California
Is California really a low property tax state?
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Is California really a low property tax state?
Spoiler alert: the answer to that question is no. But even if you suspected this to be true, it doesn’t hurt to understand why.
Prior to the passage of Prop. 13 in 1978, the average property tax rate in California was about 2.6%. In addition to this high tax rate, California, like most states, imposed the tax annually on the market value of property. Because California’s real estate market was robust throughout the 70’s, market values grew rapidly, and property tax bills skyrocketed.
Prop. 13 cut property taxes in a very significant way. It reduced by more than half the property tax rate – capping it at 1% – but also limited increases in taxable value to 2% annually.
The fact that property taxes were cut so dramatically might explain why so many assume that California is a low property tax state. This assumption – more of a myth now – is perpetuated by tax-and-spend interests who argue incessantly for higher taxes.
But here are the facts:
When it comes to total property tax collections, California ranks 19th out of the 50 states, according to the authoritative Tax Foundation. The “per capita” calculation is important because it refutes the argument advanced by progressives that California does not generate sufficient revenue for local government services.
In response, tax-and-spend interests point to another Tax Foundation metric, which shows California ranking a relatively low 33rd in property taxes paid as a percentage of owner-occupied housing value. But this doesn’t prove that the state is tax-starved. It demonstrates that Prop. 13 achieves two seemingly conflicting policy outcomes: Generating above average revenue for local government services while protecting homeowners from being taxed out of their homes.
California’s “effective” property tax rate is less than one percent (.75%) because of Prop 13’s 2% limit on annual increases. (The longer one stays in a house, the more likely that the market value will exceed the assessed value). Contrast this with Texas where the “effective” property tax rate is 1.68%, almost double that of California. Taken in isolation, one would have to wonder why so many Californians are moving to Texas. The answer is simple: If property taxes were all that California collected, Texans would be moving here, not the other way around. (Texas has a top income tax rate of zero while California’s is the highest in the nation at 13.3%). More importantly, because housing is far more expensive in California, two identical houses, one in Houston and one in the Bay Area, could have wildly different property tax bills rendering meaningless the “effective” tax rate measurement.
The Tax Foundation explains this: “Some states with high property taxes, like New Hampshire and Texas, rely heavily on them in lieu of other major tax categories. This often involves greater devolution of authority to local governments, which are responsible for more government services than they are in states with greater reliance on state-level revenues like income or sales taxes.” No sane Texan would trade that state’s total tax structure for California’s.
Another major consideration in determining if California is a high or low property tax state is something missed by all the traditional comparisons. Those comparisons only measure the traditional
Parcel taxes and a myriad of bond levies appear on virtually every property tax bill issued in California. In many jurisdictions, the “below the line” taxes and fees exceed the ad valorem levy. In 2014, the California Taxpayers Foundation compiled data on the prevalence of parcel taxes revealing about $2 billion statewide. Since that report is a decade old it is likely that that figure has doubled.
While California homeowners might not fully understand all the complexities of existing data related to property taxes and all the comparative metrics, the best test is to simply ask, do you want to pay higher property taxes? How many Californians would answer that in the affirmative?
Jon Coupal is president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.
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California
California bars required to offer drug testing kits starting July 1
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California
Eagles’ Don Henley Files Lawsuit for Return of Handwritten ‘Hotel California’ Lyrics
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Eagles singer Don Henley filed a lawsuit in New York on Friday (June 28) seeking the return of his handwritten notes and song lyrics from the band’s 1976 album Hotel California.
The civil complaint filed in Manhattan federal court comes after prosecutors in March abruptly dropped criminal charges midway through a trial against three collectibles experts accused of scheming to sell the documents.
The Eagles co-founder has maintained the pages were stolen and had vowed to pursue a lawsuit when the criminal case was dropped against rare books dealer Glenn Horowitz, former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig Inciardi and rock memorabilia seller Edward Kosinski.
“These 100 pages of personal lyric sheets belong to Mr. Henley and his family, and he has never authorized defendants or anyone else to peddle them for profit,” Daniel Petrocelli, Henley’s lawyer, said in an emailed statement Friday.
According to the lawsuit, the handwritten pages remain in the custody of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office, which declined to comment Friday on the litigation.
Lawyers for Kosinski and Inciardi dismissed the legal action as baseless, noting the criminal case was dropped after it was determined that Henley misled prosecutors by withholding critical information.
“Don Henley is desperate to rewrite history,” Shawn Crowley, Kosinski’s lawyer, said in an emailed statement. “We look forward to litigating this case and bringing a lawsuit against Henley to hold him accountable for his repeated lies and misuse of the justice system.”
Inciardi’s lawyer, Stacey Richman, said in a separate statement that the lawsuit attempts to “bully” and “perpetuate a false narrative.”
A lawyer for Horowitz, who isn’t named as a defendant as he doesn’t claim ownership of the materials, didn’t respond to an email seeking comment.
During the trial, the men’s lawyers argued that Henley gave the lyrics pages decades ago to a writer who worked on a never-published Eagles biography and later sold the handwritten sheets to Horowitz. He, in turn, sold them to Inciardi and Kosinski, who started putting some of the pages up for auction in 2012.
The criminal case was abruptly dropped after prosecutors agreed that defense lawyers had essentially been blindsided by 6,000 pages of communications involving Henley and his attorneys and associates.
Prosecutors and the defense said they received the material only after Henley and his lawyers made a last-minute decision to waive their attorney-client privilege shielding legal discussions.
Judge Curtis Farber, who presided over the nonjury trial that opened in late February, said witnesses and their lawyers used attorney-client privilege “to obfuscate and hide information that they believed would be damaging” and that prosecutors “were apparently manipulated.”
California
Lancaster is California’s most desirable Fourth of July destination, Airbnb says
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When thinking about vacations in Southern California, destinations such as Los Angeles, San Diego and Palm Springs may come to mind.
However, according to Airbnb, none of the three – or maybe any SoCal city you are thinking of – ranked among their top ten trending destinations for this year’s Fourth of July weekend.
That would be Lancaster.
The short and long-term rental service’s list of trending July 4 weekend destinations includes locations renowned for scenic landscapes (such as Cle Elum, Washington and Saratoga Springs, New York) and others known for significant Fourth of July celebrations (Marshfield, Massachusetts and Sanibel Island, Florida) in addition to desirable locations as picked by potential renters themselves.
Airbnb’s top ten trending destinations for Fourth of July 2024 are:
- Pocono Township, Pennsylvania
- Saratoga Springs, New York
- Marshfield, Massachusetts
- Leadville, Colorado
- Bangor, Maine
- Lancaster, California
- Cle Elum, Washington
- Wenatchee, Washington
- Sanibel-Sanibel Island, Florida
- Fort Myers Beach, Florida
Breaking it down further, Airbnb found the “most wishlisted” home in each state; California’s was the Invisible House, located within Joshua Tree National Park.
A one-night stay at the Invisible House from July 7 to July 8 will cost $2,934 before taxes.
To view Airbnb’s list of trending towns and “most wishlisted” homes, click here.
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