The latest from the NO campaign

Sacramento, CA – The California Supreme Court released an opinion on Thursday morning, ordering the Secretary of State to “refrain from taking any steps” that would place the Taxpayer Deception Act on the November ballot. Simply put: the state Supreme Court said a clear-as-crystal NO on the Taxpayer Deception Act.

“We have argued from day one that the Taxpayer Deception Act is an illegal revision to the constitution funded by a handful of wealthy real-estate developers and landlords desperate to avoid paying their fair share,” said Jonathan Underland, Spokesperson for the NO on the Taxpayer Deception Act campaign. “The Supreme Court’s decision to take this dangerous initiative off the ballot avoids a host of catastrophic impacts, protecting billions of dollars for schools, access to reproductive healthcare, gun safety laws that keep students safe in classrooms, and paid family leave. We are grateful to Governor Newsom and legislative leaders for rising up to challenge this extremist, right-wing attack on taxpayers; and we are prepared to fight any future attempts by the California Business Roundtable to inflict their self-interested agenda on the people of this great state.”

“No amount of funding from wealthy corporations will change the fact that the California Supreme Court decided the Taxpayer Deception Act is unconstitutional,” said Carolyn Coleman, Executive Director and CEO, League of California Cities. “It’s good news for cities and their residents that this dangerous initiative will not move forward this year, and local officials can now keep their focus on delivering vital local services.”

“We commend the court for taking decisive action to protect Californians from unlawful changes to our state constitution that would have crippled essential government functions that our communities rely upon,” said Graham Knaus, CEO of the California State Association of Counties. “If passed, this retroactive measure would have cut off funding for the essential services provided by our counties, from public health and safety to emergency response and environmental protection, these services are foundational to the well-being of our communities. Moreover, the needs of our 58 counties are unique and CSAC strongly believes that local voters and elected leaders must have the right to self-govern by passing measures that meet the needs of their local communities on how their tax dollars should be spent.”

“The California Supreme Court today took decisive action to preserve the rights of voters and to protect local control, as well as the State Constitution,” said Neil McCormick, CEO, California Special Districts Association. “By finding Initiative 1935 to be unconstitutional, the court clearly recognized this dangerous and illegal measure was in conflict with the principles of our democracy. This decisive action will protect communities from disruptions to essential services like water, sanitation, and fire protection, which would have been otherwise unavoidable under the draconian and retroactive provisions of the initiative.”

“The California Supreme Court has ruled in favor of communities across the state that have spoken clearly: the Taxpayer Deception Act is unconstitutional, an extremist attack on voters’ rights, and a cynical attempt by a few wealthy real estate developers and landlords to avoid paying their fair share at the taxpayer’s expense,” said Sabrina Smith, CEO, California Calls. “Today’s decision protects access to reproductive health care, critical gun safety laws, and safety net services like paid family leave. Governor Newsom and legislative leaders were right to take on this fight, and we were proud to stand with them and 600+ local governments, labor organizations and community groups in strong opposition to this dangerous initiative.