The passage of Propositions 30 and 39 snapped a seven-measure winning streak for the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. But President Jon Coupal says that doesn't mean the attitudes of California voters are changing when it comes to taxes.
Coupal: "As Mark Twain said, the
reports of my death are greatly exaggerated. So the
suggestion that the tax revolt is somehow dead or mortally wounded,
I think, is greatly exaggerated."
Coupal credits several factors as helping Prop 30 across the finish line: Governor Jerry Brown's relentless sales pitch, the temporary nature of the tax increases and an election with heavy Democratic voter turnout.
He's not alone in drawing that conclusion. Democratic consultant Jason Kinney:
Kinney: "Any elected official that
views this as opening up the floodgates for new revenue increases
across the state is looking at this the wrong way."
Kinney says voters are fed up with California's persistent budget deficits. They typically don't trust the state to manage its money, but this time, they're willing to give it a shot.
Kinney: "It's not a complete
circle of trust. It's more trust-but-verify."
And both warn against any effort to overhaul California's landmark 1978 property tax measure, Proposition 13. Here's Kinney, then Coupal:
Kinney: "It's viewed as a third
rail political issue - maybe the third rail political issue in
California. You touch it, you get electrocuted and you
die."
Coupal: "You've got to be careful
before touching the third rail. You've got to see if the
third rail is still live."
As for the 70-percent success rate of local tax and bond measures, Kinney and Coupal agree that's consistent with previous years. Voters simply have more faith in their local elected officials than they have in the state.