Proposition 13
- Share via
In November, 1984, Ronald Reagan achieved a landslide electoral victory, winning 49 of 50 states. He received 59.2% of the popular vote, to Walter Mondale’s 40.8%. This margin of victory was considered to provide a “mandate” for a continuation and expansion of Reagan’s policies.
In June, 1989, 62.3% of the voters of South Pasadena supported Proposition A, a measure to impose a modest parcel tax for the support of the local schools. However, this mandate was rejected because of an especially stringent clause of Proposition 13 requiring a two-thirds majority for passage of any new tax. But, the realities are, if Ronald Reagan couldn’t get 60% of the vote in 1984, a requirement for 66.7% is unrealistic.
Interestingly, Proposition 13 did not need a two-thirds majority for its passage. One could debate the merits of many aspects of Proposition 13, but certainly the two-thirds requirement is excessive, and must be replaced.
DENNIS A. DOUGHERTY
South Pasadena
More From the Los Angeles Times
Podcasts
The latest effort is coming from the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. They just announced a $3 million program in conjunction with some nonprofits groups to test and clean the soil at homes still standing in the areas impacted by the Eaton Fire.
California once bet big on offshore wind to help power its clean-energy future, but the Trump administration is now paying developers billions to walk away from their projects. As California’s remaining offshore-wind leases hang in the balance, the state is fighting back in court.
The Hillside Strangler murders terrorized Los Angeles in the late 1970s. The killers were a pair of sadistic cousins. One confessed. The other was set to stand trial—until L.A. prosecutors flinched.
