After passing the Senate, Assembly Constitutional Amendment (ACA) 13 passed through the Assembly last night. All Republicans and one Democrat voted no; seven Democrats did not vote (essentially a no vote); and 55 Democrats voted in favor of the measure.

After passing the Legislature, ACA 13 will now put a question on the ballot at the same time as the Taxpayer Protection Act that will allow voters to decide if they want to permanently make it easier for their taxes to be raised or restore Proposition 13.

ACA 1 also passed yesterday, which will also ask voters if they want to tear down Proposition 13 protections by lowering the vote threshold for special taxes put on the ballot by government entities. 

CBPA’s advocacy efforts will now shift to ensuring the passage of the Taxpayer Protection Act and opposing ACA 13 and ACA 1 on the ballot in the interests of our industry and taxpayers across the state.

Despite the disappointment of the passage of ACA 13 and ACA 1, the commercial real estate industry was successful on many issues this legislative session. Of the nearly 3,000 bills introduced, your advocates in Sacramento tracked over 440 with a priority list of 30 bills. Many bad bills were killed or amended, while a handful of supported bills passed. CBPA has provided an end of session update on priority legislation.

The 2023 legislative session concluded yesterday with labor unions scoring a handful of major victories. In addition to the passage of ACA 13 and ACA 1, labor secured wins on sick time, minimum wage, unionization rights, unemployment insurance, and more. Bills that passed the Legislature now have until October 14th to be signed by the governor.

The success of labor's efforts are built on candidate recruitment, getting those candidates elected, and a constant investment in Sacramento based advocacy activities. A recent CalMatters article discusses lawmakers' embrace of labor in this legislative session.