I appreciate the information and background on Prop 13, but
there is a flip side...

Since Prop 13 has been passed, there has been a great deal of
heated debate about its impact. The fact is that it passed
because middle income home owners were simply unable to keep
up with the high cost of inflation. The elderly on a fixed
income, working and middle class people were losing their
homes because they could not keeep up on the taxes on their
properties because they were increasing far beyond what they
could afford. Property owners and anyone who eventually has a
goal of owning a CA property will probably not vote to repeal
Prop 13. The wealthy should not be the only ones to own
property in CA!

My personal experience with this is that I am a homeowner and
a single mother who makes a mortgage payment on a teacher's
salary. Call me selfish, but I for one, would not vote to
repeal Proposition 13. My property taxes increasing with the
increase of property values in my areas would have resulted
in the lose of my home a long time ago. I bought a very
small, 2 bedroom San Francisco home I bought in 1996 in the
mid $200,000. Two years ago neighborhood property values were
up to $900,000! there is no way I could have afforded the
$13,500 it would have cost in taxes.

I am not sure how to solve to CA budget woes, but I am pretty
sure that the voters will not repeal Prop 13. Perhaps funding
for schools and other public services should come from a
surtax placed on EVERYONE, not just property owners. Also,
perhaps rentals or commercial properties should be taxed
higher than primary residential properties (admittedly, I do
not know if this is the case). I do know this suggestion is a
Catch 22 because if taxes are placed to high on commercial
endeavors, businesses will just move out of state.

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