Is Touching the 'Third Rail of State Politics' the Key to CA's Future?

Dowell Myers pens an opinion piece for The Sacramento Bee arguing that it's time to reform California's infamous property tax cap - Proposition 13 - in order to solve the challenges facing the state today, and in the future.

1 minute read

July 18, 2012, 8:00 AM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


Kicking off a spirited debate, Myers argues that the problems that led to the passage of the Proposition 13 in 1978, while real a generation ago, are no longer relevant, as the state faces, "The deep effects of the Great Recession, our housing crash and some
major swings in demographics have thrown our old narratives in sharp
relief."

For Myers, rather than guarding against explosive, runaway house prices driven by waves of newcomers, Prop 13 unfairly burdens the state's native sons and daughters. He suggests a renewed debate about the aims and means of Proposition 13 based on a "new narrative" that acknowledges, "the challenge of reviving the state's housing market and finding a reliable revenue source for freeways, schools and other public services."

Sunday, July 15, 2012 in The Sacramento Bee

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