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Proponents of Initiative #21-0042A1 submitted 1,429,529 signatures by the August 2 deadline to qualify the constitutional amendment for voter consideration. Should county elections officials confirm the validity of at least 997,139 signatures, the initiative to limit the ability of voters and state and local governments to raise revenues for government services will be placed on the November 2024 statewide ballot. CSDA is calling on all special districts to join the more than 150 local governments that have already passed resolutions in opposition to the costly measure.

The purported “Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act,” sponsored by the California Business Roundtable (“CBRT”), is the most consequential proposal to limit the ability of the state and local governments to enact, modify, or expand taxes, assessments, fees, and property-related charges since the passage of Proposition 218 (1996) and Proposition 26 (2010). If enacted, public agencies would face a drastic rise in litigation that could severely restrict their ability to meet essential services and infrastructure needs.

County elections officials are in the process of conducting a random sample verification of the 1.4 million signatures submitted by proponents. They have 38 working days from the submission of signatures to confirm whether the random sample process yields a sufficient number of valid signatures. If the random sample verifies 110 percent of required signatures, then the initiative qualifies automatically. If it yields less than 95 percent of necessary valid signatures, then it fails. If it yields less than 110 percent, but greater than 95 percent, then elections officials receive another 30 working days to conduct a full check of all signatures. Interested parties can track the results of the ongoing count on the website of the California Secretary of State.

CSDA has joined a coalition of local government leaders in adopting an “Oppose” position on Initiative 21-0042A1 and encourages all special districts, partners, and community leaders to join the coalition.

To download a sample resolution and learn more about Initiative #21-0042A1, visit csda.net/VoterLimitations. There, you will find CSDA’s analysis, the full initiative language, and more. In addition to CSDA, the opposition coalition includes the League of California Cities, the California State Association of Counties, the California Alliance for Jobs, California Professional Firefighters, and more. The growing list of special districts that have passed resolutions in opposition to the measure include: