ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF PROPOSITION 13

PROP. 13 WILL MAKE CALIFORNIA'S SCHOOLS & COLLEGES SAFER AND HEALTHIER

The current condition of California's school buildings is unacceptable.

Despite research showing students learn better in classrooms which are modern and safe, too many school buildings are dilapidated, unsafe, and unhealthy. Thousands remain at risk of wildfires or earthquakes. Others are contaminated with lead, mold, asbestos, and other hazardous materials. California's children deserve better. Prop. 13 is the STRONGEST STATEWIDE SCHOOL BOND IN HISTORY, making California's school buildings healthier, more secure, and more conducive to learning. It's an essential step forward to protecting and educating our children.

According to Public Policy Institute of California, 70% of our state's 10,000-plus schools and 300,000 classrooms are more than 25 years old. 10% are at least 70 years old. Schools statewide are projected to need more than $100 billion over the next decade simply to meet basic health, safety, and curriculum standards. Yet California’s per-pupil spending on school facilities has sharply declined since 2006.

PROP. 13 REPAIRS AND UPGRADES CALIFORNIA’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Too many schools suffer from unsafe conditions, including poor air and water quality and contamination from mold and asbestos. Prop. 13 provides funding to fix rundown buildings, replace deteriorating water pipes with clean drinking water, and remove hazardous materials from aging classrooms.

PROP. 13 ADDS CRITICAL SAFETY MEASURES TO SCHOOLS. It provides schools needed resources to increase student safety including fire and violence prevention. Prop. 13 provides for functioning smoke and fire alarms, physical security improvements, and long-overdue seismic upgrades. It also expands access to preschool, guidance counselors, and school nurses for health care and mental health.

PROP. 13 RESTORES SCHOOLS AFFECTED BY WILDFIRES, EARTHQUAKES, AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS. In emergencies, safe operation of local schools is more important than ever. Prop. 13 provides vital and immediate assistance, including temporary facilities and power generators, to schools impacted by wildfires and catastrophic events.

PROP. 13 SUPPORTS CAREER TECHNICAL EDUCATION FOR VETERANS. Prop. 13 enables local schools and community colleges to expand high-quality career technical education to help more Californians, including veterans who have served our country, prepare for high-skill, high-wage jobs in the modern economy.

PROP. 13 PROTECTS LOCAL CONTROL OVER EVERY PROJECT. It funds local school improvement projects, where local communities and taxpayers have a powerful voice in deciding how these funds can be prioritized to strengthen neighborhood schools.

PROP. 13 CONTAINS ROBUST TAXPAYER ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES. Fiscally responsible, Prop. 13 strictly limits administrative costs, ensuring that funds are directly spent on schools, not government bureaucracy. It requires tough independent audits and open public hearings.

PROP. 13 HAS STRONG BIPARTISAN SUPPORT. It was placed on the ballot by an overwhelming bipartisan majority of state lawmakers. It’s also supported by a broad-based coalition of teachers, doctors, nurses, firefighters, and military veterans.

The science is clear—safe, healthy, high-quality school buildings increase learning. And California's students can't afford to wait any longer.

For the safety of our children and our future as a state, PLEASE JOIN US IN VOTING YES ON PROP. 13.

BRIAN RICE, President

California Professional Firefighters

E. TOBY BOYD, President

California Teachers Association

PAMELA KAHN, President

California School Nurses Association

REBUTTAL TO ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF PROPOSITION 13

HOMEOWNERS, RENTERS, AND ALL TAXPAYERS BEWARE OF TAX HIKES!

Hidden in this year's Proposition 13 is a near DOUBLING of the limits that local school districts can borrow. When school districts borrow money, that debt is repaid exclusively by PROPERTY TAXES! Who pays property taxes? We all do, either directly in property tax bills or through higher rents and other costs. Unlike the original Proposition 13 from 1978, this Proposition 13 puts all taxpayers at risk of higher taxes.

NO GUARANTEES AGAINST WASTE!

The question isn't whether we need well-maintained school buildings, but how best to pay for them and whether past promises have been kept. Voters already approved $9 billion in 2016 to build and repair schools. Now they tell us they never repaired the deteriorating water pipes and removed asbestos from classrooms? How does High Speed Rail get full funding but yet schools don't?

TAXPAYERS WILL BE ON THE HOOK FOR MORE BORROWING AND DEBT!

Borrowing $15 billion for school construction and repairs makes no sense when California has a $22 billion budget surplus. What's worse, the 80% estimated interest cost means we're actually on the hook for $27 billion. Instead, let's spend the money we have directly in the classroom to address declining test scores and high dropout rates.

Don't let Sacramento's misplaced priorities and irresponsible borrowing put California deeper in debt and lead to higher local taxes.

VOTE NO ON PROPOSITION 13!

STATE SENATOR BRIAN JONES

District 38

JON COUPAL, President

Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association

LARRY SAND, Retired Teacher

ARGUMENT AGAINST PROPOSITION 13

THIS YEAR'S PROP. 13 IS A PHONY!

Don't be confused by the deceptive title of this spending measure to be “Prop. 13.” Unlike the landmark taxpayer protection of 1978, this year's Prop. 13 instead will put taxpayers on the hook for $27 billion.

TYPICAL CREDIT CARD MATH BY SACRAMENTO POLITICIANS

The politicians plan to borrow $15 billion from Wall Street and then make taxpayers pay it back plus 80% in total interest costs. That's an additional $12 billion we'll be forced to pay, bringing the entire bill to $27 billion.

THE GOVERNOR & LEGISLATURE FAIL TO MAKE SCHOOLS A PRIORITY

Instead of spending the state's $21 billion surplus on upgrading school facilities and providing high quality education for our children, the Governor and the Legislature are wasting our money on their own pet projects. That surplus money could have gone into solutions for our education system—both in classroom instruction and for new facilities—without new debt that our children will be paying for three decades!

HIGHER LEVELS OF DEBT LEADS TO HIGHER TAXES

We've seen this before from Sacramento politicians—they overspend, they issue bonds, and they punish us with tax hikes on our cars, gasoline, and income. And those tax hikes almost never go to what the politicians say they will—just look at our crumbling roads and see the billions of dollars diverted to High Speed Rail!

BILLIONS WILL GO TO MONEY PITS, NOT INTO CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION

Wasteful money pits in the vast education bureaucracy will grab much of this money while not one cent of it will be spent for direct instruction in school classrooms. This money will go to wasteful construction projects that benefit special interests.

LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS WILL GO FURTHER INTO DEBT

A hidden provision of this proposition will encourage local school districts to increase their borrowing by more than 60%. Local school debt is paid back with higher property taxes. We're already paying a fortune for previous borrowing, and the problem is never fixed.

SWEETHEART DEAL FOR DEVELOPERS, NO MONEY FOR FIRST RESPONDERS

Only in the State Capitol would someone decide to subsidize wealthy developers while withholding money from local police and fire fighters. Yet that's exactly what this proposition would do. The politicians were hoping no one would read the small print, but we did and we caught them red-handed.

WE CAN DO BETTER FOR OUR KIDS AND GRANDKIDS

California's schools are consistently ranked near the lowest in the country. Rather than just throwing $27 billion into school construction projects, our state needs a well-thought out, long-term solution to achieve a high standard of excellence in reading, writing, and math. This costly measure does nothing to improve classroom instruction or help our children succeed.

VOTE NO ON THIS PHONY PROPOSITION 13.

SENATOR BRIAN JONES

District 38

JON COUPAL, President

Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association

LARRY SAND, Retired Teacher

REBUTTAL TO ARGUMENT AGAINST
PROPOSITION 13

Don't believe the false attacks.

Proposition 13 will fix and upgrade public schools all across California that are unsafe, out-of-date, and badly in need of repair. It's broadly endorsed by teachers, principals, firefighters, doctors, and nurses—and has the strong support of Republicans, Democrats, and independents alike.

Proposition 13 makes local school buildings stronger and healthier. Removes asbestos, toxic mold, and hazardous materials from aging classrooms. Replaces deteriorating pipes so children have safe drinking water. Adds school nursing facilities. Makes schools safer in wildfires, earthquakes, and natural disasters. Studies show that safe school buildings are more likely to result in higher student performance.

Proposition 13 also guarantees that every dollar spent is accountable, audited, and transparent to state taxpayers. It requires administrative costs be limited to no more than 5%, ensuring that more funds than ever are invested directly into schools.

Don't take our word for it. Listen to the experts: California Professional Firefighters President Brian Rice says: “Proposition 13 will fund improvements to make our schools safer. Safer schools create safer communities. That's why public safety experts support Prop. 13.”

Dr. Peter Bretan, President of California Medical Association, the state's largest physician organization, says: “Students deserve access to healthy schools with clean water, breathable air, and school nurses. California’s health providers support Proposition 13.”

California Association of School Business Officials CEO Molly McGee Hewitt says: “School bonds are proven to be the most effective and fiscally responsible way to fund repairs to deteriorating school buildings. Yes on Proposition 13!”

CELIA JAFFE, President

California State Parent Teachers Association

DR. LINDA KAMINSKI, President

Association of California School Administrators

PAMELA KAHN, President

California School Nurses Association