The bottom line on taxes

Last year, local voters faced 61 tax measures, of which 45 -- 74% -- were approved, nearly a third by supermajority two-thirds votes. This is the highest rate for local tax measures since 1995 and much higher than the average pass rate of 51% in the 12 years of data compiled by the California Election Data Archive. The CEDA is a database of all county, city, school and community college district election results, compiled by two research units at Cal State Sacramento (the Center for California Studies and the Institute for Social Research) and the California secretary of state.

The remarkable success of these tax measures occurred at all levels of local government. Two out of the three county tax measures were approved, as were 29 of 40 city measures and 14 of 18 school district measures. Voters increased parcel taxes, sales taxes, utility taxes, hotel or occupancy taxes and an oil production tax. The majority of new or increased taxes were parcel taxes (i.e., a tax based on the size, rather than the value, of real estate).

Eleven cities had tax measures, of which three-quarters were approved. Those cities represented a mix of large (Long Beach) and small (Selma); urban (Monrovia) and rural (Ceres); affluent (Palo Alto) and poor (Delano); Democratic (Palo Alto) and Republican (Desert Hot Springs).

The results of school and community college district elections were similar and from similarly diverse areas. Voters in 18 school districts passed measures to create, increase or extend parcel taxes; 14 passed. The four school measures that were defeated got more than 50% of the vote, but failed to reach the requisite two-thirds supermajority. That level of support is not surprising given that since 1995, voters have been more inclined to approve education-related tax measures than those for public safety, transportation or other purposes.