By California Black Media

On June 20, the California Supreme Court decided to prevent placing an anti-tax initiative on the November ballot, ruling in favor of Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic legislators.

The Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act aimed to challenge the increase of taxes in California. The initiative calls for prohibiting the Legislature from raising or introducing new taxes without voter approval.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic legislative leaders sued last year to block the anti-tax  measure.

According to the court ruling, Gov. Newsom and legislators petitioned to halt the initiative, arguing that it “is invalid because it attempts to revise the California Constitution via citizen initiative.”

Court documents stated that the petitioners argued that the anti-tax measure, “is invalid because it would seriously impair essential government functions.”

In the court ruling, Justice Goodwin Liu stated that the proposed changes, “would substantially alter our basic plan of government. The proposal cannot be enacted by initiative. It is instead governed by the procedures for revising our Constitution.”

Under current state law, only a supermajority of the Legislature or a constitutional convention can submit proposed revisions to voters for approval.

California labor unions celebrated the court’s decision and celebrated the ruling on the social media platform X.

Tia Orr, executive director of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California Chapter, said the ballot measure was harmful.

“The threat to destroy California w/ greed and hubris lost today,” she wrote on the social media platform X, celebrating the High Court’s decision.

“Developers, landlords & corporations: our democracy is not your plaything to rearrange with your checkbook,” Orr added.

The court ordered Secretary of State Shirley Weber to stop any efforts to place the anti-tax measure on the November ballot.

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