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Raise taxes on the rich and on corporations.
1) San Francisco scored two major victories in the fair tax fight, including a measure to increase the property transfer tax on sales of more than $ 10 million.
2) Another successful measure in San Francisco is raising taxes on companies that pay their CEO more than 100 times the average salary in their city. My colleague from the Institute for Policy Studies, Sarah Anderson, explains how this proposal will encourage businesses to reduce pay gaps while generating revenue for poverty and inequality reduction programs.
3) The voters of Multnomah County in the state of Oregon approved a plan called “Preschool for All” that will be financed with a tax for people with high incomes in that county. As my Portland colleague Robert Alvarez writes, this progressive victory is the result of building an effective coalition around bold goals, from addressing racial disparities in the ability to obtain preschool education to paying teachers a living wage.
4) Passed Arizona Proposition 08, which would raise income taxes above $ 250,000 to pay higher salaries to teachers and improve schools.
5) Colorado voters approved a state paid family and medical leave program funded by payroll taxes.
On the downside, cash-strapped Illinois residents rejected a constitutional amendment to replace a regressive “flat” income tax with progressive and progressive rates. Another disappointing failure: California’s Proposition 15, which would have raised money for schools and local governments by taxing commercial and industrial properties valued at more than $ 3 million at market value rather than purchase value.
Worker protection
6) Despite strong opposition from the restaurant and tourism sectors, the majority of Floridians voted to increase the state minimum wage to $ 15 per day.
7) In Portland, Maine, voters also approved a proposal to raise the minimum wage to $ 15.
In both Florida and Maine, proposals to increase wages received an impressive 60% support.
On the downside: California residents passed Proposition 22, a company-backed effort to repeal state law that requires Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and other Internet platform-based companies to classify their workers as employees with employment rights. basic, rather than independent contractors. Uber and Lyft spent about $ 200 million writing their own business law in California while exploring similar strategies in other states.
accommodation
8) As the country faces a boom in evictions and foreclosures, various ballot proposals have addressed the problem of homelessness and the need for affordable housing. For example, voters in Portland, Maine, agreed to set rent caps and increase protection for tenants.
9) In King County, Washington, voters approved a proposal to allow county residents to record the sale, rental or transfer of real estate at a value below market value, if it is to be used as affordable housing .
Despite strong opposition from the restaurant and tourism sectors, the majority of Floridians voted to raise the state’s minimum wage to $ 15 per day.
10) San Francisco passed a measure to use $ 487.5 million in property taxes to fund homeless housing and mental health facilities, as well as a proposal to build 10,000 units of affordable housing.
Despite the state’s affordable housing crisis, California voters roundly rejected Proposition 21, which would have allowed local governments to impose a rent control on all rental homes over the age of 15.
Transportation justice
11) As my colleague Basaf Sen wrote, barriers to public transportation “make it more difficult for people, especially people of color and the poor, to access jobs, schools, and other places they want to go.” Unfortunately, many of this year’s public transportation proposals have been based on sales tax increases, which fall primarily on the poor. Important Exception: In Austin, Texas, voters approved a plan to raise property taxes to fund a $ 7 billion project to expand bus and train lines throughout the city.
Sadly, in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area, voters rejected a proposal to increase payroll taxes for businesses with more than 25 employees to pay for the expansion of public transportation.
Money in politics
12) By an overwhelming margin (79% vs. 21%), Oregon voters have succeeded on Measure 107, which will reduce campaign contributions and spending and impose more transparency on campaign spending and funding, as well as political advertising.
Digital division
13) In Denver, voters approved a proposal to allow their city to provide Internet, telephone and television services as public services. This should help reduce the “digital divide” in the city where 20% of the population lacks Internet access. It should also help dilute Comcast and Century Link’s current dominance in the local market.
The criminalization of poverty
14) In Los Angeles County, residents voted to allocate 10% of county revenue to community investment programs that provide alternatives to incarceration. This was one of a long list of important criminal justice reforms on ballots across the country.
On the disappointing side, California voters rejected a measure that would have eliminated “cash bail.” Cash bail is a system that holds the poor while they await trial for weeks or even months.
** This article was published on inequality.org
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