Former Democrat leaders oppose lawsuit blocking taxpayer protection initiative

From the California Rental Housing Association...

The Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability initiative, which seeks to uphold a two-thirds vote requirement for tax increases, met all requisite requirements and qualifies for the November 2024 ballot.

However, Governor Newsom filed a lawsuit asking the California Supreme Court to block it from the ballot, citing loss of revenue. Below is an Amicus submitted by former Democrat leaders opposing the Governor's lawsuit.  

Former Senate President Pro Tempore Don Perata, former Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Mike Roos, and former Assemblymember Joe Coto submitted an amicus letter opposing the Legislature and governor’s lawsuit to block the popular Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act (TPA) from the November 2024 ballot.

The letter argues that the California Supreme Court will set a dangerous precedent if it breaks the court’s well-established standards for pre-election challenges and blocks voters from weighing in on TPA.

Read highlights from the amicus letter below:

“The foundational role that the citizens’ initiative plays in our state, and the right of the voters to utilize the initiative process, cannot and should not be abridged by this Court. “Nothing in Petitioners’ writ necessitates pre-election review, and we ask this Court to allow voters to weigh in first, before any legal challenges are heard and decided. If the measure fails, and it very well may, then the issue will be moot. Even if the measure is approved by voters, there will be ample time to decide any legal issues at that time. “Removing this measure from the ballot would be a marked departure from this Court’s well-established jurisprudence, and could set a dangerous precedent to undermine the voters’ reserved initiative power, which has long been a paramount structural element of our state Constitution.”

You can learn more about the Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act at TaxpayerProtection.com.

The Californians for Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability is sponsored by the California Business Roundtable.