SACRAMENTO, CA – Yesterday, all 11 Southern California News Group newspapers published an editorial opposing California Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s biased title and summary for the split-roll measure, noting that Becerra’s action gives the proponents an unfair advantage at passing their $12.5 billion-a-year property tax increase. The measure just received its title and summary last week and is now cleared to begin signature gathering for the November 3, 2020 ballot.
“It’s the most disreputable ballot description we’ve seen,” the editorial board said.
“The ‘split roll’ initiative, which would split commercial properties away from Proposition 13’s property-tax protections, is a tax increase. No reasonable observer could come to another conclusion. Yet Becerra’s official title doesn’t mention that point…”
“The attorney general knows voters tend to oppose tax hikes, but they might figure that changing an assessment is benign. His summary isn’t any better. It points to an increase in tax “revenues,” but doesn’t fairly describe where those revenues come from. It reads as if backers wrote it themselves, which isn’t surprising given Becerra’s close connection with public-sector unions.”
“Ballot fights ought to play themselves out in the political arena. When it comes to writing these summaries, attorneys general are supposed to behave more like referees than interested players. When AGs such as Becerra betray public trust this way, they erode faith in our democracy as people realize they those in charge rig the rules to help their friends. It really is shameful.”
Read the editorial, “Xavier Becerra rigs ballot with biased split roll summary” on the Daily News’ website.