Amador Valley Joint Union High School District v. State Board of Equalization

Amador Valley Joint Union High School District v. State Board of Equalization (1978) 22 Cal.3d 208 was a California Supreme Court case, in which the Amador Valley Joint Union High School District challenged the constitutionality of California's Proposition 13, which placed a cap on property taxes.

Amador Valley Joint Union High School District v. State Board of Equalization
Supreme Court of California
Decided 1978
Full case name	Amador Valley Joint Union High School District et al., Petitioners, v. State Board of Equalization et al., Respondents. County of Alameda et al., Petitioners, v. State Board of Equalization et al., Respondents. City and County of San Francisco et al., Petitioners, v. Joseph E. Tinney, as Tax Assessor, etc., et al., Respondents
Citation(s)	22 Cal.3d 208, 583 P.2d 1281, 149 Cal.Rptr. 239
Holding
The court confirmed that an initiative may not "revise" California's constitution; however, the Prop 13 did not amount to a revision but an amendment.
Court membership
Chief Justice	Rose Bird
Associate Justices	Mathew O. Tobriner, Stanley Mosk, William P. Clark, Jr., Frank K. Richardson, Wiley Manuel, Frank C. Newman
Case opinions
Majority	Richardson, joined by Tobriner, Mosk, Clark, Manuel, Newman
Concur/dissent	Bird
Laws applied
California Constitution

Background

The proposition limited property tax assessments to the 1975 standard, eliminating $7 billion of the $11.4 billion in property tax revenue collected each year. According to The Washington Post'', the "severe" limitations this imposed on state funding forced local governments and most school districts in California to make "drastic cutbacks." The district held that the measure was "so drastic and far-reaching that it was 'a revision' of the state Constitution and not a mere amendment."

Decision

Ultimately, the district was unsuccessful in its suit. In the ruling written by Justice Frank K. Richardson, the Supreme Court distinguished between "amendment" and "revision." The Court confirmed that an initiative cannot "revise" the constitution; Proposition 13, however, was an amendment to the California Constitution and not a "revision." In 2009, Amador Valley was cited by dissenting Justice Carlos R. Moreno in arguing the non-constitutionality of Proposition 8.