Oakland, California, Measure S, Appropriations Ordinance (March 2020)

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Oakland Measure S
LocalBallotMeasures Final.png
Election date
March 3, 2020
Topic
City budget
Status
Approveda Approved
Type
Referral
Origin
Lawmakers


An Appropriations Ordinance was on the ballot for Oakland voters in Alameda County, California, on March 3, 2020.[1] It was approved.

A "yes" vote supported increasing the city's appropriations limit until March 3, 2024, to allow the city to continue to spend the tax revenue from local taxes previously approved by Oakland voters on emergency, library, and safety services without increasing or imposing new taxes.
A "no" vote opposed increasing the city's appropriations limit until March 3, 2024, to allow the city to continue to spend the tax revenue from local taxes previously approved by Oakland voters on emergency, library, and safety services without increasing or imposing new taxes.


A simple majority was required for the approval of Measure S.

Election results

Oakland Measure S

Result Votes Percentage

Approved Yes

82,583 72.35%
No 31,562 27.65%
Results are officially certified.
Source


Text of measure

Ballot question

The ballot question was as follows:[1]

Shall the measure increasing the appropriations limit under Article XIIIB of the California Constitution (which limits city expenditures of tax proceeds) to allow the City of Oakland to continue to expend revenues from taxes previously approved by Oakland voters for emergency medical services, paramedic services, library services, public safety and violence prevention services, homeless services and other lawful governmental purposes, without increasing or imposing new taxes, be adopted?[2]

Impartial analysis

The following impartial analysis of the measure was prepared by the office of the Barbara Parker, city attorney:[1]

In 1979, California: voters passed Proposition 4, an initiative that added Article XIIIB to the California Constitution. This constitutional amendment established a limit, known as the "Gann Limit" or "Appropriations Limit", on the amount of tax revenue state and local governments (including cities) can appropriate (spend) in any fiscal year. The expenditure of tax revenue by state and local governments cannot exceed their appropriations limits. Article XIIIB requires that local governments calculate appropriations (spending) limits annually. An appropriations limit is calculated by adjusting the "base year" appropriations limit each year for inflation and population growth. In 1990, California voters passed Proposition 111, which established Fiscal Year 1986-1987 as the "base year" for all governments. Therefore, the City of Oakland's annual appropriations limit is the City's appropriations limit from Fiscal Year 1986-1987 (base year) adjusted each year for inflation and population growth.

Since Fiscal Year 1986-1987, Oakland voters have passed local tax measures that generate tax revenue to pay for important municipal services such as emergency dispatch services, paramedic services, libraries, violence prevention, and services to the homeless. To permit the City of Oakland to continue to spend tax revenue on these important municipal services without exceeding the City's appropriations limit, the City of Oakland's appropriations limit must be increased. Section 4 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution allows the electors of a local government to increase the City's appropriations limit by a majority vote for up to four years.

This measure would increase the City's appropriations limit until March 3, 2024. This increase will allow the City to continue to spend the tax revenue from local taxes previously approved by Oakland voters on important municipal services such as emergency dispatch services, paramedic services, libraries, violence prevention, and services to the homeless, without increasing or imposing new taxes.

This measure was placed on the ballot by the Oakland City Council. Passage of this measure requires an affirmative vote of a majority of voters (i.e., more than 50% of the votes cast). A "Yes" vote will approve the measure; a "No" vote will reject the measure.[2]

Full text

The full text of the measure is available here.

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing local ballot measures in California

This measure was put on the ballot through a vote of the Oakland City Council.[1]

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Voter's Edge, "Measure S," accessed February 22, 2020
  2. 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.