November 2015

The Make It Fair Coalition was formed to work for reform of Proposition 13 by changing the unfair way in which commercial property is taxed in California. The League of Women Voters of California joined the Make It Fair campaign because school districts and local governments in California desperately need more revenue to rebuild services and restore educational opportunities for the state’s children. 

Together, over the past several months, the Make it Fair Coalition has made huge progress in bringing real reform to Prop 13 to the forefront of public debate. A few major accomplishments include: 

• securimg nearly 300 organizational endorsements, speaking directly with over 100,000 voters, generating significant press coverage, and training activists across California
• working with a cutting-edge team of experts to develop a policy package and securing the introduction of a proposed constitutional amendment in the state Senate
• changing public attitudes: a September 2015 survey by the Public Policy Institute of California shows that 55 percent of likely voters support commercial property tax reform, an increase of five percentage points from the previous survey in May. 

Even with this significant and encouraging progress, the Make It Fair coalition has decided not to pursue an initiative for the November 2016 ballot. Instead, Make It Fair will work to build an even more powerful coalition, expand public education, make the electorate reflective of California’s diverse population, and raise funds to ensure the success of any future initiative.

Make It Fair is serious about reform and will continue to be in touch as plans for the coming months take shape. 

League members embraced the Make It Fair campaign strongly; we anticipate that that support will continue and grow, as the whole coalition works to keep this issue vibrant and expand public support.