Raise Taxes Now
June 22, 2018 12:35 PM Subscribe
What organizations are working on raising taxes in the state of California?
I am wondering what organizations are trying to work on raising taxes here? The more I think about what could meaningfully improve things in my state - housing, healthcare, schools, the more the answer for me is, people need to pay for shit or else we can't have it. Who is actually working on this very unpopular idea? I want to join them.
(Not interested in raising federal taxes given war spending and our current administration.)
I am wondering what organizations are trying to work on raising taxes here? The more I think about what could meaningfully improve things in my state - housing, healthcare, schools, the more the answer for me is, people need to pay for shit or else we can't have it. Who is actually working on this very unpopular idea? I want to join them.
(Not interested in raising federal taxes given war spending and our current administration.)
Do county and local measures count? Numerous ballot measures to increase taxes passed in your location in the last two elections. You could look into who was behind your favorites by googling things like "Measure K supporters." (Or whatever letter; I can't remember if there was a Measure K.)
posted by salvia at 2:18 PM on June 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by salvia at 2:18 PM on June 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Yeah, I have campaigned for some county bond measures before, but part of what I think is so bonkers in our current system is we pile on bond after bond so we don't have to admit we're actually charging taxes. Statewide taxes have the benefit of assisting people in anti-bond and lower income regions too... So I guess I am specifically looking toward statewide efforts.
posted by latkes at 2:38 PM on June 22, 2018
posted by latkes at 2:38 PM on June 22, 2018
Hey, Latkes, you might consider reading some California history to provide a perspective on tax issues and the Governors Brown.
Pat Brown, Jerry Brown's father, hosted a platform based on civic investments in California infrastructure and education funded by property taxes. Brown's plan funded things like the Muscatine Report on Higher Education that led to smaller class sizes and funding for students who couldn't traditionally afford education. The focus on education has made California a powerhouse of innovation and provided a top notch employment pool.
Unfortunately the proposition movement, Proposition 13, for example, drastically changed that funding source. Jerry Brown, Governor Moonbeam, has weathered years of tax revolt and the desire to provide civic solutions to California's growing pains with mixed results.
Jerry Brown rejected then embraced Prop 13, which angered his base. For his next term after Schwarzenegger, he simply asked the public for a tax increase directly, confident that his base would provide it, and they voted for it. Brown was confident that most voting Californians realize the value of raising taxes to fix civic issues; the property wealthy don't want to, and the burden has been shifted to the larger public. I'm drastically oversimplifying for the sake of brevity.
To understand the platform of both Edmund Brown and his son Jerry Brown is to understand a lot about the long term history and direction of California and its tax and civic investment.
You might like reading the works of Kevin Starr, brother of the infamous Kenneth Starr. Starr is a conservative, but provides a pretty useful perspective on California state history and politics.
I hope this is helpful.
posted by effluvia at 9:56 AM on June 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
Pat Brown, Jerry Brown's father, hosted a platform based on civic investments in California infrastructure and education funded by property taxes. Brown's plan funded things like the Muscatine Report on Higher Education that led to smaller class sizes and funding for students who couldn't traditionally afford education. The focus on education has made California a powerhouse of innovation and provided a top notch employment pool.
Unfortunately the proposition movement, Proposition 13, for example, drastically changed that funding source. Jerry Brown, Governor Moonbeam, has weathered years of tax revolt and the desire to provide civic solutions to California's growing pains with mixed results.
Jerry Brown rejected then embraced Prop 13, which angered his base. For his next term after Schwarzenegger, he simply asked the public for a tax increase directly, confident that his base would provide it, and they voted for it. Brown was confident that most voting Californians realize the value of raising taxes to fix civic issues; the property wealthy don't want to, and the burden has been shifted to the larger public. I'm drastically oversimplifying for the sake of brevity.
To understand the platform of both Edmund Brown and his son Jerry Brown is to understand a lot about the long term history and direction of California and its tax and civic investment.
You might like reading the works of Kevin Starr, brother of the infamous Kenneth Starr. Starr is a conservative, but provides a pretty useful perspective on California state history and politics.
I hope this is helpful.
posted by effluvia at 9:56 AM on June 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 1:02 PM on June 22, 2018 [1 favorite]