Election season is here and in full swing. During these last few days before the March 3 deadline, campaigns have gone full steam ahead to push policy measures and candidates past the primaries. However, that’s no excuse to sacrifice honesty. Unfortunately for San Diego’s voters, the San Diego County Democratic Party has, yet again, employed vague language in a last-ditch effort to garner support for Proposition 13.
Prop 13 was described as a “Corporate Tax to Fund Local Government” on the 2020 Democratic Voter Guide. The bill is not a corporate tax, as much as that’s what Democrats would prefer. Instead, Prop 13 is a massive bond proposal that would mobilize $15 billion in bond funding statewide for education-related funding, but cost taxpayers an estimated $27 billion to pay back.
Though it’s not a total lie to classify schools as a facet of “Local Government,” it’s definitely one to suggest that Prop 13 is simply a corporate tax on the rich. It’s practically guaranteed that increases in property taxes will follow the initiative’s passage, and those property taxes would come from the pockets of San Diegans.
Interestingly, the San Diego County Democratic Party put out an updated voter guide that described Prop 13 as a “School and Colleges Funding Bond,” which is much more accurate. While this change is necessary, it’s inexcusable that the Democratic Party was lying about Prop 13 to mislead voters while simultaneously revealing their implicit motivations.
Don’t accept imitations – here are the OFFICIAL endorsements of the San Diego County Democratic Party https://t.co/yWRceLjtkL. pic.twitter.com/XXWw7rNcsr
— San Diego Democrats (@sandiegodems) February 27, 2020
Perhaps some of the confusion stems from the 1978 proposition of the same title, which will return to the ballot in November in a different capacity. The Prop 13 of 1978 served as a property tax cap to protect homeowners and small business owners. “The California Schools and Local Communities Funding Act of 2020” aims to repeal the commercial property tax cap, which could dismantle countless local small businesses.
Whether it was a moment of genuine confusion or showing their true hand, the San Diego County Democratic Party should be held accountable for this dishonest interpretation of Prop 13. Either way, this serves as proof that voters should educate themselves on ballot measures, rather than blindly voting based on what they see on signs or voter guides.
