The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Crescent City Times.com By Rishi Kumar – February 20, 2026 I’ve been watching what’s happening in other states and it raises an important question. The Florida House recently voted to advance a proposal that would let voters decide on eliminating (non-school) property taxes. Their legislature moved the issue forward — so why can’t California do the same? Instead, many Californians are forced to go through a long and painfully difficult citizen-initiative process just to get property tax relief on the ballot. Shouldn’t our elected leaders be willing to start that conversation themselves? And when tax cuts are discussed, the outrage starts immediately — warnings about impacts and devastation to families. But why do we avoid having the same conversation about the fiscal impact of billions lost to waste? Why have CA legislators failed to act on the waste & fraud report published by the California State Auditor's Office? https://www.cbsnews.com/news/california-lawmakers-ignore-most-state-audit-warnings/ Shouldn't we stop feeding a system that keeps asking for more while delivering less? There’s currently a 60+ Property Tax Exemption initiative working toward the November 2026 ballot. Whether you support it or just want to learn more, it’s worth discussing as a community. Find the details here ExemptPropertyTax.com What do you think — should California legislators take action like other states, or is the ballot initiative the only path forward? #PropertyTaxExemption