Prop13 Subsidy Mapping Project
Equity Mapping Project (provisional name, discussing ideas for it now) is a project to map and visualize
- housing property equity gains
- disparities between taxable (assessed) and actual (estimated market) value
particularly in San Francisco, the Bay Area, and California, which are notable for dramatic equity gains to homeowners and dramatic disparities between tax-assessed value, since Proposition 13 tax limitation measure passed 1978.
Background
originally suggested by Tim McCormick as "Anti-Dynastic Wealth Mapping Project" on Twitter, 2015 (?) (add cite).
https://twitter.com/tmccormick/status/634891228434186240
Tim McCormick @tmccormick 21 Aug 2015
@kimmaicutler @antievictionmap or we could just raise the #transfertax on all property, make the donation non-voluntary. Few % = big tax $$$
also,
thread 5 Sep 2016: https://twitter.com/allafarce/status/772842611426099200
Kim-Mai Cutler @kimmaicutler
Replying to @tbuck0 @allafarce @markasaurus
A regionwide map of the valuation differentials between assessments & market value would be fascinating.
31 May 2017
https://twitter.com/tmccormick/status/869861018377134080
Name ideas
note from a project member:
"In general it would be ideal to have a name and general messaging that uses very simple, persuasive language to make it accessible to people who don't geek out on policy. In my mind, a big part of what makes this data so powerful is that once you surface it, you can trigger a strong, emotional response since it's immediately obvious to regular people how important and unfair it is, particularly because they can connect it to their own neighborhood and people they know. For example "Prop. 13 subsidies" - for almost everyone, the word "subsidy" triggers a basic sense of unfairness, particularly when it's not paired by something obviously important, like "subsidies to help poor people get health care" or whatnot."
compare: "Anti-Eviction Mapping Project". References older organizations e.g Mission Anti-Displacement Coalition.
Property Gains and Tax Subsidies Map
June 16-18 'Houseathon' with SFYIMBY
At the June 16-18 hackathon being organized by SFYIMBY / YIMBY Action, we plan to pitch this project and form a team during weekend to further the project.
More info: [1].
References
- Anti-Eviction Mapping Project. [2].
- Franklin, Zach. "Op-ed: Passing the torch – Intergenerational equity and the housing crisis." Berkleyside, Dec. 15, 2016. http://www.berkeleyside.com/2016/12/15/passing-the-torch-intergenerational-equity-and-the-housing-crisis/.
"My suggestion: a “Pay It Forward” program where homeowners give back a portion of their Prop. 13 subsidies to the Housing Trust Fund, with low-income homeowners exempted. If state law says it can’t be a formal property tax, we could just send folks an invoice, and assume their progressive Berkeley values will compel them to do the right thing. Some back-of-the-envelope math indicates that well-off, long-time homeowners sharing a quarter of their subsidies could raise over $15 million annually for affordable housing – five times more than Measure U1. We can leverage that with county, state and federal dollars many times over to fuel a massive affordable housing renaissance in Berkeley, and demonstrate a model that could generate billions statewide."