[Enterprise]

As I understand this, Proposition 218 was put on the ballot in 1996 by the Howard Jarvis organization because the politicians wanted to get around Proposition 13. Proposition 13 limited taxation and the yearly rate of increases to property. Apparently the politicians saw water rates as a way to raise revenue in lieu of the limits on property tax increases. So, the Howard Jarvis Organization put Proposition 218 on the ballot to limit the money Government can receive from supplying water to the actual costs of providing the service. Brilliant!

Proposition 218 came to the rescue of Proposition 13.

[Thud]

It was a lot more than that. Local governments were demanding that developers turn over 5-10% of any property they intended to develop as fees for various things. The state government was going overboard with excessive fees too.