We considered all your suggestions....
CA Property Tax Exemption 25-0035
Thank you for your suggestions on potential revisions to the ballot initiative for our campaign planned for early next year.
There are a few reasons we're leaning toward moving forward with the current version with no changes.
POINT 1
First, any substantive changes would require us to start over, which would invalidate all of the signatures we've already collected.
POINT 2
Second, a revised initiative would need to go through the review and validation process with the Secretary of State again, which would require additional time and funding. Given our current financial constraints, that would be difficult.
POINT 3
We've worked to simplify the petition as much as possible. However, based on the Secretary of State's requirements, the version of the petition we have today is essentially the minimum content that MUST be included. If you're willing to review the Secretary of State's guidelines and suggest a more streamlined version that still meets all the requirements, I'd greatly appreciate it. It would still mean starting over, but if the improvements are significant, it may be worth considering.
POINT 4
One final point to consider: despite our website providing detailed, step-by-step instructions, at least 30% of the petitions are still being returned incorrectly. Human error continues to be a significant challenge, and I'm not sure there's an effective way to eliminate it without engaging professional signature gatherers who provide face to face instructions to people signing it. And when you think of professional signature gatherers, think "cha-ching, cha-ching." They typically cost $8–$15 per valid signature, which translates into a multi-million-dollar campaign. Simply put, we don't have the financial resources to pursue that path today.
That said, I appreciate your input and would be happy to hear your thoughts on whether you believe the benefits of making changes outweigh these challenges.
Sincerely,
Rishi Kumar https://exemptpropertytax.com <— Sign the petition
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Phone: (408) 805-5993
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