Believe it or not, the ride-sharing company Lyft is sponsoring an initiative that would have taxpayers finance its fleets. Masquerading as a measure to address climate change and forest fires through additional taxpayer financing of electric vehicles, charging stations and fire suppression, the measure would add 1.75 percentage points to the state income tax rate — ie, a 13 percent increase in the top tax rate, already at 13.3 percent — applied to incomes of over $2 million per year.
Lyft’s proposal is the most cynical ballot measure I’ve ever seen. It would have little to no impact on the climate while the tax rate boost would drive taxpayers away and thereby increase risk to K-12 and other state-funded services. Anyone who knows carbon policy knows there’s little chance that more-populous-but-less-affluent countries like China, India and Indonesia would copy such an expensive model for reducing emissions — and I write that from my perspective as the principal proponent in the Schwarzenegger Administration for the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, probably the state’s most successful carbon reduction measure. Do we really want taxpayers to prop up a troubled company like Lyft after Tesla used e-vehicle rebates from California to stay alive and then moved to Texas? Not surprisingly, the measure is also financed by unions representing electrical workers and firefighters who, like Lyft, would benefit financially should it pass.
GFC has an edge in the legislature, not on ballot measures, but we would be happy to lend our expertise and connections to anyone fighting this most cynical measure.
PS: Read the measure here. When you get to the part about fire suppression, ask yourself how well the state has been spending the huge sums already allocated for that purpose, with more funds likely to be added in the next state budget to be enacted before June 30.
