Statewide Ballot Information

Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Propositions 30 and 38

Proposition 30

Proposition 30, Gov. Jerry Brown’s revenue-raising initiative, increases personal income tax on annual earnings over $250,000 for seven years. Prop. 30 also increases sales and use tax by 1/4 cent for four years. This measure allocates 89 percent of temporary tax revenues to K–12 schools and 11 percent to community colleges. Prop. 30 bars use of funds for administrative costs, but provides local school governing boards discretion to decide, in open meetings and subject to annual audit, how funds are to be spent. Prop. 30 also guarantees funding for public safety services realigned from state to local governments.

Revenue

Prop. 30 would generate additional state tax revenues of about $6 billion annually from 2012–13 through 2016–17. Smaller amounts of additional revenue would be available in 2011–12, 2017–18 and 2018–19. These additional revenues would fund programs in the state budget. Prop. 30 would prevent cuts of about $6 billion in 2012–13, mainly to education programs.

Impact on Long Beach Unified

Failure to pass Prop. 30 will force the Long Beach Unified School District to cut an additional $35 million from its 2012-13 budget. This would be on top of the $22 million in programmatic cuts implemented in 2012-13, in addition to the more than 1,000 jobs that have been eliminated in the school district since 2008.

LBUSD’s Board of Education approved a fiscal plan in March that calls for the following ideas to be considered should Prop. 30 fail:

• Reduce or eliminate high school sports
• Reduce school year from 180 days to 160
• Close multiple small schools
• Eliminate elementary music and visual arts
• Eliminate middle school sports
• Eliminate teacher-librarians
• Reduce or eliminate counselors
• Eliminate AVID college readiness program
• Eliminate all adult education offerings
• Increase class sizes
• Reduce number of Advanced Placement classes in high schools
• Reduce or eliminate work-based learning programs
• Seek savings in employee health and welfare benefits
• Freeze certificated and classified hiring
• Change staff calendars, such as from 12-month to 10-month
• Eliminate all non-mandated transportation
• Eliminate all non-mandated testing

Proposed Tax Rates

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Board of Education Position

LBUSD’s Board of Education endorsed Prop. 30.

Support for Proposition 30

Proponents of Prop. 30 argue that California cannot keep cutting schools and still keep the economy strong, and that Prop. 30 would prevent $6 billion in cuts to schools while preventing steep tuition hikes for college students and families. A support website, with a list of proponents, can be found at www.yesonprop30.com.

Opposition to Proposition 30

Opponents of Prop. 30 argue that the measure would raise sales and income taxes on all Californians, not just the wealthy; would harm small businesses; and would not actually provide new funding for schools. An opposition website can be found here: http://www.reformsandjobsnottaxes.com.

Prop. 30, Official Title and Summary (pdf)
Prop 30, Non-partisan Legislative Analyst Office Overview (pdf)

Proposition 38

Proposition 38, backed by civil rights attorney Molly Munger, would also increase the personal income tax rate on all but the lowest bracket through 2024. This initiative:

• Increases personal income tax rates on annual earnings over $7,316 using a sliding scale from 0.4 percent for lowest individual earners to 2.2 percent for individuals earning over $2.5 million, for twelve years.
• During the first four years, allocates 60 percent of revenues to K–12 schools, 30 percent to repaying state debt, and 10 percent to early childhood programs. Thereafter, Prop. 38 allocates 85 percent of revenues to K–12 schools and 15 percent to early childhood programs.
• Provides K–12 funds on a school-specific, per-pupil basis, subject to local control, audits and public input.
• Prohibits the state from directing the new funds.

Revenue

In the initial years, schools statewide would receive roughly $6 billion annually from the measure. Of that amount, $4.2 billion would be provided for education program grants, $1.1 billion for low-income student grants, and $700 million for training, technology and teaching materials grants. The amounts available in future years would tend to grow over time.

Impact on Long Beach Unified

Prop. 38 may provide the Long Beach Unified School District up to $1,000 per Average Daily Attendance annually from 2013-14 to 2023-24.  This would help to prevent further cuts to educational programs.

Proposed Tax Rates

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Board of Education Position

LBUSD’s Board of Education endorsed Prop. 38.

Support for Proposition 38

Proponents argue that Prop. 38 guarantees that new education funding goes straight to every local school, and can be used to reverse cuts to improve student learning. A support website, with a list of proponents, can be found at http://ourchildrenourfuture2012.com.

Opposition to Proposition 38

Opponents argue that Proposition 38 is a $120 billion income tax hike on most Californians, locked in for the next 12 years, no matter what, and that the initiative would force family businesses to cut jobs, move out of state or close. Prop. 38's main opposition statement is signed by the President of the California Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Orange County Board of Education, and the executive director of the California Taxpayer Protection Committee. 

Prop. 38, Official Title and Summary (pdf)
Prop 38, Non-partisan Legislative Analyst Office Overview (pdf)

What happens if voters approve both Propositions 30 and 38?

The State Constitution specifies what happens if two measures conflict. If provisions of two measures approved on the same statewide ballot conflict, the Constitution specifies that the provisions of the measure receiving more “yes” votes prevail. Propositions 30 and 38 on this statewide ballot both increase personal income tax rates and, as such, could be viewed as conflicting. Propositions 30 and 38 both contain sections intended to clarify which provisions are to become effective if both measures pass:

• If Prop. 30 Receives More Yes Votes. Prop. 30 contains a section indicating that its provisions would prevail in their entirety and none of the provisions of any other measure increasing personal income tax rates — in this case Proposition 38 — would go into effect.

• If Prop. 38 Receives More Yes Votes. Prop. 38 contains a section indicating that its provisions would prevail and the tax rate provisions of any other measure affecting sales or personal income tax rates — in this case Prop. 30 — would not go into effect. Under this scenario, the state spending reductions known as the “trigger cuts” would take effect as a result of Prop. 30’s tax increases not going into effect.

Learn More

For a complete listing of all measures that have qualified for the November 2012 election, along with arguments in favor and opposed, visit the Secretary of State’s website at: www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-measures/qualified-ballot-measures.htm.