2022 California Proposition 30

For 2012 tax to fund education, see 2012 California Proposition 30.

Proposition 30

November 8, 2022 (2022-11-08)
Tax on Income Above $2 Million for Zero-Emissions Vehicles and Wildfire Prevention Initiative
Results
Choice Votes % Yes 4,560,488 42.37% No 6,203,810 57.63% Valid votes 10,764,298 96.57% Invalid or blank votes 382,322 3.43% Total votes 11,146,620 100.00% Registered voters/turnout 21,940,274 50.8%
Results by county Yes   60–70%   50–60% No   80–90%   70–80%   60–70%   50–60%

Proposition 30 is a California ballot proposition that appeared in the general election on November 8, 2022. The measure was defeated. The initiative would have raised taxes on the wealthy to fund wildfire management and electric vehicle (and ZEV) incentives and infrastructure.^[1]

A "yes" vote supported the tax increase on income above $2 million; a "no" vote supported maintaining the current tax rate for people of this income.^[2]

Proposal

See also: Climate change in California

The initiative would have raised taxes by 1.75% on annual personal income in excess of $2 million and directed 45% of the revenue to incentives, 35% to charging stations, and 20% to wildfire prevention.^[1] The tax revenue the proposal would have generated was estimated to be between $3 and $4.5 billion annually. The tax would have sunset in 2043, or after California achieved a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 80% below 1990 levels, whichever was earlier.^[3]

Wildfires and gas combustion contribute to air pollution and release greenhouse gases, so these measures could have improved air quality and contributed to climate mitigation.^[2] It would have combated wildfires by increasing the budget for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection by up to $1 billion annually.^[4]

Support and opposition

The campaign for Proposition 30 was mostly funded by the rideshare company Lyft, which could have used the incentives to facilitate compliance with the state's electric vehicle requirements.^[5] Specifically, ride-hailing companies are required by the state to log 90 percent of their miles in electric vehicles by 2030, and the proposition could have increased the number of drivers with electric vehicles.^[6] By April 2022, Lyft had already spent $8 million in support of the proposition.^[6] It was also supported by the California Democratic Party, California Environmental Voters, the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, and the California State Association of Electrical Workers.^[5][7][8] It was supported by Representatives Ro Khanna and Barbara Lee, and mayors Sam Liccardo and Libby Schaaf.^[3][8] Environmental and transportation experts argued that Proposition 30 is necessary because the state's prior investments in electrification were insufficient.^[9]

The proposition was opposed by the California Republican Party, the California Teachers Association, the California Chamber of Commerce, and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.^[5][7][8] Governor Gavin Newsom also criticized Lyft, saying that the proposition was "a cynical scheme devised by a single corporation to funnel state income tax revenue to their company", noting that the state had already committed $10 billion for electric vehicles and their infrastructure.^[10] The campaign against Proposition 30 also produced a TV ad featuring Newsom, where he argued that the initiative was "a trojan horse that puts corporate welfare above the fiscal welfare of our entire state".^[11] The biggest donors to the opposition campaign were hedge fund manager William S. Fisher and billionaire Michael Moritz, and investment firm founder Mark Heising.^[9]

Environmental policy experts such as Bill Magavern of the Coalition for Clean Air refuted the governor's claims, clarifying that nothing in the measure directed money specifically to Lyft.^[12][9] “It doesn’t take money from any other purpose. This is money that otherwise would just be in the pockets of really rich people,” he said. “And I think when you’re talking about motives, you got to look who’s funding the governor’s attack: really rich people.”^[12] For this reason, Joe Garofoli of the San Francisco Chronicle alleged that Newsom opposed the measure to further his presidential ambitions.^[12] The measure's ultimate failure was widely attributed to Newsom's opposition.^[13]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size[a]	Margin of error	For Proposition 30	Against Proposition 30	Undecided
Berkeley IGS Poll	October 25-31, 2022	5,972 (LV)	± 2%	47%	41%	12%
Public Policy Institute of California	October 14–23, 2022	1,111 (LV)	± 5.1%	41%	52%	7%
Public Policy Institute of California	July 8–15, 2022	1,132 (LV)	± 4.1%	63%	35%	2%

Notes

1. Key:
   A – all adults
   RV – registered voters
   LV – likely voters
   V – unclear

References

1. Beam, Adam (July 5, 2022). "Californians to vote on 7 ballot measures this November". San Francisco Examiner. Associated Press. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
2. "Prop 30: Tax on Income Above $2 Million for Zero-Emissions Vehicles and Wildfire Prevention Initiative". KCET. July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
3. "California Proposition 30, Tax on Income Above $2 Million for Zero-Emissions Vehicles and Wildfire Prevention Initiative (2022)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2022-09-22.
4. "California's Proposition 30 could add up to $1 billion to CAL FIRE's budget". Wildfire Today. 2022-09-21. Retrieved 2022-09-22.
5. "California ballot measures 2022: Your guide to this year's propositions". Politico. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
6. Alexander, Kurtis (April 5, 2022). "Ballot measure would tax California's wealthiest residents to fund efforts curbing wildfires and smoke". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
7. Sheeler, Andrew (July 6, 2022). "The battle over Prop. 30 begins + Rendon to support Youth Jobs Corps rollout". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
8. "Prop 30: Why mayors of SJ, Oakland and Newsom are on opposite sides of the EV ballot measure". ABC7 San Francisco. 2022-09-21. Retrieved 2022-09-22.
9. "A California measure would tax the rich to fund electric vehicles. Why is the governor against it?". the Guardian. 2022-10-14. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
10. Hoeven, Emily (July 25, 2022). "Newsom calls for more aggressive climate action". Calmatters. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
11. Zavala, Ashley (September 12, 2022). "Gov. Newsom officially urges no on Proposition 30, calls it a 'trojan horse'". KCRA. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
12. Garofoli, Joe (2022-09-13). "Newsom's allies support Prop. 30 — here's why it makes sense that he doesn't". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
13. Christopher, Ben (2022-11-10). "Why California's eco-friendly, tax-the-rich electorate killed Prop. 30". CalMatters. Retrieved 2022-11-26.