People need to be informed about the Proposition 19 repeal.
The proposition has impacted so many people in California by dramatically increasing property taxes and will force sales of family homes and businesses. Many don’t even know it, or don’t understand it.
Many don’t even know it, or don’t understand it. There are many misconceptions, and voters need to know the facts about Proposition 19.
— Children may lose their family homes, farms and businesses due to HUGE property tax increases.
— The $11 million estate tax exemption will not prevent the property tax hike.
— Having your home in a trust will not prevent the property tax hike.
— There will be no $1 million exemption if parents have moved out of the family home to a retirement home.
— This will only repeal the part of Prop. 19 that will increase property taxes. The part of Prop. 19 that lets seniors and disabled move to any other county in California and keep their property tax basis will stay.
— This is a bipartisan issue.
— Adopted children may not be included, depending on their age when adopted.
Prop. 19 was largely misunderstood, a sneaky proposition that promised to let seniors and disabled move and keep their low property tax rate. It passed by a narrow margin in the midst of a pandemic, strongly backed by Realtors who will benefit from forced sales.
I simply want to move back to our family home. I’ve spent the last 20 years making my financial and retirement plans according to the existing laws. Suddenly Prop. 19 ruined all my plans for myself and my daughters.
I went back to live with Mom after Dad died. I took care of Mom and the house for many years, both a lot of maintenance. It’s an important architectural home, with most of the value in the design, love and memories.
Mom wants me to inherit our family home and preserve it. It’s inspired so many, and it would be a great loss to the architectural community if destroyed. Mom worked many years as mayor to preserve the rural feeling of our area and helped prevent it from being over-development. If I’m forced to sell, it will surely be torn down, and a single-family mansion would be built, causing more pollution, but no new affordable housing.
Mom now has Alzheimer’s and lives in assisted living. I just discovered this disqualifies me from the $1 million exemption. Taxes should be reasonable, fair and equal. Prop. 19 is not.
What if a child simply wants to be in the family home that he or she helped create? Children will have to sell and leave for other states that they can afford to live. It will destroy our family heritages.
The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association has filed an initiative to repeal the changes that Prop. 19 made to the intergenerational transfer and restore the law to the way it was before. This is a bipartisan issue.
To get this initiative on the ballot, HJTA needs our help. Find out how at: HJTA.org/RepealTheDeathTax. Let’s repeal 19, then tackle broader reform.
Jane van Tamelen
Santa Barbara
