Analysis of the 2023 local ballot measures in California
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December 21, 2023
By The Ballot Measures Team
California voters decided 45 local ballot measures on 10 different election dates in 2023.
Measures by outcome
Of the 45 local ballot measures in California in 2023, voters approved 34 and defeated 11.
- In 2021, there were 46 local measures on the ballot in California, of which 35 (76%) were approved and 11 (24%) were defeated.
- In 2019, there were 78 local measures on the ballot in California, of which 62 (79%) were approved and 16 (21%) were defeated.
- In 2017, there were 135 local measures on the ballot in California, of which 87 (64%) were approved and 48 (36%) were defeated.
Measures by county
In 2023, there were 45 local ballot measures in 22 counties in California. The numbers ranged from 0 in 36 counties (of 58 counties) to 11 in Los Angeles County. In 2022, there were 572 local measures in 54 counties.
Measures by topic
Of the 45 local ballot measures, 28 measures were related to taxes, five measures were related to charter amendments, four measures were related to special district governance, three measures were related to zoning, and five measures were related to miscellaneous topics.
Taxes
Taxes made up 62% of the measures on local ballots in California in 2023. There were 28 measures concerning taxes on the ballot, including:
- Parcel taxes (23 measures)
- City taxes (2 measures)
- Sales tax (1 measure)
- District tax (1 measure)
- Marijuana tax (1 measure)
Parcel taxes
- See also: Parcel tax elections in California
Twenty three (23) of the 28 tax measures on the local California ballots in 2023 were parcel taxes. Seventeen (17) were approved and six were defeated.
Parcel taxes are a form of special property tax, which must be paid by the owners of parcels, or units, of real estate. However, unlike standard property taxes, which are based on the value of the property, a parcel tax is an assessment based on the characteristics of the parcel. These assessments can include taxing a parcel based on square footage or by dwelling unit, or the tax may be a flat rate per parcel. Parcel taxes are all special taxes, meaning that they are designed to fund specific purposes. Special taxes proposed by local governments require a two-thirds (66.67%) vote for approval in California.
Sales taxes
In 2023, there was one sales tax measures on the local ballot in California. It was approved.
In 2023, the state sales tax rate in California was 7.25%. Local jurisdictions in the state are permitted to implement additional sales taxes for either general purposes or specific uses. While general sales tax measures require a simple majority vote, sales tax measures proposed by local governments for specific uses require a two-thirds (66.67%) supermajority vote.
Hotel taxes
In 2023, there was one hotel tax measures on the local ballot in California. The measure was approved.
Local school bonds
In 2023, there was one local school bond measure on the ballot in California. The measure was approved.
Measures by election date
There were 10 separate dates in 2023 on which voters in California decided 45 local ballot measures. On November 7, 2023, 18 of the measures were on the ballot.
Dates
- March 7 - Thirteen measures (13) were approved, one was defeated
- April 11 - One measure was approved.
- May 2 - Four measures were approved.
- May 9 - One measure was approved.
- May 23 - Two measures were defeated.
- July 11 - Two measures were defeated.
- August 29 - One measure was approved, and one was defeated.
- October 3 - One measure was defeated.
- October 24 - One measure was approved.
- November 7 - Thirteen measures were approved, and five were defeated.
Comparing 2023 to prior odd-numbered years
With 45 measures, 2023 featured a 51.61% decrease in the average number of measures during the last four odd-year election cycles. In 2021, there were 46 local measures in California. There was one less measure in 2023.
See also
- 2023 ballot measures
- California 2023 local ballot measures
- Ballot measure readability scores, 2023
- Ballot measure signature costs, 2023
- Ballot measure campaign finance, 2023
- Ballot Measure Scorecard, 2023
- Ballotpedia's Tuesday Count for 2023
- List of ballot measure lawsuits in 2023
- 2023 ballot measure polls
- 2023 ballot measure media endorsements
- Hotel taxes in California
- Business taxes in California
- Utility taxes in California
- Sales tax in California
- Parcel tax elections in California
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