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The Local Taxpayer Deception Act
About
The Local Taxpayer Deception Act
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The Local Taxpayer Deception Act
Threatens Vital Public Services, Undermines the Democratic Process
The Local Taxpayer Deception Act
Threatens Vital Public Services, Undermines the Democratic Process
Funded by corporate real estate interests, the Local Taxpayer Deception Act is being sold as a taxpayer protection measure — but it’s really a deceptive scheme to cut taxes for wealthy real estate corporations, gut local services, and override decisions California voters have already made at the ballot box.
Vote NO on the Local Taxpayer Deception Act.
THE LOCAL TAXPAYER DECEPTION ACT IS OPPOSED BY FIREFIGHTERS, TEACHERS, NURSES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ACROSS CALIFORNIA
What it Actually Does
What it Actually Does
The measure — which will appear on the November 2026 ballot — would:
Raise the voter approval threshold for locally proposed special taxes from a simple majority to two-thirds, making it dramatically harder for communities to fund the services they need.
Eliminates or caps real estate transfer taxes in California’s charter cities, prohibiting voters from approving transfer taxes higher than 0.11% — stripping billions from local budgets.
Overturns existing voter-approved taxes that don’t meet the new requirements, unless voters re-approve them within two years — undoing decisions Californians have already made.
It’s a Tax Giveaway — Not a Taxpayer Protection
Don’t be fooled. This measure doesn’t cut taxes for working families or small businesses. It was written by and for corporate real estate interests to eliminate taxes on high-value property sales — the kind of transactions that only affect and benefit big real estate developers and wealthy landlords, not everyday Californians.
These same corporate interests spent millions to put this measure on the ballot. If it passes, they pay less. Local communities pay more — in the form of cuts to the services we all depend on.
It Cuts the Services California Needs Most
It Cuts the Services California Needs Most
When local governments lose billions in revenue, something has to give. The Local Taxpayer Deception Act would force deep cuts to:
Fire and emergency Services
Homelessness prevention
Schools and childcare
Police and public Safety
Affordable housing programs
Parks and libraries
It Attacks Voters' Rights
For decades, California communities have had the right to make our own decisions at the ballot box about how we spend our own money in our own communities. The Local Taxpayer Deception Act takes that right away.
By requiring a two-thirds supermajority to pass locally-proposed taxes, this measure gives a minority of voters the power to veto the will of the majority — blocking investments in schools, fire protection, homelessness solutions, and the community that most Californians support.
And it goes further: it would overturn tax measures that California voters have already approved — erasing democratic decisions communities made in good faith.
The Bottom Line
The Local Taxpayer Deception Act is exactly what the name says: a deception. It’s a giveaway to wealthy real estate corporations dressed up as taxpayer relief. It cuts billions from local governments, overrides the will of California voters, and makes our state’s biggest crises worse — all so a handful of corporate special interests can avoid paying their fair share.