March 22, 2023
Bismarck Obando
Director of Public Affairs, League of California Cities 1400 K Street, Suite 400
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: “Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act” (Initiative No. 21-0042A) Dear Mr. Obando:
On March 21, 2023, the City of Cupertino voted to oppose the “Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act” Initiative 21-0042A1. This deceptively titled initiative, which will be placed on the November 2024 general election ballot, would significantly jeopardize cities’ ability to provide essential services and infrastructure for our residents.
Local governments already face strict limitations on their ability to raise taxes under the California Constitution. This measure would make it even more difficult for local voters to approve needed to fund local services and projects and would limit voter participation and input by prohibiting local advisory measures where voters can express a preference on how they want their local tax dollars spent.
In addition, the measure imposes new, onerous requirements on even routine adjustments to local government fees and charges. These provisions add unnecessary administrative burdens to the administration of critical local programs, could result in a significant loss of revenue to support essential local services, and subject cities that adopt or update fees or charges to support those programs to unacceptable legal risks and a high degree of uncertainty.
Finally, the measure also may make it much more difficult for state and local regulators to issue fines necessary to enforce laws intended to protect the environment and public health and safety.
Critically, provisions of the measure would be retroactively applied to local revenue raising measures adopted after January 1, 2022. This extraordinary and unfair retroactive application of the law would put over $2 billion of annual revenues from dozens of tax measures approved by voters between January 1, 2022 and the effective date of this measure at risk, and could force cuts to fire and emergency response, law enforcement, public health, parks, libraries, affordable housing, services to support homeless residents, mental health services, and more. In Cupertino alone, the City receives over $8 million in annual revenue from fees and charges that would be subject to the measure, an estimated $228,000 of which result from fee increased adopted after January 1, 2022.
The City of Cupertino supports the League of Cities’ efforts to opposes the adoption of the initiative. You may list the City of Cupertino in formal opposition to Initiative #21-0042A1 and include our city as part of the growing coalition of public safety, labor, local government, infrastructure advocates, and other organizations throughout the state opposed to this deceptively titled proposition.
Sincerely,
Hung Wei
Mayor, City of Cupertino
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