California
Is California really a low property tax state?
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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A 31-year-old suspect identified as Cole Thomas Allen is in custody following a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, DC, with authorities continuing to investigate his background and possible motives, media reports said late Saturday.
Citing official statements and eyewitness accounts, the reports identified Allen as being from California, later confirmed by US President Donald Trump, who called the suspect “a very sick person,” and said he was thought to have acted alone.
Trump, along with the first lady and several top Cabinet members, was escorted out of the Washington Hilton ballroom, where the event was taking place, by Secret Service. Shortly afterward, he said the suspect had been “apprehended” and shared photos of him on the ground shirtless, along with blurry security footage of what appeared to be a figure darting past security agents.
Officials said the suspect was armed with multiple weapons, including a shotgun, a handgun and several knives. Metropolitan Police interim chief Jeff Carroll said he was also a guest at the hotel hosting the dinner.
Also speaking after the incident, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said the suspect reportedly “rushed a Secret Service checkpoint” in a lobby before being stopped by agents.
An officer was shot during the incident but survived thanks to a bulletproof vest he was wearing.
“He was shot from very close distance with a very powerful gun, and the vest did the job,” Trump said, adding the officer was “in great shape.”
Witness accounts provided additional details about the suspect’s actions before the shooting.
A volunteer at the event, Helen Mabus, told the New York Post that the suspect appeared to assemble a “long” weapon in a lightly monitored area near a terrace-level entrance.
“He grabbed it out of a bag or something … it was long and didn’t look like a typical gun,” the daily quoted her as saying.
Mabus said the suspect was partially out of view of security while handling the weapon in a “makeshift room” used for storing bar carts.
“He put it together and … ran towards the stairs to go down to the ballroom,” she recounted.
Mabus said the suspect then began firing in multiple directions, estimating she heard at least 10 shots. “It just seemed like he was shooting all over the place,” she said, describing panic among guests.
Authorities said the suspect was later apprehended and transported to a hospital for evaluation.
Jeanine Pirro, US attorney for the District of Columbia, said the suspect would face two charges and is expected to be arraigned in federal court on Monday. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said additional charges may follow, noting that the investigation was ongoing.
FBI Director Kash Patel, who was also at the dinner, said the bureau had begun examining the suspect’s background and would “analyze all evidence immediately.”
While officials have said no clear motive was immediately clear, CBS News reported that
Allen admitted to security forces after his arrest that he intended to shoot Trump administration officials.
Citing two sources, the broadcaster said Allen did not specify that he was targeting Trump, only saying he was after “administration officials.”
The suspect is reported to have earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from California State University, and a Cole Allen appears among computer science graduates in the May 2025 commencement program of California State University, Dominguez Hills.
According to law enforcement sources cited by CBS News, Allen worked as a teacher with C2 Education in Torrance, a private tutoring service, and was named “Teacher of the Month” in December 2024, according to a Facebook post. It is unclear whether he was still employed there at the time of the incident.
White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting
The incident occurred during the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel, where President Trump, first lady Melania Trump and other high-level figures were present.
Witnesses reported hearing loud “pop, pop, pop” sounds, prompting guests to take cover under tables as security forces responded.
The Trump couple, Vice President JD Vance and Cabinet members were evacuated from the head table, while other guests remained inside the ballroom.
Secret Service agents and law enforcement quickly intervened, securing the scene and taking the suspect into custody as the event was halted.
Margaux Mirkin, the 70-year-old heiress whose father founded Budget Rent a Car, was the apparent victim of a home invasion on Thursday in which she was assaulted and strangled, according to police.
Officers arrived at her Hollywood Hills home in Los Angeles and learned that the attackers had left the woman inside the residence after allegedly smashing her jaw and choking her.
Property records obtained by NBC4 confirmed Mirkin owns the residence.
Although the full extent of the theft remains unclear, police said the suspects stole cash and jewelry from the home. Neighbors said some of the jewelry belonged to the woman’s late husband, who died in a house fire two years ago.
After the incident, Kristen Stavola, executive director of We Are Laurel Canyon, spoke to NBC4.
“She’s pretty shaken up, as anyone would be after being assaulted in your home and watching your valuables get stolen and driven away,” Stavola said.
An individual who did not want to be identified said the street is “dark” and a “dead-end street.”
“Not many people are on it, so of course it’s like the perfect street for a break-in,” the neighbor said.
NBC4 reported that the robbers dropped a bag containing a large amount of jewelry while leaving the home. When a neighbor saw them and shined a flashlight in their direction, they took off.
The police department’s robbery-homicide division is now managing the investigation.
Nevada — known for its vast deserts and audacious gamblers — is luring Californians away from the Golden State at a higher rate than any other.
The Silver State leeched a net 81 Californians per 10,000 residents each year from California between 2016 and 2025, as California undergoes a mass exodus of residents leaving, according to a report.
The report, titled “Priced Out: RELOCATION AMIDST CALIFORNIA’S AFFORDABILITY CRISIS,” was released on March 31 by the nonpartisan California Policy Lab.
Californians move to Nevada at a higher rate than even Texas, the report notes.
“Nevada is the standout,” the report says. “News reports often mention Texas, but that is misleading. The most accurate measure of popularity adjusts for state population and shows a clear pattern: proximity reigns. Californians most often leave for nearby states, and California also welcomes new residents from neighboring states most frequently.”
Nevada is a much cheaper state for U.S. residents to live in than California. It has no state income tax, unlike California, and housing prices, along with gas prices, are also lower. California’s average regular gas price was $5.88 on Friday while Nevada’s was $4.99, an 89-cent difference.
Evan White, a co-author of the study, says the Californians are leaving for more affordable states.
“The price tag has gone up on the California Dream, and many families are leaving the state for more affordable places,” White, the Executive Director of the California Policy Lab at UC Berkeley, said. “The difference these moves make is stark. Their destination neighborhoods are half as expensive and they end up much more likely to own a home within just a few years.”
The report shows that out-of-state movers pay an average of $672 less per month on housing costs, and home prices are 48% lower. Former California residents are about 48% more likely to own a home in their new state.
Higher-income Californians are also leaving at increasingly higher rates, the report said. The share of higher-income Californians leaving has increased from 34% to 40% since the pandemic.
“Our report shows that people who leave California are increasingly leaving from higher-income neighborhoods,” co-author Dr. Brett Fischer, Researcher at the California Policy Lab, said. “These movers are, on average, in a weaker financial position than their neighbors, and may be moving to attain the quality of life they see their neighbors enjoying but they cannot afford.”
From 2010 to 2024, nearly 10 million people left California. The state is considered one of the most expensive states in the nation.
Idaho, Oregon, and Arizona are the next largest net recipients of Californians on a per-capita basis, the report says.
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