Sacramento, CA – Today, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (HJTA) filed a lawsuit to stop the Legislature’s unconstitutional efforts to undermine the voter-led recall of State Senator Josh Newman.
“The Legislature has pulled out all the stops to silence the voice of taxpayers and undermine the people’s right to a fair and democratic process,” stated HJTA President Jon Coupal. “You can’t justify changing the rules midway through, which is why we believe we’ll prevail in asking the court to step in and right this wrong.”
For months, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association has been working with concerned taxpayers who seek to recall Senator Josh Newman over his vote to impose over $5 billion in new annual taxes on cars and gasoline. On July 7, the Secretary of State reported that 87,884 signatures had been collected—far and above the 63,593 signatures needed to qualify the recall for a vote.
In an underhanded attempt to protect Newman, the Legislature scrambled to pass Senate Bill 96, a gut-and-amend bill that would deny voters in Senate District 29 their due process by unnecessarily extending the state’s recall approval process.
Joining with four of the recall petitioners, HJTA filed the lawsuit to issue a stay on the implementation of SB 96 and compel the Secretary of State to certify the recall petitions.
Click here to download and read the full lawsuit.
HJTA is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the interests of taxpayers in the Legislature and at the ballot box. Earlier this year, HJTA formed Californians Against Car and Gas Tax Hikes, a Committee to Recall Josh Newman, Sponsored and Funded by No New Taxes, a Project of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, in order to aid SD 29 residents in their effort to recall Newman.
Paid for by Californians Against Car and Gas Tax Hikes, a Committee to Recall Josh Newman, Sponsored and Funded by No New Taxes, a Project of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.
621 So. Westmoreland Avenue, Suite 202, Los Angeles, CA 90005
Jon Coupal is the President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (HJTA). HJTA, with offices in both Los Angeles and Sacramento, is the largest taxpayers association in California with a membership of over 200,000. Founded by the late Howard Jarvis, the author of Proposition 13, HJTA’s name is synonymous with tax relief and the uncompromising defense of the California homeowner.