BILL ANALYSIS Ó SENATE COMMITTEE ON ELECTIONS AND CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS Senator Ben Allen, Chair 2015 - 2016 Regular Bill No: AB 809 Hearing Date: 7/7/15 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Author: |Obernolte | |-----------+-----------------------------------------------------| |Version: |3/26/15 | ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes | ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Consultant:|Frances Tibon Estoista | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Local initiative measures: ballot printing specifications DIGEST Requires the ballot , if a proposed local initiative imposes a tax or raises the rate of a tax, to include in the statement of the ordinance to be voted on the amount of money to be raised annually and the rate of the tax to be levied. ANALYSIS Existing law requires ballots used when voting upon a proposed county, city, or district ordinance submitted to voters of the respective local government as an initiative measure to have printed on them specified text relating to the proposed ordinance and dictates the placement of that text. This bill requires the ballot, if a proposed local initiative imposes a tax or raises the rate of a tax, to include in the statement of the ordinance to be voted on the amount of money to be raised annually and the rate and duration of the tax to be levied. BACKGROUND Ballot Form : Existing law requires a ballot to comply with a variety of laws that dictate its form and content. For example, existing law requires a ballot to contain the title of each office, the names of all qualified candidates, as specified, AB 809 (Obernolte) Page 2 of ? ballot designations, as specified, titles and summaries of measures submitted to voters, and instructions to voters, among other things. Moreover, existing law requires a ballot to be printed in a certain form, as specified. Once all of these requirements are met, there is limited space left on the ballot to accommodate further requirements. Consequently, it is common practice to include other important election information in the sample ballot or ballot pamphlet that is sent to all registered voters. COMMENTS 1) According to the author , California continues to rank at the bottom when it comes to transparency and access to government information. The citizens of California have a right to know how taxes will affect them and how those dollars are being spent. AB 809 takes a small step toward achieving this goal by requiring the ballot statement for local tax measures to include information on the amount of money to be raised annually and the rate and duration of the tax to be levied. This will help voters be better informed when making decisions that could impact their personal budgets. 2) One-stop shop . The author contends that Californians have a right to know what they are voting on, especially when it involves tax increases that could have a significant impact on their financial position. While having this information may be helpful in determining how a local measure will raise taxes as well as providing the rate and duration of the tax levied, it may prove extremely challenging for elections officials to include more information on the ballot. Moreover, if the law allows for it, many local elections are consolidated with other elections as a cost saving measure. It is therefore even more likely the issue of ballot capacity becomes problematic with more data being added. RELATED/PRIOR LEGISLATION AB 2551 (Wilk, Chapter 908, Statutes of 2014), requires each bond issue proposed by a county, city and county, district, or other political subdivision, or any agency, department, or board thereof, to include the best estimate from official sources of the total debt service, including the principal and interest that would be required to be repaid if all the bonds are issued AB 809 (Obernolte) Page 3 of ? and sold, and permits the estimate to include information about the assumptions used to determine the estimate. PRIOR ACTION ------------------------------------------------------------------ |Assembly Floor: |57 - 8 | |--------------------------------------+---------------------------| |Assembly Appropriations Committee: |17 - 0 | |--------------------------------------+---------------------------| |Assembly Elections and Redistricting | 4 - 3 | |Committee: | | ------------------------------------------------------------------ POSITIONS Sponsor: Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association Support: California Taxpayers Association Oppose: None received -- END --