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Our call — vote NO
The measure
This is a citizen initiative statute. It makes permanent the higher income-tax rates voters approved in Proposition 30 (2012) and extended in Proposition 55 (2016), which are otherwise scheduled to expire after 2030. The rates are 10.3% on single-filer income from $371,000 to $446,000, 11.3% from $446,000 to $743,000, and 12.3% above $743,000, with double thresholds for joint filers; without this measure, income above $371,000 reverts to a 9.3% rate after 2030.
What YES does
A YES vote removes the expiration date. The 'temporary' 2012 tax increase becomes a permanent feature of California law.
What NO does
A NO vote keeps the scheduled sunset. The higher brackets expire after 2030 and the top rate returns to 9.3%, unless voters later decide otherwise.
The math
The LAO estimates the measure would bring in between $5 billion and $15 billion each year after 2030, compared with letting the rates expire. Roughly 40% goes to schools and community colleges — split 89% K–12 and 11% community colleges within the education share — and the rest to other state programs and reserves. The LAO notes the top 2% of taxpayers pay these rates and account for about half of all state income tax.
OUR CALL
Our call: NO.
Voters were promised in 2012 that this tax was temporary. It was extended once, and now the ask is to make it permanent — the full lifecycle of every 'temporary' tax. A state that already collects record revenue does not have a revenue problem, and keeping faith with the original promise matters: if a sunset means nothing, no future tax pledge means anything either. Let it expire as scheduled.
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Sources
- California Secretary of State, Qualified Statewide Ballot Measures — https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-measures/qualified-ballot-measures/
- California Official Voter Information Guide (Legislative Analyst's Office fiscal estimates), via the 2026 propositions master guide — https://californiatoday.com/guides/elections/2026-california-propositions-master-guide/
Result pending. No verified call (Associated Press or official) as of November 4, 2026. This page will be updated when the race is called or certified. The original article above is unchanged.
AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.