Story about Prop 13 and tax cuts

[bluestateguy]

This was the mandatory property tax cut enacted by voters in 1978.

The pro-13 side campaigned for the initiative to renters, arguing that if landlords had to pay lower property taxes, they would pass the savings down to renters in the form of lower rents.

Well Prop 13 passed by a big margin, and by all accounts got a lot of votes from lower income renters, who were persuaded by these arguments.

A relative of mine was one of these renters. His rent was raised anyway. His landlord simply pocketed the tax savings for himself. When he asked for his rent to be lowered due to Prop 13, he was told that if he didn't like living there he could leave. Problem is, there was no evidence in his town that any of the apartment owners reduced rents. They chose to pocket the tax savings for themselves.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

1. The biggie was Prop 4, not Prop 13

It limited the top line for Government at all levels and passed by an even wider margin

[Cleita]

2. Not only that it drove up property values and buyers

were coming in from all over the world and investing in our properties to the point where ordinary Americans could no longer afford to become home owners. Also, there was a big push to build condos on properties that once held single family homes and apartment owners started to convert their units to condos. Many, who were renters, were forced to buy their apartments or had to move. The apartment owners pocketed the windfall of profits in selling each unit individually with condo conversion in contrast to selling the whole building. Prop 13 not only created homelessness as we know it today because all the hospitals and shelters that housed people who couldn't take care of themselves had to turn them out into the street, because there was no more funding and it changed the way people could afford shelter forever.

[KT2000]

3. Washington is following

in California's footsteps through an initiative promoter. They promise all kinds of things to get people to vote for the initiative and people are always eager to get something for free.

[left is right]

4. I had moved from a small Midwest town to SanDiego just prior to the passing of Prop 13

I had no dog in that fight and had not got around to registering to vote. I was absolutely dismayed that it had such an effect on summer school. Back in my hometown, I had taken at least one class each summer for each year of high school starting the summer between the 8th and 9th grade year. Would have taken one the summer after graduation had they let me. The summer after Prop 13, at least in San Diego, the school board discontinued all summer school.