Jerry Brown Will Raise Your Taxes

Do you know where your wallet is?

Jerry Brown has imposed, proposed or endorsed increasing your taxes for you—on everything from parking meters to property taxes. As governor of California and mayor of Oakland, Brown’s solution to every problem has been to look inside the checkbooks of hard-working families and homeowners. That’s what Jerry Brown has done to you.

As governor of California …

Jerry Brown imposed, proposed or supported new taxes on Californians totaling more than $7 billion. That included a better than $2.5 billion gas tax increase.

GAS TAX

• Brown signed a bill that raised the state gas tax 2-cents-per-gallon. The same bill allowed local county governments to raise their own gas taxes even more than that. ^{1 2}

SALES TAX

• Brown asked the legislature to pass an increase in the sales tax to take another $5 billion from taxpayers. ³

As mayor of Oakland …

Jerry Brown was the leader in efforts to raise taxes and fees on things that affect the lives of normal, everyday people. He asked for massive increases on property, parking, hotel rooms, garbage collection, utilities, phone bills and cable television.

• Brown flexed his mayoral muscle in 2001 to block a 20-percent reduction of taxes on residential utility bills. ⁴
• Brown supported 2001’s “Measure B” to increase property taxes by 64%. It passed. ⁵
• In 2002 Brown proposed raising taxes by more than $63.5 million on hotel rooms, parking, utilities, telephones and cable television. ⁶
• Brown proposed in 2003 to raise fines and fees on parking, parking tickets, garbage collection, street sweeping violations and burglar alarms. ⁷
• Brown also endorsed 2004’s “Measure Y” to create a new parcel tax on property owners of $20 million a year. ⁸
• In 2004, Brown supported a double a parcel tax through “Measure Q.” ⁹
• Not to be outdone by himself, Brown supported “Measure E,” raising property taxes by 58% that same year. It passed. ¹⁰

When he has held an executive position, Jerry Brown’s first instinct is to look to the taxpayers to pay for every solution to every problem or project he finds. That’s what Jerry Brown has done to you.