Court rulings restore truth to elections

By Alice Markman, San Diego | 9/01/2020

Regarding the article “Challenge to tax bill language denied by Sacramento judge” published in the Hi-Desert Weekender Aug. 7.

It is unfortunate that we are living in a time where the truth can become hazy and deceit is common in our politics.

However, this court case is a huge win, not just for supporters of Prop. 15, but also for restoring honesty in our institutions.

Last week, the Superior Court of California ruled nearly 100 words of their ballot argument against Prop. 15 had to be deleted, because of lies that Prop. 15 would affect homeowners and home-based businesses, which it won’t.

This win also made it evident that the opposition to Prop. 15 will stop at nothing to keep their corporate tax breaks.

While opponents of Prop. 15 claimed to be fighting for the truth in this court case, this ruling has proven otherwise. It is clear that the biggest and wealthiest corporations are ready to use extreme scare tactics if it means they can avoid paying their fair share of property taxes.

Contrary to their lies, Californians stand to benefit from Prop. 15 in the form of better public schools and community services.

In fact, most of the funding generated from Prop. 15 would only come from the top 6 percent of the state’s wealthiest commercial property owners.

While these two court cases are big wins for maintaining a truthful election process, we must be sure to research the issues and vote on our own volition rather than what big businesses mislead us into believing.