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California Supreme Court strikes down citizen’s ballot initiative

June 20, 2024

Gov. Gavin Newsom

Opinion by California Senate Republicans

Today, the California Supreme Court struck down a ballot initiative that would limit the government’s ability to raise taxes without public approval. In a nearly unprecedented move, California’s highest court – stacked with Democrat-appointed justices – sided with a group of Democrat lawmakers and Governor Gavin Newsom who requested they interfere in the ballot initiative process and remove the initiative, which would have limited their currently broad taxing power.

The measure, titled the “Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act,” (TPA), collected over one million signatures from Californians and was set to appear on the November 2024 ballot prior to today’s ruling. The ballot measure would have required the public to vote to approve any new taxes sought by the legislature or governor.

“Today’s ruling is a slap in the face to California citizens as these partisan justices are not only interfering in the initiative process put in place to protect the people’s right to be heard in our democracy, but they’re doing it at the request of the very people who want to raise our taxes time and time again,” said Senator Brian Dahle (R-Bieber).

“I’m disgusted. The court has failed in its duty to the people of California and our democratic system and instead simply caved to pressure from the governor and legislative Democrats,” said Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego). “The state’s highest court is supposed to be a nonpartisan, independent branch of government.

Democrat lawmakers and the governor retained private lawyers to fight on their behalf against this citizen’s initiative, spending tens of thousands on legal fees from already depleted state tax coffers currently estimated at $62 billion in the red.

“Using taxpayer dollars to fight taxpayer protections is a reprehensible maneuver that has no place in our democratic process,” said Dahle. “It’s truly a sad day for California when our leaders are using partisan politics and taxpayer dollars to strong-arm the courts to remove citizens’ initiatives from the ballot that they don’t like.”

Proponents of the TPA initiative are left with little hope for relief as any subsequent litigation on the issue would likely not be resolved by the June 27 deadline for initiatives to make the November ballot.

Senator Brian W. Jones represents the 40th Senate District which includes the cities of Escondido, Poway, San Marcos, Santee, San Diego City communities of Carmel Mountain Ranch, Mira Mesa, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Peñasquitos, Scripps Ranch, Sorrento Valley, and University City, along with the San Diego County unincorporated communities of 4S Ranch, Alpine, Bonsall, Fallbrook, Lakeside, Pine Valley, Rainbow, Ramona, and Valley Center.

Senator Brian Dahle represents California’s 1st Senate District, which contains all or portions of 15 counties, including Alpine, El Dorado, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Sierra, Siskiyou, and Shasta. Also serving deferred areas of Tehama, Butte, Colusa, and Glenn counties. 

 


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The audacity of California citizens requesting accountability from state and local government.


52

People show their displeasure by voting. Apparently the majority of those that actually vote are happy with the state’s direction.


No matter how upsetting the left may make me, I can’t back the right and their insane clinging to Trump et al. How about getting the right get their head out of their backsides and start putting forth sane policies?


-27

I don’t know, Nun…my family was a lot better off four years ago by quite a bit. And really, parties and personalities aside….just look at the policy here…we don’t get to vote on whether or not CA can raise our taxes anymore.


28

One more reason to recall Governor Newsom.


60

The same people called on to honor a recall petition, just shot down a citizen initiative…


30

I mean…if anyone can put party politics aside…how much more can Californians take?


12

Hold on to your pocket book…


51

I expected no less from them.


52

Of all those who have jumped ship, leaving California, how many have retired with a government pension? What a deal, a convincing argument for higher pay and pension then retire where you can get the biggest bang for the buck. As easy as raising taxes which the courts obviously will guarantee and with no conflict of interest even though they get paid from the same trough. Then there are those who claim to protect Prop 13 while passing Prop 19? Can you imagine why California, a Democratic State, has had a democratic process over-ruled? Just check the payroll for those having anything to do with manage water in California for an example.


32

That’s me! I retired from the DoD after 26 years, and receive as my fantastically bloated retirement package, the grand sum of $720 a month!


I am swimming in the dough…right?


-3

Federal pensions are another matter. CSRS was definitely part of the problem but the feds were evidently smart enough to get rid of it. You are apparently on FERS.


3

That’s part of it, but- it’s mainly the 62-ish billion in debt the state is in. This happened today, so we will see Newsom raise taxes (unfettered by voters this time). He will then claim he reduced the deficit.


17

Are these the same people that are constantly accusing the right of trying to destroy democracy?


65

Hey, these people don’t represent our area, why is this even here?


BS is why.


-65

They represent ALL citizens of the state. Doesn’t matter where they live or were voted into office. And that’s no BS…


29

He’s the rep who wrote the op-ed notice to let us know what happened in the entire state.


10

Government is out of control and the latest Court ruling, at the behest of the ruling class, shows that those in power are more interested in themselves than have any interest in the populous they allegedly represent. Why the Court made the decision they made instead of letting the measure stand before the voters – it may or not have been successful. Instead of putting forth arguments against the measure, Newsom and the Democrats decided that the will of the public was not welcome.


80

Their also trying to force a prop 47 amendment to be removed from the ballot. Something voters voted for and should have the right to vote to amend if voters so choose.


https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbsnews.com/amp/sacramento/news/leaked-email-governor-refused-to-negotiate-with-das/


44

In favor of raising taxes or not, this is exactly how our government is designed to work. Our elected officials are sent to sacramento to legislate for us. We elect them to make these decisions on our behalf. For a simple majority vote to make decisions you would have mob rule. Republicans only like mob rule when it suits them.


-103

”Newsom and legislative leaders sued last fall to stop the measure, arguing that it amounts to an illegal attempt to revise the California Constitution and would impair essential government functions.


In a UNANIMOUS decision, the Supreme Court agreed, ordering Secretary of State Shirley Weber to refrain from taking any steps to place the initiative on the Nov. 5 ballot.


The proposed changes “are within the electorate’s prerogative to enact,” Justice Goodwin Liu wrote, “but because those changes would substantially alter our basic plan of government, the proposal cannot be enacted by initiative.”-”


Weird the right leaves this out?


-42

We didn’t leave it out. That’s the whole idea behind the initiative!


“..but because those changes would substantially alter our basic plan of government, the proposal cannot be enacted by initiative.”


Apparently, the “basic plan” is from Marx’s book…


32

Is denying a million signatures and 62 billion in the hole part of what plan?


14

It’s part of the plan to raise taxes without voter input to decrease the state’s enormous debt. That’s clear…or else we’d be able to vote on it.


10

This is literally why we aren’t British.


“when it suits them.”…I’m stuck on that because we just saw that everyone (no matter your party) just had their ability to vote on tax increases taken away, so now we don’t get a say. Be left or right…that’s not ok in a constitutional republic bolstered by democracy.


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