Jon Coupal: A guide to the state’s ballot schemes

Assembly Constitutional Amendment 1 (now Proposition 5) was a direct attack on Proposition 13 that would have lowered the two-thirds vote of the electorate required to pass local special taxes (and bonds) to 55 percent. But proponents of the bill said it was all about democracy.

“It’s just giving the opportunity for the citizens to vote on this,” said Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry.

That was until polling indicated that ACA 1 would fail. So, rather than giving citizens the opportunity to vote on it...