Skip to main content

Two Tax Measures Making Steady Progress Toward November Ballot

Support Provided By
jerry-b
Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown speaks to reporters about his proposed budget in January 2011. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Two tax initiatives aiming for the November ballot hit key milestones this week, and they're not exactly complementary.

A plan backed by Gov. Jerry Brown would raise income taxes for Californians who make more than $250,000 a year and also temporarily boost the sales tax. A top adviser to that campaign said they now have enough signatures to qualify, according to ABC News10.

Meanwhile, civil rights attorney Molly Munger has been pushing a plan that would hike the income tax on all but the poorest Californians. Munger argues her plan is better for education, setting aside an estimated $10 billion for schools and early childhood development programs. Her campaign announced Wednesday that it is submitting some 240,000 signatures to Los Angeles County elections officials, according to Capitol Alert. That's nearly half the required 504,000 that would qualify the measure for the November ballot.

These two measures would bring the likely total to eight ballot measures for the general election, News10 reported. However, only five have officially qualified as of this week, according to the California Secretary of State. They include:

  • changes to the law that would allow auto insurance companies to set prices based on a driver's history of insurance coverage
  • a repeal of the death penalty
  • changes prohibiting political contributions by paycheck deductions
  • a challenge to the newly drawn state Senate districts
  • the Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2012
Support Provided By
Read More
A row of cows stands in individual cages along a line of light-colored enclosures, placed along a dirt path under a blue sky dotted with white puffy clouds.

A Battle Is Underway Over California’s Lucrative Dairy Biogas Market

California is considering changes to a program that has incentivized dairy biogas, to transform methane emissions into a source of natural gas. Neighbors are pushing for an end to the subsidies because of its impact on air quality and possible water pollution.
A Black woman with long, black brains wears a black Chicago Bulls windbreaker jacket with red and white stripes as she stands at the top of a short staircase in a housing complex and rests her left hand on the metal railing. She smiles slightly while looking directly at the camera.

Los Angeles County Is Testing AI's Ability To Prevent Homelessness

In order to prevent people from becoming homeless before it happens, Los Angeles County officials are using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to predict who in the county is most likely to lose their housing. They would then step in to help those people with their rent, utility bills, car payments and more so they don't become unhoused.
blue themed graphic including electric vehicles are charging stations, wind turbines and trees, 2023 in reference to year

A Look Back at Climate Solutions In 2023

The U.S. may have a long way to go in its decarbonization goals, but these stories show signs of progress in climate solutions.