Effects of Proposition 13
The current drought was about the only thing not blamed on Proposition 13.
A few weeks ago The Times called our Legislature a “monster Legislature.” Our lawmakers have consistently demonstrated a formidable degree of incompetence, and it would be great folly for Californians to opt for additional taxes until we see a cohesive program on how such funds would be spent, why we cannot make do with existing revenues, and have clear evidence that our Legislature knows the difference between public service and self-service.
Some of the recent high points of our Legislature concern the inordinate amount of time wasted on Rep. Dan Lungren’s nomination for treasurer, the continuing “gang of five” comedy in the state Assembly and Sacramento’s pathetic inability to provide automobile insurance reform.
Whatever the evils of Proposition 13 have been, this initiative finally brought the electorate into the picture by mandating taxpayer approval for most types of additional taxes. The linchpin of The Times argument against Proposition 13 seems to be that voter approval of additional taxes is cumbersome. This seems a small price to pay to curb the evils that led up to the tax revolt of 10 years ago.
MICHAEL A. SCOTT
Glendora
Get the L.A. Times Politics newsletter
Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond. In your inbox three times per week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
