Talk:1996 California Proposition 218 (Local Initiative Power)

This article was nominated for deletion on 2 June 2018. The result of the discussion was no consensus.

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If this is the only local initiative power in California, this page should be moved to Local initiative power in California, or something like that. I have also noticed that other states have a local initiative power, such as Oklahoma [1], and I wonder if an article for Local initiative power is needed. James500 (talk) 02:47, 21 June 2018 (UTC)[reply]

This is not the only local initiative power in California, (See: Initiatives_and_referendums_in_the_United_States) but Prop 218 made substantial changes in CA to residents' ability to vote on new taxes/fees: See here: report from non-partisan California Legislative Analyst's Office here https://lao.ca.gov/1996/120196_prop_218/understanding_prop218_1296.html

"Greater Initiative Powers

Prior to Proposition 218, the extent to which local residents could use an initiative to challenge local government revenue raising methods was not certain. In a 1995 case, Rossi v. Brown, the California Supreme Court ruled that people had the power to use the initiative to repeal a minor tax. There have been no court rulings, however, addressing the question of whether an initiative may be used to repeal a more substantial revenue source.

Proposition 218 eliminates any ambiguity regarding the power of local residents to use the initiative by stating that residents of California shall have the power to repeal or reduce any local tax, assessment, or fee. In addition, the measure forbids the Legislature and local governments from imposing a signature requirement for local initiatives that is higher than that applicable to statewide statutory initiatives. As a consequence of these provisions, the only limits on local residents' ability to overturn local revenue raising measures appear to be those in the federal constitution, such as the federal debt impairment clause."

Avatar317 (talk) 22:25, 19 July 2018 (UTC)Avatar317[reply]