Newsom, Lawmakers Seek to Block Ballot Initiative That Would Require Voter Approval of Tax Increases

‘Billions of dollars in critical funding may be vulnerable as a result of the measure,’ states the lawsuit filed by the Governor and some legislators.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks onstage during the Clinton Global Initiative meeting at New York Hilton Midtown in New York on September 18, 2023. Noam Galai/Getty Images for Clinton Global Initiative

The California Supreme Court recently agreed to hear a lawsuit filed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom and some lawmakers seeking to stop a ballot initiative—that would require voters to approve all tax increases—from appearing on the ballot in 2024.

In what some described as an unusual move requesting immediate relief from the state’s top justices, Mr. Newsom and others felt such was an urgency and therefore skipped the lower courts.