California Use of Voter-Approved Bond and Tax Revenue Initiative (2018)

California Use of Voter-Approved Bond and Tax Revenue Initiative
Election date November 6, 2018
Topic State and local government budgets, spending and finance
Status Not on the ballot
Type Constitutional amendment	Origin Citizens
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The California Use of Voter-Approved Bond and Tax Revenue Initiative (#17-0034) was not on the ballot in California as an initiated constitutional amendment on November 6, 2018.

The measure would have prohibited the state, local governments, and special districts from using revenue from voter-approved bonds and taxes on projects not expressly outlined in the original measure, unless the measure itself allowed for the revenue to be spent in other ways.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The official ballot title was as follows:

“

Requires That Proceeds of Bonds or Taxes Approved by the Voters Be Spent on the Specific Projects or Uses Approved by the Voters. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.

”

Petition summary

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

“

Prohibits state and local governments and special districts from spending proceeds of bonds or taxes approved by the voters for any purposes other than those provided in the measure authorizing those bonds or taxes.

”

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:

“

Potentially less state and local fiscal flexibility over the use of bond proceeds and tax revenue, depending upon future decisions made by elected officials, the courts, and the voters.

”

Constitutional changes

See also: Article II, California Constitution

The measure would have added a Section 11.5 to Article II of the California Constitution. The following text would have been added:

Sec. 11.5. Revenue raised pursuant to a bond or tax measure approved by voters shall not be diverted by the Legislature, or by a local government, or special district, to any project or fund not expressly delineated in the original measure, if any, and as approved by the voters, unless that measure provides for such diversion of revenue raised.

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 constitutional amendment, petitioners must collect signatures equal to 8 percent of the most recent gubernatorial vote. To get a measure on the 2018 ballot, the number of signatures required was 585,407. 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 was as follows:

• Michael Warda submitted a letter requesting a title and summary on September 28, 2017.
• A title and summary were issued by the California attorney general's office on December 4, 2017.
• Proponents of the initiative needed to submit 585,407 valid signatures by June 4, 2018, in order for it to make the ballot. Signatures were not filed.

See also

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

External links

• Initiative Petition #17-0034