SACRAMENTO – The California Legislature has approved a bill by Assemblymember Laura Friedman that provides property tax equity for all registered domestic partnerships. AB 2663 creates parity in the law so that every domestic partnership has equal access to full and equal benefits, regardless of where the couple originally registered.
“No one should be at risk of losing their home as a result of the death of their partner,” said Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale). “AB 2663 closes an unintended loophole and ensures that all couples have equal access to benefits, including tax relief.”
Prior to the development of the statewide domestic partnership registry in 2000, several counties established their own parameters for couples to register as domestic partners, each with their own requirements.
In 1999, Assembly Bill 26 (Chapter 588, Statutes of 1999) outlined the requirements for the statewide registry, granted hospital visitation rights and health benefit coverage for registered partners of state employees. In the years that followed, additional measures granted additional rights, including the right to make medical decisions for a partner, to be appointed as a conservator for an incapacitated partner, and to act as an administrator of a deceased partner’s estate.
It wasn’t until 2006, that a change in property ownership between domestic partners became eligible for the same tax exclusion that applied to married couples. However, domestic partners registered only with a county, city or other local jurisdiction, were ineligible for the exclusion. AB 2663 extends the same property tax exclusion that’s been available to those registered at the state level to domestic partnerships registered at the local level.
"For too long, some registered domestic partners in California have unfairly paid more in property taxes due to the death of a partner," said Equality California Executive Director Rick Zbur. "We're grateful for Assemblymember Friedman's and LA County Assessor Jeffrey Prang's leadership on fixing this injustice and to the overwhelming, bipartisan group of California legislators who stood up for greater fairness in California's tax law."
AB 2663 received broad, bipartisan support and was sponsored by Los Angeles County Assessor Jeffrey Prang, San Francisco Assessor Carmen Chu, and Equality California. Governor Brown now has until September 30th to sign the measure into law.
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Laura Friedman represents the 43rd Assembly District which encompasses the cities of Burbank, Glendale, and La Cañada Flintridge, as well as the communities of La Crescenta and Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, Beachwood Canyon, Los Feliz, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, and Silver Lake.