Proposition 30 – Tax Millionaires to Fund Electric Car Subsidies

California passed a mandate to make all cars sold in the state electric by 2035, to clean our air and protect the climate. This measure would implement a tax on people making over $2 million a year, and drive most of that funding to tax subsidies for people buying electric cars to meet that mandate, with additional funds going to wildfire prevention. The goal of replacing dirty polluting cars on our roads with cleaner electric cars is a laudable one: emissions from cars disproportionately impact the lungs and lives of working-class people of color in our neighborhoods, and this law would set aside funds to make it easier for low-income people to buy cleaner cars.

However, Governor Newsom has come out against the proposition, calling it a corporate giveaway to the company Lyft, which is looking to get state money to fund their transition to electric cars. In addition, this measure is an example of “ballot box budgeting”, since it puts strict rules in place for where our dollars can go, potentially shortchanging other worthy causes and limiting our ability to allocate our resources effectively. We’re not taking a position.