January 22, 2025 Your Source for Brentwood News

Will Selfish Propositions Crowd This Year’s Ballot?

By Tom Elias

 

If supporters of several proposed initiatives now in the process of gathering signatures get their way, California voters may soon see an unprecedented opportunity to cast extremely selfish ballots.

The most purely selfish of these were put forward by Lee Olson, a previously unpublicized figure in the Orange County city of Huntington Beach.

Three proposals from Olson are now authorized to circulate, although it’s unclear whether they will get much financial support. If all should reach the November ballot, they will provide a litmus test of whether Californians really mean it when they proclaim to pollsters that they support more education funding, good roads and better academic quality in public schools.

One planned Olson initiative exempts Californians with no children enrolled in public schools from paying any taxes, fees and other charges for public education. If it makes the ballot, this would give millions of the state’s senior citizens and parents of private or parochial school students a chance to vote themselves thousands of dollars in personal savings – at the expense of the millions of students enrolled in public schools, colleges and universities.

This could cost the state many billions of dollars, and no one has any idea how that funding might be replaced. It would likely be the most selfish proposition ever placed on a California ballot.

Not far behind is another Olson proposal to exempt anyone over 55 years old from paying state or local income and property taxes and property fees. It doesn’t quite go so far as to let seniors off the hook for homeowner association fees in condominiums and other developments that require them. But this one would decimate spending for schools (again) and fire and police departments, plus road and sewage repairs, courts, parks and virtually everything else government does. It would cost governments $60 billion a year – unless they raise sales and vehicle taxes through the roof.

Olson has another notion, too, this one to prohibit school boards from enforcing any kind of educational standards, while giving parents the “right to determine the venue…” where their children are schooled. It’s not clear whether that would force the University of California to take every student who wants to attend, regardless of qualifications, but that would likely be a subject of lawsuits.

These are probably the most radically destructive ideas ever proposed for the California ballot, and they could provide myriad opportunities for casting ultra-selfish ballots – votes that might backfire on those who cast them they next time they need police or fire department help, or want to flush their toilets.

Of course, more standard measures now circulating also could offer plenty of chances to cast selfish votes, while standing a far better chance of actually qualifying for the ballot.

One is the proposal to repeal the state’s new 12-cents per gallon gasoline tax, reviled by Republicans and some Democrats. Every poll shows Californians want the road repairs for which the billions of dollars this tax is raising are earmarked. But those same polls show a majority of voters dislikes the new levy. That’s pure selfishness, voters essentially saying they want smooth pavement, but don’t want to pay for it. Like much that’s self-serving, this set of sentiments has plenty of potential to backfire on supporters when they have to buy new tires, springs, shock absorbers and struts after driving through enough potholes.

Another more standard proposal already enjoying significant support would allow property owners under 55 years old to transfer their Proposition 13 property tax benefits when they sell one home and buy another, just as folks over 55 now can do. That one would also cost governments billions, with no one having the slightest idea how to replace the funds.

And there’s a proposal setting salaries for schoolteachers with at least five years service at the same level paid to state legislators. This would allow for ultra-selfish votes from myriad schoolteachers and their families, without concern for public school budgets.

None of these possibilities has yet reached the ballot, but if any or all make it, they will provide voters with opportunities to be as selfish as they like, no matter what they tell pollsters in advance.

Related Posts

(Video) A Plus Tree LLC: Leaders in Professional Tree Care for Homes and Businesses

January 22, 2025

January 22, 2025

The A Plus Tree team partners with and serves residential, apartment, HOA, commercial, and retail properties The A Plus Tree...

Deadlines Extended for Personal and Business Taxes for Wildfire-Affected Residents of LA County, City

January 21, 2025

January 21, 2025

Mayor Bass announces New Deadline, State and Federal Extensions Even Longer Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced that the deadline...

Brentwood Beat: Before the Next Fire, Let’s Build a Water Pipeline from the Ocean

January 21, 2025

January 21, 2025

In a 2022 Brentwood News column, I proposed building a seawater pipeline from the Pacific Ocean just off the Palisades...

Palisades Fire Containment Reaches 63% as Repopulation Continues in Fire Zones

January 21, 2025

January 21, 2025

Select Areas Now Open to Residents Only as Evacuation Orders Are Eased The Palisades Fire has reached 23,713 acres with...

LeBron James Confirms Family Evacuated Brentwood Home Due to Palisades Fire

January 20, 2025

January 20, 2025

Los Angeles Lakers Star and His Family Were No Exception of Mandatory Order Los Angeles Lakers star and four-time NBA...

Governor Newsom Expands Tenant Protections for Firestorm Survivors

January 20, 2025

January 20, 2025

Eviction Safeguards Offered for Tenants Sheltering Displaced Individuals Governor Gavin Newsom has issued an executive order extending eviction protections to...

Crypto ‘Godfather’ and LASD Deputy Admit to Civil Rights Abuses in Federal Case

January 20, 2025

January 20, 2025

The Duo Face Decades in Prison for Conspiracy, Extortion, and Tax Fraud A cryptocurrency entrepreneur and a Los Angeles County...

Two Arrested By LASD for Impersonating Firefighters in Palisades Fire Zone

January 20, 2025

January 20, 2025

Suspects Detained After Attempting to Access Evacuation Areas Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau investigators announced the arrest of...

Windblown Dust and Ash Advisory Issued for Los Angeles County Amid Strong Santa Ana Windstorm

January 19, 2025

January 19, 2025

Public Health Warns of Poor Air Quality, Health Risks as Winds Stir Pollutants From Burn Scars The Los Angeles County...

Red Flag Warning: Santa Ana Winds and Extreme Fire Danger Again Predicted This Week

January 19, 2025

January 19, 2025

Winds Up to 100 MPH Expected; Residents Urged to Prepare for Critical Fire Weather  The National Weather Service has issued...

LAFD’s Repopulation in Brentwood and West LA is Complete as Wildfire Evacuation Orders Ease

January 17, 2025

January 17, 2025

Residents in Brentwood, West LA Granted Reentry; Power Restoration Efforts Underway Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) officials repopulation efforts are...

LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund Launches with $12M to Support Artists Impacted by Wildfires

January 16, 2025

January 16, 2025

Getty Trust, Philanthropists Unite to Aid Artists, Arts Workers, Devastated by Los Angeles Fires. A coalition of arts organizations and...

Power Restoration Underway for Some Brentwood Homes Amid Fire-Related Outages

January 16, 2025

January 16, 2025

CAL FIRE Clears Some But Not All Circuits for Re-Energization Today The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP)...

LADWP Refutes Fire Hydrant Misinformation During Palisades Fire’s Unprecedented Demand for Water

January 16, 2025

January 16, 2025

Utility Addresses Online Claims, Confirms Water Systems Remained Operational The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP)  is seeking...

Brentwood Evacuation Update: Residents East of Kenter Canyon Cleared to Return Home

January 16, 2025

January 16, 2025

Proof of Residency Required; Areas West of Kenter Remain Under Evacuation Orders Senior Lead Officer Matthew Kirk announced in an...