Assemblyman Carl DeMaio: ‘We Want 200,000 More Signatures’ by Feb. 6th; We Are Backing the Save Prop 13 Petition to Block Tax Hikes’

ESCONDIDO–Reform California announced at a Jan. 7 zoom webinar that the California Voter ID Initiative has now received 1,001,287 signatures. Since 874,641 “valid” signatures are required to qualify for the 2026 ballot–200,000 additional signatures are being sought. A campaign internal audit shows that signatures gathered by volunteers have an 88 percent validity rate. The petition drive has a 75 percent validity rate overall. “I do not trust California Democrats,” said Reform California Chairman Carl DeMaio–”so I believe it is absolutely necessary that we collect 200,000 extra signatures on CA Voter ID petitions as an ‘insurance policy.’ 

“We are partnering with the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association to back the Save Prop 13 Petition to block costly and unfair tax hikes that Democrats have been imposing at the state and local levels. Right now we are at 504,782 signatures. We wish to have an additional 700,000 signatures  on this petition.  As we are already planning to get more CA Voter ID signatures, we believe including the Save Prop 13 petition for signatures to be wise and efficient use of our volunteers time and our supporters’ resources.

“We are doing the Save Prop 13 petition because the California State Supreme Court ruled against Prop 13 and changed the requirements for the implementation of a local tax from a two-thirds majority to a 50 percent simple majority. The tax initiative when passed becomes California law. Without it, local taxes and property taxes most likely will continue to be raised.

“We need to get the final signatures on both CA Voter ID and Save Prop 13 petitions by February 6,” said California Assemblyman Cal DeMaio. 

“I am mailing all volunteers extra copies of both petitions so they can collect signatures. If you do not receive the petitions by next Monday please request copies at: https://www.reformcalifornia.org/cavoterid/volunteer. And I will mail you another set.

“We need to raise more funds to cover the cost of the mailing and another 6 weeks of paid canvassing. Please chip in whatever you can to either petition drive or both!

Contribute to support the CA Voter ID Initiative

Save Prop 13 Petition

“Getting to one million signatures on CA Voter ID and 500,000 signatures on Save Prop 13 is a HUGE accomplishment–all thanks to our hard-working volunteers and supporters like you. 

“But our signature tally and validity audit concludes that we aren’t done yet. We MUST use the next 6 weeks to get the extra signatures we need to ensure BOTH initiatives qualify and appear on the November 2026 ballot.

“So please volunteer to collect a few extra signatures when your petition kit arrives this week and/or chip in a contribution to help us in the final 6 weeks of the signature drive for both measures.”

Common Problems With Petitions

• Forgetting to Sign the “Declaration of Circulator”
• People from Multiple Counties signing the petition

Californians Want Election Integrity

“Californians are speaking loud and clear: they want election integrity–and they’re ready to make history to get it,” DeMaio said. “Our signature drive has set off an earthquake in Sacramento.”

Reform California reports more than 17,000 volunteers have now been trained and deployed across the state. Volunteers have been collecting signatures at community tables, neighborhood events, churches, shopping centers, and through the statewide bus tour.

Reform California’s strategy to win in 2026 targets 26 winnable seats to end the Democrats’ Super-Majority, enacting CA Voter ID and saving Prop. 13 which restores a two-thirds vote for local tax hikes and repeals property transfer taxes. “But to make this plan work,” said DeMaio, “we need more activists to join the fight.”

“We will be doing ballot harvesting in those 26 districts before the elections. We will be giving you data to canvas voter friendly homes and to also get out the vote.”

Reform California Mission

Reform California is a statewide grassroots political movement led by California 51-year-old Assemblyman Carl DeMaio (R-75), San Diego (North and East San Diego County) that is dedicated “to taking back our state from the far-Left politicians and special interests.”

Reform California’s website states: “Given that California is currently dominated by one political party with a supermajority–and the other political party has shown itself largely ineffective in its opposition role–Reform California seeks to be the counterbalance to misguided policies that are costing taxpayers and hurting working families in our state. Under Chairman Carl DeMaio’s leadership, Reform California has become the fastest growing grassroots movement in the state.”

Reform California achieves its mission in four ways:

• Reform California Voter Guide: “In each election, Reform California helps voters cut through the confusion and misinformation in the election with its Reform California ‘Plain English’ Voter Guide that is distributed throughout the state. Reform California endorses the most principled reform-minded candidates for each office and provides an easy-to-understand truthful description of deceptive ballot measures that politicians put on the ballot. DeMaio also controls Reform California Voter Guide – a slate mail entity that is used to publicize Reform California’s voter guide in each election.”
• Ballot Measure Campaigns: “Reform California maintains a separate ballot measure campaign committee to file, qualify, and support numerous citizen ballot initiatives to impose reform on state and local government. Reform California’s ballot measure committee is also able to organize campaigns in opposition to bad initiatives proposed by politicians and special interests – such as tax increases.”
• Providing an Alternative to Liberal News: “The liberal media in California refuses to cover the truth and deliver the news on the growing problems in California under one-party control. That’s why Carl DeMaio hosts a daily Reform California podcast to provide factual and unbiased news stories to the public yearning for the truth on what is really happening in our state and how to make positive change happen.”
• The Reform California Caucus: “As a member of the California State Legislature, Reform California Chairman Carl DeMaio is building a ‘Reform California Caucus’ of like-minded principled reformers to fight for change from within.”

Supporters

Reform California has grown into one of the largest grassroots advocacy movements in the country.

• Contributors: Reform California represents a grassroots army of over 50,000 donors who give an average of just $67 per year in small contribution levels.
• Volunteers: Reform California has recruited thousands of volunteers spread throughout each region of the state. These volunteers help collect signatures for ballot measures and volunteer for candidates and causes that Reform California endorses.
• Subscribers: Reform California has over 500,000 subscribers that receive its podcasts and news alerts on state policy issues and politics.

Reform California was founded as a political action committee in 2003 by Carl DeMaio with the initial focus on uncovering the financial crisis faced at that time under Governor Gray Davis. Since then Reform California has uncovered numerous cases of financial mismanagement and corruption in state and local governments.

Reform California’s investigative work forced the City of San Diego to admit to falsifying its financial statements and hiding its multi-billion pension debt crisis. After exposing this financial crisis, Reform California outlined a bold fiscal reform plan that saved the City of San Diego from bankruptcy. 

Since its launch in 2003, Reform California has led over two dozen initiative campaigns–both in specific regions as well as statewide. In 2017, Reform California led the successful recall against State Senator Josh Newman (D) who cast the deciding vote in approving the costly car and gas tax hikes. This successful recall is only the fifth time since 1912 that a state politician was successfully removed from office in a recall.

In 2018, Reform California collected over 1 million signatures to qualify Proposition 6–the Gas Tax Repeal Initiative and in 2022 collected over 1.4 million signatures to qualify the California Taxpayer Protection Act.

To date Reform California has defeated over 300 tax hike proposals on the ballot–saving Californians over $32 billion.

Reform California’s “Plain English Voter Guide” is the most referenced voter guide in the state–and was downloaded by more than 264,000 unique voters during the 2022 election. 

In 2024, Reform California Chairman Carl DeMaio announced his campaign to win a seat in the State Assembly–all part of his strategy to build a Reform California Caucus. Because of state campaign finance rules, Reform California is now a project of Carl DeMaio’s candidate committee–Carl DeMaio for State Assembly. DeMaio’s candidate committee covers the cost of all Reform California operations. A separate ballot measure committee–called Reform California with Carl DeMaio–raises and spends funds on ballot measure campaigns.