Is your local government illegally spending public funds?
Find out how you can take action!
As we approach the 2024 election, cities, counties and special districts will use public funds to pitch tax hikes. We have already seen several instances of taxpayer dollars going for publications that appear to be little more than campaign ads. Most of them stop just short of outright advocacy, but as the Fair Political Practices Commission has stated, a wholly one-sided advertisement in favor of a tax hike could cross the line into advocacy and warrant a fine or other legal consequence.
Fortunately, prosecuting such violations of law was the very reason the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association created the new Public Integrity Project, which has already proved to be an additional enforcement tool against illegal expenditures of public funds and other violations of law that hurt taxpayers and voters. Citizens who believe that their government entity is illegally spending public funds for election related activities can contact HJTA as well as the Fair Political Practices Commission, which has also increased its enforcement of these illegal acts.
To find out if anybody’s pitching a local tax increase for your November ballot, check the website of your city council, county board of supervisors and school board throughout June and read the agenda of all upcoming meetings.