Under the agreement, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association has agreed to withdraw its ballot initiative (the Local Taxpayer Protection Act) in exchange for the Legislature placing a new constitutional amendment on the November ballot. That amendment, ACA 22, would require a two-thirds vote to impose, extend, or increase any local special tax beginning January 1, 2027, explicitly covering both government-placed measures and citizen-initiated campaigns.
What this means for schools and colleges going forward. The Upland loophole closes. Since a 2017 California Supreme Court decision, citizen-organized campaigns have been able to pass local special taxes, including school and college parcel taxes, with a simple majority. If ACA 22 is approved by voters in November, starting in 2027, that path would be gone. All special tax measures would need two-thirds voter support.
Note that local school bonds are not special taxes and are not impacted by these ballot measures or the agreement.
What it protects. The new constitutional language is prospective only. Voter-approved revenues already authorized under the majority-vote standard would be preserved. The Howard Jarvis-backed initiative would have retroactively invalidated those revenues. This deal eliminates that risk.
Also significant: ACA 13, the legislative countermeasure already on the November ballot, will also be removed under the deal. ACA 13 would have required the new constitutional amendment to itself pass by two-thirds, making passage much harder. Its removal means the new measure would go to voters needing only a simple majority, substantially improving its odds of passage.
We’ll provide a full summary of measures headed to the November ballot, in the meantime please reach out if we can provide any additional information.
Take care,
-Barrett
Barrett Snider
Partner | Capitol Advisors Group