Opinion: Carrie Hahnel: Proposition 13 is unjust and should be reformed
Editor’s note: This commentary was published in the June 4 print editions of the newspaper as part of a pro-con debate page about Proposition 13. For the counterpoint, clickWhen it passed in 1978, before most of today’s Californians were even born, Proposition 13 addressed the very real fear of rising tax bills pricing people out of their homes. But we now have decades of evidence that Proposition 13 is doing more harm than good.
State coffers have since rebounded, but California’s budget is now more dependent on personal income taxes, including taxes on capital gains, which means the budget swings wildly based on market changes. This volatility was on display during the Great Recession, when school districts experienced cuts of almost 14% over several years. Even today, California schools are routinely funded below the national average and struggle to recruit and retain teachers.
These and other factors have reduced supply and driven up the cost of housing. As younger Californians seek to buy a home and take advantage of the wealth accrual that can come with it, they increasingly find themselves forced into less desirable neighborhoods or priced out of the market entirely — in stark contrast to the experiences of older generations who more easily purchased homes and benefited from decades of tax subsides.
Among residential property owners, those enjoying the largest tax discounts often live in wealthy enclaves where home values appreciate rapidly — a trend that in turn widens racial income gaps. Last year, I co-authored a study finding that homeowners with the lowest effective tax rates are disproportionately white, older, and higher income. Another 2022 study reached similar conclusions: White homeowners in Oakland save an average of $10,000 annually, while Latino homeowners save just $3,000.
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