It wouldn’t be a California election without a few petty, revenge-motivated ballot measures.

Proposition 41 is one of two poison pill attempts on the November ballot to take out Prop 40, the infamous billionaire wealth tax. The measure explicitly states that even if Prop 40 passes, it would be nullified if Prop 41 or its cousin initiative Prop 42 pass with a larger number of votes.

Backed by Building a Better California, a political action committee largely funded by billionaire Google cofounder Sergey Brin, Prop 41 would require new special taxes that raise money for specific purposes to adhere to state spending rules, while mandating regular audits of the programs they fund. 

What’s so bad about ensuring California spends tax revenue wisely?

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Well, nothing — if that’s what the measure actually does. But it’s a cheap ruse to nullify Prop 40.

The measure targets an obscure — but extremely consequential — spending rule embedded in California’s Constitution. 

Known as the Gann Limit, that rule prevents the state from spending more money per taxpayer than it did in 1979 — the year voters approved the measure — once adjusted for inflation. Any money the state collects over the limit must be either refunded to taxpayers or spent on certain purposes, such as........

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