Election 2020: Prop. 19 Would Allow Some Homeowners to Hold On to Low Property Tax Rates … And More

Proposition 19 on California’s November ballot would amend the state’s property tax structure in multiple ways. First, it would allow homeowners who are either age 55 and older, severely disabled or lost their home to wildfire to take their existing property tax rates with them when they move multiple times. Second, it would partly clamp down on what’s known as the Lebowski Loophole, which allows people who inherit homes from their parents to keep the existing tax rate. The measure would also direct some funding to wildfire prevention efforts. We break down Prop. 19.