White v. State of California

Opinion

HALLER, J.

In 1994, Orange County filed for bankruptcy. To resolve this financial crisis and assist Orange County to emerge from bankruptcy, the California Legislature passed four bills allocating certain property and sales tax revenues to Orange County’s general fund that were previously allocated to other Orange County public agencies.

Steven White, an Orange County taxpayer, brought this action seeking declaratory relief that the statutes enacted through these bills are unconstitutional and/or violate applicable statutes. The trial court entered a judgment of dismissal after…