. All requirements were met. The governor and his Democrat colleagues should not have the right to obliterate the citizens’ ability to bring initiatives forward when they can protect so many from overly zealous lawmakers. This powerful tax reform can’t wait or rely on California lawmakers to bring it forward and that is why citizens in California have taken action only to be stymied by the Governor and possibly liberal California courts. 

There are three competing tax initiatives that could possibly be on the November Ballot but only the California Taxpayer Protection Initiative is being challenged. The other two initiatives, proposed by Democrats, are detrimental to taxpayers.

This is what they are worried about: The California Taxpayer Protection Initiative will restore Prop 13’s voter approval requirements for tax hikes, requires honest ballot titles and limits the ability of voters and state and local governments to raise revenues for government services.

It also eliminates Prop 13 loopholes, restores the 2/3 vote requirement on special taxes, and mandates ballot titles that use “tax increase” when measures contain tax hikes. 

We remain concerned that the ballot title will be dishonest and misleading to voters. And, one of the initiatives Newsom supports actually blocks the California Tax protection Initiative and increases the number of votes required for approval from a majority to a super-majority. This is an unfair assertion of power over the voters and interferes with the voting process.

Newsom’s contention is that the California Taxpayer Protection Initiative contains so many powerful reforms and changes that it constitutes an unlawful ”revision” of the state constitution. He states that it is so broad in scope that it would require a state constitutional convention. He also objects to one of its precepts to limit politicians’ ability to easily raise taxes claiming it would impair essential government functions. That’s just the point – We the People should be able to act outside egregious actions by politicians.

Proposition 13 in 1978, Proposition 218 in 1988 and Proposition 26 in 2010 are good examples of citizen initiatives that have made changes similar in nature to those contained in the California Taxpayer Protection Initiative. They are not mass revisions but simply seek to refine and clarify requirements of existing state constitutional provisions related to taxation, in essence similar to these successful initiatives. 

Newsom claims that politicians would run out of money if they can’t raise taxes. This is a constraint California citizens should have – reigning in government taxation can help our beleaguered small businesses that are overburdened with taxes and fees.

The reality that no local elected official will admit, is that there is more than enough money to fulfill their duties for providing essential government services. But, in their zeal, they have gone far beyond essential government services to create unnecessary government programs that are more appropriate to be provided by the private sector and should not be government obligations. Maybe it is time to strip out these non-essential services.

There is no challenge to the integrity of the state constitution by the California Taxpayer Protection Initiative. The only harm that can come to the state constitution is if the Court grants the petition to remove this important taxpayer protection initiative from the November ballot.

The state Supreme Court is expected to take up this case and rule before June 30, 2024 which is the deadline for initiatives to be placed on the November 2024 ballot.

Fran Freedle

530 268-1280