Editorial: Corporations keep trying to throw out progressive California laws. Do we need reforms?
There’s a lot to go through in the new draft legislation, SB 827, that would eliminate laborious and costly reviews of “no-action” ballot measures by the state Board of Equalization, which has led to a slew of ballot measures that have been struck down by voters.
SB 827 would create the State Board of Equalization (SB) and eliminate the California Department of Finance’s role in the election of taxing authority and the review of “no-action” ballot measures. The current Board oversees the State Fair Shares tax, and the CalPERS pension fund, and both have been successfully contested by progressive groups fighting for public education funding, access to healthcare, clean water, and other crucial issues.
The new bill would bring some reform to the review of ballot measures, but it also significantly changes the role of the State Controller’s Office, which was the agency that made the determination to initiate the review of “no-action” measures. Under the new law, the State Controller could still initiate the review when the measure would be deemed unconstitutional or otherwise illegal, but only after first presenting a proposed solution to the Board.
The bill would also establish the requirement that the State Controller present to the Board a fiscal and fiscal impact analysis, and a proposed solution, which would be presented at the close of the public comment period. The final Board’s recommendation would be made within 60 days after the close of public comment.
The California Taxpayer’s Association (CTA) and the Californians for a Healthy California (CaHealth) are working in opposition to the bill, which they say would open the door to the initiation of reviews of other initiatives that would pass the 60-vote threshold to be placed on the ballot.
The CTA President, Jeff Kagan, told me in an
