Senate pro-tem in-waiting Darrell Steinberg thinks any attempt to change Proposition 13 will require a $20 million dollar investment in a bank account — to indicate that interests are serious in changing the landmark taxpayer protection initiative with a ballot measure.

Steinberg told callers to a Courage Campaign Conference call that there is a desire to change the two-thirds vote and other provisions of Proposition 13. However, he acknowledges it would be difficult in the legislature unless all legislators understood there was a serious effort to make the change. How would he prefer they convey that? Open a bank account and put in $20 million to see the fight through to the end.

Given that Proposition13 still shows the same two to one support in recent polls that it passed with in 1978, I’d say $20 million is not nearly enough. The two-thirds vote change was shot down by the voters when Proposition 56 was defeated in 2004 by about a two to one vote. In fact, I don’t think you can buy a major change in the voters mind on Proposition 13 at any price seeing all the tax increase proposals out there.

If you want to hear Senator Steinberg and Speaker Karen Bass on this issue for yourself, click play below to hear a clip from the call:

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Prop 13’s 30th anniversary is Friday, so we’ll be hearing a lot about Prop 13 this week. I’ll be posting more as the week goes by.