California Sales and Use Tax Increase for Teacher Salaries Initiative (2018)

California Sales and Use Tax Increase for Teacher Salaries Initiative
Election date November 6, 2018
Topic Taxes and Education
Status Not on the ballot
Type State statute	Origin Citizens
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The California Sales and Use Tax Increase for Teacher Salaries Initiative (#17-0021) was not on the ballot in California as an initiated state statute on November 6, 2018.

The measure would have increased the state sales tax an additional one-tenth percent from 7.25 percent to 7.35 percent and enacted a retail use tax of one-tenth percent. The revenue from the tax increases would have been used to fund increasing full-time public teacher salaries to a minimum of the amount state legislators receive. In December 2017, legislators' salaries increased from $104,115 to $107,238.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The official ballot title was as follows:

“

Sets Minimum Compensation for Some Public-School Teachers Equal to That of State Legislators. Sales Tax Increase. Initiative Statute.

”

Petition summary

The summary provided for inclusion on signature petition sheets was as follows:

“

Requires that full-time, public-school teachers with a credential that would allow them to teach beyond five years (also known as a “clear credential”) be paid no less than regular members of the state Legislature. Funds the minimum compensation with an additional two percent sales tax over the current rate.

”

Fiscal impact

Note: The fiscal impact statement for a California ballot initiative authorized for circulation is prepared by the state's legislative analyst and director of finance.

The fiscal impact statement was as follows:

“

Increased state sales tax revenues of approximately $14 billion annually, with proceeds spent on higher teacher salaries. Additional costs to schools of about $3 billion per year to cover higher teacher pensions and certain other benefits costs resulting from—but not funded by—the measure. Schools and the state could take a variety of actions to bring required spending in line with available resources. Increased state costs of about $1 billion per year to cover higher teacher pensions. Potential state actions—such as lowering spending on other programs—to keep state spending from exceeding the state’s constitutional limit.

”

Full text

The full text of the measure is available here.

Sponsors

Great Teachers, Better Schools led the campaign in support of the initiative. Marc Litchman, who filed the initiative, said, "If you want to attract better people you have to pay a competitive salary."

Path to the ballot

See also: California signature requirements and Laws governing the initiative process in California

In California, the number of signatures needed to qualify a measure for the ballot is based on the total number of votes cast for the office of governor. For an initiated state statute, petitioners must collect signatures equal to 5 percent of the most recent gubernatorial vote. To get a measure on the 2018 ballot, the number of signatures required was 365,880. In California, initiatives can be circulated for 180 days. Signatures needed to be certified at least 131 days before the 2018 general election, which was around June 28, 2018. As the signature verification process can take several weeks, the California secretary of state issues suggested deadlines for several months before the certification deadline.

The timeline for the initiative is as follows:

• Marc Litchman submitted a letter requesting a title and summary on August 22, 2017.
• A title and summary were issued by the California attorney general's office on October 26, 2017.
• Proponents of the initiative needed to submit 365,880 valid signatures by April 24, 2018, in order for it to make the 2018 ballot.
• On May 8, 2018, the secretary of state announced that the initiative did not qualify for the ballot.

See also

• 2018 ballot measures
• California 2018 ballot propositions
• California ballot measures

External links

• Initiative Petition #17-0021