Sacramento’s top stories: Prop. 43, home insurance update and a holiday dish

Californians are weighing a ballot measure that could reshape how local taxes pass, while two major insurers are cautiously reentering the state’s home insurance market. In Roseville, a celebrated taqueria marked Mexican Independence Day with a dish rarely seen stateside.

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Here’s a quick digest.

• California voters will decide in November on Proposition 43, which would require two-thirds voter approval for local special taxes proposed through citizen initiatives, rather than the current simple majority. The measure would also generally prohibit local governments from creating new taxes based on property values, with limited exceptions. Supporters, including the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, say it closes a loophole; opponents, including the California Democratic Party, argue it would make California the hardest state in the country to raise local revenue. If passed, the new threshold would take effect Jan. 1, 2027. Read McClatchy Media’s California editorial board’s endorsement on Proposition 43 here.

• Allstate and State Farm are seeking a limited return to writing new home insurance policies in California after halting new business in 2022 and 2023. Allstate proposed issuing at least 2,064 new policies if it receives approval for a 1.4% rate hike, while State Farm said it will consider covering homes that meet the strictest Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety wildfire standards. Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara called the filings a sign the market is “turning a corner,” though Consumer Watchdog president Jamie Court said the changes would produce few new policies and called the situation “still a crisis.”

• Roseville’s Michelin Bib Gourmand taqueria Nixtaco marked Mexican Independence Day by serving chiles en nogada, the iconic holiday dish that pairs poblano peppers stuffed with picadillo, a creamy walnut sauce and pomegranate arils in the green, white and red of the Mexican flag. Chef and owner Patricio Wise said the dish, presented to dignitaries by nuns in Central Mexico in the 19th century, can confuse American diners familiar with the fried chile relleno. Wise serves the dish hot rather than at room temperature to suit local tastes. The final servings were offered the day of publication, with the dish set to return next September at the Roseville and Folsom locations.