The City of Lathrop has taken a stand firmly against the Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act – an upcoming state ballot measure that they feel will limit voter authority and accountability, restrict local fee authority to provide local services, restrict the authority of state and local governments to issue fines and penalties for violations of law, and restrict local tax authority to provide local services.

Last week the Lathrop City Council voted to stand with the League of California Cities and “a coalition of local governments, labor and public safety leaders, infrastructure advocates and businesses” that “strongly oppose” the initiative.

The ballot measure appears to replace an attempt that was made in 2018 to enact many of the same policies that was successfully pulled from the ballot after extensive lobbying by the League of California Cities. According to the staff report that was prepared by staff for the council, the upcoming ballot measure is actually “far more detrimental” than the one that was successfully pulled in 2018 because “it would limit local and state services to the benefit of corporations.”

Those in opposition to the bill believe it would do things like invalidate the California Supreme Court’s Upland decision that allows the majority of local voters to pass special taxes and would limit the franchise fees that can imposed on corporations who use public fines – both of which, opponents argue, would drastically impact the way that local governments collect revenue and provide essential services to constituents.

The proposed ballot measure, which was initially proposed by Attorney Thomas Hiltachk of the Sacramento-based firm of Bell McAndrews & Hiltachk, would require voter approval for any statewide tax increase.

As a political attorney, Hiltachk had a successful 2020 campaign cycle in California as the treasurer for the committee to defeat Proposition 15 – which would have increased some property taxes in order to fund education and local government projects – as well as serving as a consultant working to defeat the Proposition 22 cash bail replacement measure.

Both measures failed to garner the majority needed for them to pass.

A ballot initiative with nearly the exact same name as the one that could be before voters in November was proposed in 1992 and was ultimately defeated by voters before it could be implemented.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.