Undergraduate student government officials postponed a vote on a resolution calling for Proposition 13 reform on Monday.
Undergraduate Students Association Council External Vice President Maryssa Hall drafted the resolution, but pulled it from the Tuesday meeting agenda after learning that multiple council members would not be able to attend the meeting.
“We just feel it is necessary for everyone to be present in order to discuss (the resolution),” said Jessica Trumble, the USAC cultural affairs commissioner. Trumble and General Representative Lizzy Naameh are also sponsoring the resolution.
The USAC resolution asserts that reforming Proposition 13 would help fund public education.
Proposition 13, which passed by a referendum in 1978, capped local property taxes at 1 percent of the property value from the day of purchase. As a result, property taxes for some residential properties rise more frequently than those for commercial properties, since residential properties generally change hands more frequently than commercial ones.
The resolution calls for reform of the law by requiring periodic reassessment of commercial property value to revise its property tax estimate, even if the property has not changed hands. This means that if the value of a piece of land rises, the owner’s property tax will also rise.
Residential property tax would not be affected by the proposed reform and would only rise when a new owner purchases the property.
Anyone can comment on the resolution on the USAC website.
Compiled by Jasmine Aquino, Bruin contributor.