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Video published March 28, 2010 | Download MP4 | View transcript
Above: It’s been 32 years since Proposition 13 passed, but there’s hardly an aspect of economic life in California that isn’t touched by its influence. It changed how we pay for our schools, fire departments, police forces, and libraries. This 30 minute news special explores whether Prop 13 was the best thing that ever happened to homeowners – or whether it’s to blame for California’s fiscal crisis.
Blog Posts
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Commentary: My Ride With Jerry Brown
- March 29
I took a ride with Jerry Brown one cold night in Berkeley in 1961. We didn't get far.
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CA Schools' Long Financial Fall
The last time California spent more money on students than most other states in the country was 45 years ago.
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Busting The Big Property Tax Myth
KPBS looks at how San Diego property tax dollars are distributed in the county.
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Against Proposition 13: Bill And Nancy Bamberger
- March 4
- Education
Homeowners Bill and Nancy Bamberger explain why they voted against Proposition 13 in 1978. They have owned their home since the proposition passed.
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For Proposition 13: Jerzy And Jolanta Lewak
- March 4
- Education
Del Mar homeowners Jerzy and Jolanta Lewak voted for Proposition 13 in 1978. They are among the 8 percent of current homeowners who have owned their homes since the proposition passed.
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Proposition 13: A Look Back
- Feb. 23
In 1978 disco was king, Jerry Brown was Governor, and the people ruled. They voted 2-to-1 in favor of Proposition 13, rolling back property taxes.
News Stories
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Budget Crisis Spurs Talk of Excluding Businesses from Prop. 13 Rules
- March 29
- Economy
Proposition 13 was meant to stop people from being taxed out of their homes. But advocates for tax reform say commercial property owners have been the prime beneficiaries of Prop. 13. They want legislators to tinker with the 32-year-old law to get businesses to pay higher property taxes.
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Prop 13: The Battle Between Taxpayer and Taxes
- March 29
- Education
This story was updated at 7:33 a.m.
For the second year in a row, the County Assessor is predicting San Diego will collect less in property taxes because of the housing crash. It’s a win for taxpayers who will pay less – but a loss for the county which relies on property taxes to fund schools and other services.
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Prop 13's Impact On Schools
- March 26
- Education
Is Prop 13 to blame for California's near-bottom per-pupil funding in the country?
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San Diego Unified To Push For A Parcel Tax
- March 24
- Education
In his State of the District address, San Diego Unified School Board President Richard Barrera said the district must secure a parcel tax in November to offset deep budget cuts to education.
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S.D. County Getting Back $150 Million In Borrowed Tax Money
- March 12
- Economy
San Diego County is getting back $150 million in borrowed tax money. The state took the money to close its budget gap.
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Sorting Out S.D. County Taxes
- March 12
- Economy
We'll examine the impact of Prop. 13 on local taxes.
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Property Taxes Declining in San Diego County
- Feb. 25
- Economy
As many as 700,000 property tax owners in San Diego County will see their property tax bills go down this year. Assessments are dropping because of a decrease in the rate of inflation.
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The Impact of California's Biggest Tax Revolt
- Feb. 23 These Days
- Economy
As part of Envision San Diego, we take a look at the fall out of the biggest tax revolt in California history - the passage of Prop 13 in 1978.
Comments
randps | March 30, 2010 at 4:40 p.m. ― 1 year, 10 months ago
Dear Ms. Faryon,
You may recall that we exchanged email after I called into the radio program on Proposition 13 to raise the issue of commercial property taxes. I'm sure it comes as no surprise to you that I would find your TV program extremely disappointing.
As you know, Proposition 13 has three distinct elements that have a profound impact on State finances. Everyone knows about home owner property taxes, and most people think that is the only issue. But clearly, of late, the 2/3 provision has had the most profound impact on the State's financial crisis. Yet your program only mentioned it in passing and provided no analysis of this crucial issue.
Furthermore, you waited until the last few sentences of the program to mention commercial real estate, again with no analysis, and no mention of the fact that commercial property owners have ways of evading reassessment that are not available to home owners.
In the end, your program missed a crucial opportunity to raise the publics awareness of the full range of issues that are challenging our state. I am left wondering what motivated these editorial choices.
Sincerely,
Rand Steiger
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Suzanne Marmion, KPBS Staff | April 1, 2010 at 3:29 p.m. ― 1 year, 10 months ago
Dear Mr. Steiger,
Thank you for taking the time to write to us with your concerns regarding our television program about proposition 13. Given the extensive legacy of Prop. 13, it would be difficult to cover all aspects in 30 minutes. Thus, the program you watched was not intended to be our definitive story regarding this issue, but rather one part of our more comprehensive ongoing coverage. For more than a month, KPBS has been doing quite a bit of reporting about Prop. 13 across all our platforms: radio, TV and the web, including on real estate tax issue that you brought up--please see:
http://bit.ly/bCIAW4
Your comments serve as an important reminder that it's crucial that we inform our audience about where they can watch, hear and read all of the coverage we have done about a particular subject.
Thank you for caring about these issues, and about how KPBS is covering them.
Sincerely, Suzanne Marmion KPBS Director of News and Editorial Strategy
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