Prop 13 Assaulted Again?

Termed-out Senator Anthony Portantino recently received a farewell gift when the California School Employees Association (CSEA) bestowed their annual Senator of the Year award (“Senator Portantino Honored,” Aug. 29, 2024).

“I have always been proud to support our public education system,” he said. “I am humbled to have received this amazing recognition.”

A puffy press release, complete with a glorious Technicolor shot of the senator, arms raised in gratitude and love for the public-employee union whose members kick back a portion of their dues for “political purposes” (read: campaign contributions).

Unfortunately, his professed sincerity for public education belies his profound contempt for citizens and legal residents.

Contempt? In 2010, then-Assemblyman Anthony Portantino voted for a bill to give subsidized tuition to illegal aliens at a time when 140,000 students did not enroll in community colleges because they could not get into classes (Los Angeles Times; Oct. 4, 2010).

Fast forward to 2024 when Senator Portantino voted for a measure to give $3.4 billion in health care to illegal immigrants. Budget deficit of $46 billion (or is that $73 billion?) be damned.

Predictably, Portantino recently voted for Assembly Bill 1840 that would have provided $150,000 in financial assistance to undocumented immigrants in the market for a home. Fortunately, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed the measure, citing the deficit.

Ironically, the senator wants the undocumented class of immigrants to join the unprotected class of homeowners, all targets for Proposition 5, the ballot measure that would reduce the threshold for parcel taxes from a two-thirds majority to a simple majority.

Another assault on Proposition 13.

Les Hammer
Pasadena