Bill to Tax Vacant Storefronts Rewritten Following Pushback, Passes Committee

The bill would now require people who own commercial property to submit information on whether and why their properties are vacant.

Pedestrians walk by an empty retail space in San Francisco on May 9, 2023. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A bill that originally sought to tax landlords for vacant storefronts in California passed its first hearing within the state’s Senate Committee on Revenue and Tax on April 23, following a complete rewrite of the proposal earlier in the week.

Senate Bill 789, authored by state Sen. Caroline Menjivar, cleared its first committee in a 3–1 vote, with one senator abstaining. It would now require people who own commercial property to submit “an information return each year” that would include information on whether “any buildings or portions of buildings were vacant in the previous calendar year.”