Over 200 California cities formally oppose the 'Taxpayer Deception Act’

By Kristine Guerrero, regional public affairs manager, Los Angeles County

Over a third of all cities — from urban and rural, coastal and inland — have officially opposed the Taxpayer Protection and Accountability Act, or what opponents are calling the Taxpayer Deception Act.

Sponsored by wealthy corporations under the umbrella of the California Business Roundtable, the ballot measure would make it harder for voters and their elected representatives to raise funding for government services — from emergency services to road maintenance.

Explaining Long Beach’s opposition to the measure, Mayor Rex Richardson says the initiative would negatively impact several of his city’s core services: public safety, water and sanitation, public health, parks, libraries, affordable housing, and homelessness prevention.

“In a time when cities are struggling to fund critical services, this initiative would hinder local governments’ ability to serve residents and would cost taxpayers millions in frivolous lawsuits — while significantly delaying and stopping investments in infrastructure and vital services,” Richardson said.

Many cities have also expressed concerns about the measure’s retroactive provision. Under the measure, any taxes or fees passed since Jan. 1, 2022, would need to comply with the new rules. If they did not, they become void unless they are reenacted or readopted in compliance with the new rules within 12 months of the measure going into effect.

Cal Cities estimates that approximately $2 billion in existing fees and charges, along with $2 billion in voter-approved measures, will be subject to legal peril if the measure passes.

In 2022, the small city of Rio Dell passed a revenue generating measure that was used to improve the city’s Pavement Condition Index — a measure of a road’s quality — by 25%. The tax revenue was also used to nearly double the number of positions in the city’s police department.

“Rio Dell is a small, rural city in an economically disadvantaged area of Northern California, and I can unreservedly say the Taxpayer Deception Act would be devastating,” Rio Dell Mayor Debra Garnes said while explaining the city’s opposition. “Not only would the Taxpayer Deception Act be a loser for public safety, but it would also mean we could no longer proactively fund street maintenance, leading to even higher costs for future taxpayers.

“Local communities need to retain local control to support the priorities of each individual community. The Taxpayer Deception Act places a blanket restraint on all of our local governments with dire and immediate consequences for many of us.”