Here is a rundown of budget-related ballot initiatives:
Proposition 13 (1978)
Nearly two-thirds of voters approved the property tax limitation measure. It limited local property taxes – a move that shifted much of the school funding burden to the state budget – and it imposed the two-thirds vote requirement for the Legislature to approve tax increases.
Proposition 98 (1988)
Barely passed by voters and defended ever since by the education lobby, it includes a complex formula that guarantees K-12 schools and community colleges 40 percent to 50 percent of general fund revenues, the biggest chunk of state spending. Lawmakers can suspend its provisions with a two-thirds vote, but it is a politically perilous move.
Proposition 218 (1996)
The follow-up to Proposition 13 imposed a public vote requirement on local governments for new or higher taxes. With local revenue more difficult to generate, state coffers are called on to fill the gap.
Proposition 42 (2002)
Almost 70 percent of the electorate amended the constitution to dedicate the sales tax on gasoline for transportation. A loophole that allowed lawmakers to ignore the law was tightened – by voters – in 2006. Now, if the state takes transportation money for general purposes in times of fiscal distress, it must be repaid within three years, with interest.
Proposition 1A (2004) – Before voters approved this with nearly 84 percent of the vote, the state had a habit of balancing its budget by shifting local property tax money from cities, counties and special districts to school districts to help meet the state's Proposition 98 obligations. Now, the state must repay the debt within three years, with interest.
Propositions 10 (1998) and 63 (2004) – Both raised taxes – 10 the tobacco tax for early-childhood programs, and 63 the income tax on those earning more than $1 million for mental health programs. But the higher taxes are aimed at specific purposes, making it even more difficult to sell a general revenue increase.
Proposition 56 (2004) – Defeated by a 2-to-1 margin, the measure would have reduced the two-thirds vote requirement for the Legislature to pass a budget and approve taxes.
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