Ass'yman O'Donnell To Be Handed Political Hot Potato: Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Ass'n Warns "Attack On Prop 13" Coming Monday In Ass'y Transportation Committee He's On; Measure Would Make It Easier For City Halls To Raise Taxes For Broadly Defined Local "Transportation Projects"; See Text

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(April 24, 2015, 4:55 a.m.) -- Assemblyman Patrick O'Donnell (D, Long Beach), a former LB City Councilman whose constituents and voter base include property taxpaying homeowners in Los Altos and citywide, is about to be handed a political hot potato. The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Ass'n last night (April 22) sent a mass emailing ("Action Alert") stating that a proposed Assembly Constitutioinal Amendment (ACA 4) "the first bill to be heard in 2015 that represents a direct assault on Proposition 13’s two-thirds vote protections."

If the proposed constitutional amendment is put on the ballot by [legislative counsel digest indicates] a 2/3 vote of both houses of the state legislature and if it's approved by voters statewide, ACA 4 would amend the state constitution (Prop 13) to let a local government -- such as the City of Long Beach -- "impose, extend or increase" a special tax "for the purpose of providing funding for local transportation projects" [defined below] with 55% voter approval instead of Prop 13's current 2/3 voter approval requirement.

[Scroll down for further.]

The measure defines "local transportation project" to mean "the planning, design, development, financing, construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, improvement, acquisition, lease, operation, or maintenance of local streets, roads, and highways, state highways and freeways, and public transit systems."

The local election at which a City Council majority could ask voters to raise taxes for such projects is specified to be "consolidated with a regularly scheduled general election for members of the governing body of the local government, except in cases of emergency declared by a unanimous vote of the governing body."

To view the full text of the measure (as of April 22), click here.

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Ass'n's "Action Alert" says the following about the proposed state constitutional amendment:

[Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Ass'n text] ACA 4 lowers the vote threshold to 55% to pass new special taxes specifically for transportation projects. Special taxes are a very broad category and could include anything from sales taxes to parcel taxes directly on your property that only you pay!
The result could be billions of dollars of tax increases across California. We've already seen how lowering the threshold for school facility bonds to 55% has led to billions of new property taxes for homeowners. The same could occur with ACA 4.
Assembly Constitutional Amendment 4 is up for a hearing in Room 4202 in the State Capitol on Monday, April 27 at 1:30.
Please call members of the Assembly Transportation Committee ...Please tell legislators to vote NO on ACA 4!

Assemblyman O'Donnell is among the members of the Assembly Transportation Committee. ACA 4 is authored by Assembly Transportation Committee chair, Assemblyman Jim Frazier (D, Solano County.) The Assembly Transportation Committee is comprised of 11 Dems and 5 Repubs.

Developing. Further to follow on LBREPORT.com.