Proposition 13 may be one of the only things California has going for it when it comes to making it an affordable place to live. Approved by 64.8% of voters on June 6, 1978, Prop. 13 reduced property taxes by more than half and imposed restrictions on government’s ability to tax citizens and businesses.

Prop. 13 also set forth a requirement for a two-thirds vote for local taxes. A 2017 court case created some ambiguity as to whether local citizens’ initiatives are subject to the two-thirds requirement. In Los Angeles, the ultimate result was Measure ULA, passed by 57.77% of voters in 2022. A citizens’ initiative presented as a “mansion tax” to address homelessness. But it’s actually a tax on the sale of all real estate valued above $5 million — not just mansions. The tax is 4% of the sale if the property is between $5 million and $10 million. It jumps to 5.5% above $10 million.

Locally, this played out with Measure P, passed by 52.17% of voters in 2018. It didn’t pass the two-thirds threshold, but the courts eventually held a simple majority was sufficient for the citizens’ initiative.

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association — named for the champion of Prop. 13 — has filed a new constitutional amendment to bring local taxes back in line with what voters wanted in 1978. “The Local Taxpayer Protection Act to Save Prop. 13” will restore the requirement that local special taxes earmarked for a specific purpose must be approved by two-thirds of voters.

To qualify for the November 2026 ballot, HJTA must collect at least 874,641 signatures of registered California voters by about Jan 1. 2026. Their goal is 1.3 million total signatures in order to pass the threshold for qualification. You can go to SaveProp13.com to sign the petition, which you can then mail to the California Secretary of State office. You must also sign the Declaration of Circulator to legally verify that you saw the voter (yourself) sign it. You can also be the Circulator of the petition signed by another voter.

Prop. 13 has stood for nearly 50 years, but it won’t reach that mark without support from voters who say “enough” to rising taxes.