LOS ANGELES — A California assemblywoman has introduced a measure that would reduce the voter approval threshold required to pass local government bond measures from a two-thirds supermajority to 55% — the same as the requirement for school district general obligation bonds.
Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, introduced Assembly Constitutional Amendment 4 Tuesday, saying it would give local governments flexibility in funding critical infrastructure and affordable housing projects.
As the former mayor of Winters, Aguiar-Curry said in a release, she saw the first-hand deterioration of "our once world-class infrastructure."
She said her amendment would empower California communities to take action at the local level to improve their economies, neighborhoods and residents' quality of life.
In a similar move, Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, introduced Senate Constitutional Amendment 6 last week, but his amendment would lower the vote threshold for cities, counties and special districts for transportation projects only.
"Two-thirds is a very high bar to reach in many parts of the state that desperately need more investment in smart transportation infrastructure," said Stuart Cohen, executive director of TransForm, a mass transit advocacy group.
More than 2,200 local revenue measures have been placed before voters since 2001. Of that number, nearly 80% of all two-thirds supermajority measures garnered more than 55% "yes" votes, but ultimately failed because they fell short of a two-thirds majority threshold, according to Aguiar-Curry.
Proposition 39, which lowered the threshold for school districts, was approved by voters in 2000.
In the 12 years following voter approval of Proposition 39, 83% of school facilities bonds passed, compared to 54% for the 12-year period prior to the measure's passage, according to a
If either of the amendments are approved by legislators, they would be placed on the June 2018 ballot as constitutional amendments that have to be approved by voters.
