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Guide to the Judith Stanley Subject Files on Proposition 13
MS-R082
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Title: Judith Stanley subject files on Proposition 13
Date: 1973-1980,
Date (bulk): bulk 1978
Collection Number: MS-R082
Creator:
Stanley, Judith
Extent:
1.4 linear feet
(2 boxes and 1 oversized folder)
Languages: The collection is in English and Spanish.
Repository:
University of California, Irvine. Library. Special Collections and Archives.
Irvine, California 92623-9557
Abstract: This collection comprises newsletters, clippings, campaign ephemera, memoranda, reports, and other materials gathered by Judith
Stanley, a University of California, Irvine, librarian, to document California's Proposition 13, a citizen's initiative to
reduce property taxes that was approved as a State constitutional amendment on June 6, 1978. Included in the collection are
materials from taxpayer associations, housing associations, and political coalitions, as well as files documenting the effect
of the proposition on education, libraries, and Social Security.
Important Information for Researchers
The collection is open for research.
Property rights reside with the University of California. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and
their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or to publish, please contact the Head of Special Collections and Archives.
Judith Stanley subject files on Proposition 13. MS-R082. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine,
California.
Transferred from the Government Information Department, 2001.
Processed by Audrey Pearson, 2007.
Judith Stanley was a social sciences bibliographer for the University of California, Irvine libraries in the 1970s.
Commonly called the "Taxpayers' Revolt of 1978," Proposition 13 was a landmark citizen's initiative written and introduced
in 1977 by politicians Howard Jarvis (1903-1986) and Paul Gann (1912-1989). This proposition fixed California property taxes
at 1 percent of the full cash value of the property and set the maximum inflationary rate for property value at 2 percent
per year. Property value is reassessed when property is purchased, newly constructed, or undergoing change in ownership.
The proposition passed with 65 percent of the vote. Proponents of Proposition 13 cited the $6 billion state surplus as evidence
of overtaxation and claimed that without the bill, property owners would eventually be unable to afford their property taxes.
Opponents of the tax argued that the bill was unfair to renters because it only offered tax relief to owners, that it would
take funds away from publicly funded government services, and that it would cause hundreds of thousands of job losses statewide.
Proposition 13 continues to be a source of debate because new owners typically pay higher taxes than previous owners.
Biography/Organization History
| 1965 | The San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Examiner publish series of stories about the inconsistent assessment of property taxes due to assessors accepting bribes. |
| 1967 | Assembly Bill 80, the Petris-Knox Bill, passes requiring county assessors to reassess property at 25 percent of market value during the following three years and to do frequent reassessments to maintain the 25 percent ratio. |
| 1973 | Ronald Reagan's Proposition 1 to limit state spending fails to pass in California. |
| 1973-1977 | California enters a period of rapid housing inflation, resulting in ever increasing property taxes. |
| 1978 | California's estimated budget surplus is $6 billion. |
| 1978 | Voters approve Proposition 13 on June 6th and it becomes a California constitutional amendment. |
For further information about Proposition 13, see Frank Levy, On Understanding Proposition 13 (Washington, D.C.: The Urban
Institute, 1979).
Collection Scope and Content Summary
This collection comprises newsletters, clippings, campaign ephemera, memoranda, reports, and other materials gathered by Judith
Stanley, a University of California, Irvine, librarian, to document California Proposition 13, a citizen's initiative to reduce
property tax that was approved as a State constitutional amendment on June 6, 1978. Included in the collection are materials
from taxpayer associations, housing associations, and political coalitions, as well as files documenting the effect of the
proposition on education, libraries, and Social Security. In addition, this collection contains materials showing various
reactions to the passage of Proposition 13, analyses of the effects of Proposition 13 in the two years following its passage,
and campaign materials supporting the opposing proposition, Proposition 8.
The original order of the collection has been maintained. The creator arranged the collection alphabetically according to
subject.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Jarvis, Howard.
Gann, Paul,--1912-1989.
California. Proposition 13 (1978)--Archives.
Property tax--California--Archives.
Referendum--California--Archives.
Elections--California--Archives.
California--Politics and government--Archives.
Genres and Formats of Materials
Campaign literature--California--20th century.