Opinion | Is Gavin Newsom Afraid of California Voters?

If Gavin Newsom cares about democracy as much as he proclaims, why is the California Governor asking the state’s Supreme Court to block a voter initiative that would limit Sacramento’s power to raise taxes? Last week Mr. Newsom joined former state Democratic party chairman John Burton in filing an emergency petition with the state Supreme Court to remove the Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act from the November 2024 ballot. The measure would “gut the administrative state,” they complain, and “shift the longstanding balance of powers in California” from the executive to the Legislature and people. California’s famous Prop. 13 requires a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to raise taxes and two-thirds approval of local voters to levy special taxes whose revenues are designated for specific purposes. Raising general local taxes requires a simple majority vote