Sacramento, Calif-- It should come as no surprise that the State Senate has passed yet another set of bills today, ACA 1 and ACA 13, both of which would make it harder to live in California. 

BREAKING: the Senate just passed ACA 1 & ACA 13, both dangerous constitutional amendments that lowers the voting threshold to raise local taxes and raises the threshold to lower taxes, direct attacks on #Prop13. pic.twitter.com/dBOtH2BOde

— Senator Janet Nguyen (@SenJanetNguyen) September 14, 2023

ACA 1, as the bill reads, would change the two-thirds majority vote requirement to pass a tax bill to a 55 percent majority. This move makes it that much easier for local government bodies to impose special taxes on their residents. This directly applies to and includes property taxes. It does not target California's Prop 13 protections when it comes to private property taxes in the state; it does, however, make it easier to impose additional taxes on said property at a lower voting threshold. Proposition 13 was a ballot initiative passed by California voters in 1978 that essentially froze private property tax rates and prevented them from being reassessed in the future. 

ACA 13 would raise the vote threshold for statewide ballot initiatives dealing specifically with tax reduction propositions from a simple majority to a two-thirds majority. In plain speak, ACA 13, if applied to Proposition 6 when it was on the ballot in 2018, would have required a two-thirds majority of voters to approve it rather than a simple majority. Therefore, ACA 13 would raise the bar for any initiative to lower taxes. Combined together, the state has signaled to voters that the government wants more power and ease to raise taxes and less power for the voters to repeal them.

RedState's coverage of the demise of the California dream is extensive, as you can see here. 

New Report Shows Just 16% of Californians Can Afford to Buy Home

New Forecast Has California Slated to Lose 5 More Congressional Seats by 2030

California's $113 Billion Bullet Train to Nowhere

Dear Gavin: A Californian's Letter of Frustration

California's New Plan to Stabilize Its Energy Grid Is So Insane You'll Mistake It for Parody

With this recent vote, it makes it very clear to rational free thinkers that California residents are quite literally being priced out of living in this state. More crime, more taxes, less government regulation, it goes on and on. 

Californians are being taxed to death; its residents pay the highest sales tax, the highest state income tax, and are the 4^th highest taxed overall in the nation. Which means we have less money to spend on daily needs. The burden is further compounded by the high cost of living, with California taking the 4^th highest cost of living position in the nation. Housing costs are particularly high, with the average home costing over $800,000. This has made it difficult for many families to afford to live in California and has led to residents leaving in search of more affordable living.

Californians also pay the most for basic necessities such as housing, food, and healthcare, compared to the rest of the nation. The high tax rates have made it more difficult for people to make ends meet and are driving businesses out of the state. Their tax policies are hurting Californians and are a major reason for California's failed state status.

The high taxes are not just limited to income tax. California also has the highest gas tax in the nation, which has a direct impact on the cost of living. It also makes it even more difficult for businesses to operate in the state. With rising fuel costs, businesses are forced to increase the price of their goods and services, which further increases the cost of living for Californians.

Even worse, Republicans in the California Assembly and Senate have effectively been relegated to mere mouthpieces of frustration due to the Democrats having a veto-proof super-majority in both chambers. Now, we have to give credit where credit is due, however, because the Republicans in the Senate and Assembly have been able to stop some pretty bad bills by doing what many view as an impossible task: whipping Democrats to vote against a Democrat bill. 

California voters, specifically Republican or conservative voters, have a choice to make in the future. Are you going to stand by and watch this ship burn to the waterline and sink? Because that is exactly what is happening. Time and time again, we get beat at the polls with pathetically weak voter turnout, anemic energy, and more. It has come to a point where, instead of rallying for the future of California, we find ourselves just criticizing it and writing its future off as pointless. I was one of those people for years. Then I got involved in politics in an effort to change it. 

Yes it does. You can vote for the same activist who have brought nothing but darkness to California or you can change course by changing your vote. Hint: Voting for any democrat is a vote for our ultimate demize. @RendonAD62 @GavinNewsom @RobBonta @CA_Dem https://t.co/F3EnGInD9Y

— Cartel California (@Cartel_Cal) September 19, 2023

Republican and conservative voters need to decide, here and now, that they will stand up and fight for our future. We need to stop waving the white flag of surrender and rolling over to die. It is frustrating to see this state being driven into the ground, to have our parental rights taken away, to have our kids ripped away from us if we don't "affirm their gender," or continue to see taxes and prices for everyday commodities go through the roof. Or, just give up, live a life on your knees, serving the masters that crack the whip and tell you to keep paying your taxes for the betterment of somebody else. 

It is far past time to stop wallowing in self-pity, stand up, and fight back. Get active, vote, register to vote, talk to your neighbors and friends, and start going to your school board and city council meetings. Start getting used to people not agreeing with you and not letting that stop you. Put the pressure on them for a change, because if you don't you're just going to be the next person they can count on to shut up and sit down, Don't be that person.