High-Stakes Battle Over Tax Hikes

Good Morning it’s May 6, we hope you had a great weekend. This is what we are following:

✔  We are six months out from the November election and despite his legal challenges, Donald Trump is resonating with ALL voters.

✔ California Supreme Court is set to decide on a high-stakes battle over a ballot measure limiting tax hikes, why is Governor Newsom trying to stop this from reaching voters?

✔ Anti-Israel Protesters tried to occupy more buildings at UCLA this morning.

✔ Pickballers are not too happy as wealthy residents seize courts in a Bay Area neighborhood.

Make it a good one!

Netter News Team

PRESIDENTIAL RACE - HERE’S WHERE THINGS STAND

We have six months to go until the Presidential vote and there is a nail-biter Presidential race. In a fresh ABC News poll, Former President Trump and President Biden are neck and neck. Trump is in the lead with all adults, but Biden holds strong with likely voters, and it’s nearly tied with registered voters.

ELECTION ISSUES

What’s significant in this poll, is that Donald Trump leads in most of the issues that are important to voters: the economy, crime, the border, and inflation.

CALIFORNIA VOTERS

As expected, Joe Biden maintains a strong lead in early polls, carrying California, a reliably blue state.

POLITICS, ECONOMY, EDUCATION & SCIENCE

TAX HIKE BALLOT MEASURE BATTLE

This week, the state Supreme Court gears up to tackle a pivotal case that could decide Califorians’ right to vote on a sweeping ballot measure proposing tax increases. It’s a rare scenario where the court weighs removing a proposition from the ballot before the election.

THE ISSUE

The case centers around the “Taxpayer Protection Act” and the justices will need to decide if the measure is a constitutional amendment or a constitutional revision.

According to supporters, it will close loopholes in Prop. 13 as well as offering these additional safeguards to taxpayers:

• Empower voters with the right to approve or reject all new state and local taxes

• Increase accountability and transparency so politicians spend our tax dollars more efficiently.

• Stop politicians from using hidden taxes disguised as fees to drive up the cost of government

WHO FILED THE LAWSUIT

 Those against the measure are pretty powerful and say it unlawfully revises the state constitution and would impair essential public services. Here are those who filed the lawsuit to stop the ballot measure:

• Governor Gavin Newsom

• The Democratic Leadership

• Public Employee Unions

• League of California Cities

WHO’S DEFENDING TAXPAYERS RIGHT TO VOTE:

• The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association

• The California Business Roundtable

• California Business Properties Association

HOW WE GOT HERE

We all know it’s expensive to live in California. We claim the title for the highest state income rate in the U.S., spanning upwards of 13.3% depending on earnings. Adding to the burden is a base state sales of 7.25% And don’t get us started on the gas prices and the hefty taxes tagged onto the “summer blend”.

SURFERS MURDERED IN MEXICO

This one is hard to report, two brothers and their friend set out on a surfing trip to Baja, Mexico from Southern California, only to disappear and meet a tragic end.

THE VICTIMS

Two Australian men, Jake and Callum Robinson, now living in San Diego, along with their friend Jack Carter Rhoad from Atlanta, set off last week to go surfing in Rosarito.

But they never made it to the Airbnb they had rented. Their families called the FBI and that triggered an extensive search by local Mexican police, FBI agents, and the Mexican Marines.

WHAT WE KNOW

• Sunday, their bodies were discovered in the bottom of a well just south of Ensenada.

• Authorities say the men were first shot to death.

• Three suspects are being held in connection with the case.

• Authorities in Baja believe the men were targets of a violent robbery.

• Mexican police say the suspects killed the men to steal their truck for the tires.

• American authorities are cautioning Americans from traveling into Baja.

HOT TAKES

🚨 MORE UCLA ARRESTS: More arrests this morning on the UCLA campus, as protesters tried to take over a parking garage. Police shut it down fairly quickly. Over the weekend, the UCLA Chancellor announced the hire of a former Sacramento police chief to take over campus security operations.

🚨 NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING: The city of Long Beach is addressing neighbors’ concerns after seven people were shot outside a nightclub. Four people are in critical condition.

🚨 IPAD EXTRAVAGANZA: Apple will unveil big upgrades and fancy accessories to the iPad Pro and iPad Air this week. The last time the tech giant did this was 18 months ago.

🚨FEMALE POWER: Now this is a Senate squad we can get behind. Lawmakers are championing a $275 million bill to revolutionize menopause research and physician training.

🚨 GRAB YOUR BUG SPRAY: In the battle against aggressive mosquitos in Los Angeles, county officials are deploying a new tactic, introducing more mosquitos!

GOLDEN STATE GLOW

• 🌴Game on in San Francisco: that’s where Pickleball enthusiasts are facing off against the Presidio elite. Can skill outmatch wealth? As the saying goes, 'Money talks’.

• 🌴Get ready to satisfy your need for speed! Universal Studios Hollywood will unveil its first high-speed outdoor roller coaster in 2026. Brace yourself for the new ‘Fast & Furious’ ride. The amusement park says it will be packed with never-before-seen innovative technology.

• 🌴A global music icon made a pit stop at In-N-Out Near LAX to chill with the crew. Ed Sheeran captured every moment for the 'Gram', and yes, he opted for the cheeseburger, animal style!

 🗓THIS DAY IN CALI-HISTORY

MAY 6: 

• 1998: Steve Jobs introduced Apple’s first iMAC, the personal computer became a monstrous success and revived the struggling company.

• 2002: Elon Musk launched SpaceX in Hawthorne, with a big dream: slashing space travel costs and eventually setting up camp on Mars.

  spacex

  

  View more on Instagram

  spacex

  Add a comment...

  

• 2004: This day in 2004, the last episode of the sitcom Friends aired, pulling in over 52 million viewers. The show was filmed at Stage 24 in Warner Brother Studios, Burbank.