CA SCA 4

passed one chamber

A resolution to propose to the people of the State of California an amendment to the Constitution of the State, by amending Section 3 of Article XIII thereof, relating to property taxation.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · upper

Description

The California Constitution declares that all property is taxable and establishes or authorizes various exemptions from tax for real property, including a homeowners' exemption in the amount of $7,000 of the full value of a dwelling unless the dwelling receives another real property exemption. If the Legislature increases the homeowners' exemption, the California Constitution requires that the Legislature provide a benefit increase to qualified renters comparable to the average increase in benefits to homeowners. The California Constitution and existing property tax law establish a veterans' exemption in the amount of $4,000 for a veteran who meets certain military service requirements, including that the veteran is serving in or has served in and has been discharged under honorable conditions from one of specified branches of the United States military, and generally exempts from property taxation the same value of property of a deceased veteran's unmarried spouse and parents. The California Constitution authorizes and existing property tax law establishes a disabled veterans' exemption in the amount of $100,000 or $150,000 for the principal place of residence of a veteran or a veteran's spouse, including an unmarried surviving spouse, if the veteran, because of an injury incurred in military service, is blind in both eyes, has lost the use of 2 or more limbs, or is totally disabled, as those terms are defined, or if the veteran has, as a result of a service-connected injury or disease, died while on active duty in military service. Existing law prohibits receiving the veterans' exemption on property owned by an unmarried person who owns more than $5,000 of property or a married person who owns more than $10,000 of property. Existing law prohibits receiving the deceased veterans' exemption on property owned by a deceased veteran's unmarried spouse who owns more than $10,000 of property, a deceased veteran's unmarried parent who owns more than $5,000 of property, or a deceased veteran's married parent who owns more than $10,000 of property. This measure would add the United States Space Force to the military branches, the service in which satisfies the veterans' exemption military service requirement described above. This measure would allow a dwelling that receives the veterans' exemption or the disabled veteran's exemption to also receive the homeowners' exemption. The measure would authorize the Legislature to exempt property eligible for the veterans' exemption in an amount up to the full value of the property. If the Legislature increases the homeowners' exemption, the measure would require that the Legislature provide the same increase in the veterans' exemption, except as limited by the full value of the property. The bill would remove the above-described prohibitions on a property receiving the veterans' or deceased veterans' exemption based on the amount of property that a veteran or veteran's parent or spouse owns.

Introduced: 2025-02-20
Status date: —
Latest action: 2026-05-14 — May 14 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.
Bill type: constitutional amendment
Last updated: —

Subjects

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

2025-02-20
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.
introduction,reading-1,referral-committee
2026-01-05
Referred to Coms. on REV. & TAX. and E. & C.A.
referral-committee
2026-01-06
Set for hearing January 14.
2026-01-14
From committee: Be adopted and re-refer to Com. on E. & C.A. (Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 3226.) (January 14). Re-referred to Com. on E. & C.A.
amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,passage,referral-committee
2026-04-08
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on E. & C.A.
amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2026-04-09
Set for hearing April 21.
2026-04-21
From committee: Be adopted and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 3972.) (April 21). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,passage,referral-committee
2026-04-24
Set for hearing May 4.
2026-05-04
May 4 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2026-05-08
Set for hearing May 14.
2026-05-14
May 14 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.

Versions

02/20/25 - Introduced — 2025-02-20Compare
04/08/26 - Amended Senate — 2026-04-08Compare
SCA4Compare
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Documents

Votes

Be adopted, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Elections and Constitutional Amendments]
2026-01-14 · pass · 5-0
Member-level votes (5)
- Grayson: yes
- Valladares: yes
- Umberg: yes
- Ashby: yes
- McNerney: yes
Be adopted, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar
2026-04-21 · pass · 5-0
Member-level votes (5)
- Allen: yes
- Cervantes: yes
- Wiener: yes
- Umberg: yes
- Choi: yes
Placed on suspense file
2026-05-04 · pass · 7-0
Member-level votes (7)
- Dahle: yes
- Cervantes: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Seyarto: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
- Grayson: yes

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SCA4

Attribution

Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T01:34:27.960412Z

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