November Ballot Propositions

Proposition 2: Borrow $10 billion to build schools. Legislative Democrats put on the ballot a bond issue to give $8.5 billion to K-12 schools and $1.5 billion to community colleges for construction and modernization. Needs simple majority to pass.

Vote NO: No identified funding beyond state general fund (already have $45 billion deficit). Increases the demands on CA general fund (currently in deficit) $500MM/year. Local school districts must raise matching funds, further increasing the tax burden and favoring wealthy districts.

(PASSED)

Proposition 3:  Amends the California Constitution to declare that the right to marry for same sex couples is a fundamental right.

Vote Yes: (CA GOP, Marin GOP)

(PASSED)

Proposition 4: Borrow $10 billion for climate programs. Legislative Democrats also placed a bond issue on the ballot that includes $3.8 billion for drinking water and groundwater, $1.5 billion for wildfire and forest programs and $1.2 billion for sea level rise. Are these bondable?

Vote NO: Another tax to be paid by future generations. Issues $10 billion in debt to offset $9.4 billion in current year cuts to CA’s Climate Crisis program owing to state budget deficits. Increases the demand on CA general fund (in deficit now) $400MM/year for 40 years.

(PASSED)

Proposition 5: Lower voter approval requirements for local housing and infrastructure bonds. This Constitutional Amendment from the Legislature would make it easier for local governments to borrow money for affordable housing and other infrastructure. To avoid opposition from the influential real estate industry, supporters agreed to block bond money from being used to buy single-family homes.

Vote NO: Cuts to 55% (from 2/3) voter approval to pass most local & regional bonds, further putting local cities and counties into debt. Blows a massive hole in Props. 13 and 218 protections. The prospect of passage unleashed a Tax Tsunami and will likely be soon followed by a proposition to lower most other tax hurdles to 50-55%. Why wouldn’t we want 2/3 of voters to approve a new tax? Taxation is a burden under which everyone suffers. 

(FAILED)

Proposition 32: Sets suffers.the state minimum wage to $18 per hour by 2026 for all employers and thereafter adjusting the rate annually by increases to the cost of living. A “no” vote opposes the initiative and would maintain existing law which increased the minimum wage to $15 per hour by January 2023 and increasing it annually according to inflation.

Vote NO

(FAILED)

Proposition 33: Allow local governments to impose rent controls. This is the latest attempt to roll back a state law that generally prevents cities and counties from limiting rents in properties first occupied after Feb. 1, 1995.

Vote NO: Every respected economist agrees that rent control is the surest way to reduce property values as well as available rentals. Prop 33 would decrease property tax (per Legislative Analyst’s Office) and discourage housing construction.

(FAILED)

Proposition 34: Make permanent a tax on managed health care insurance plans. This initiative is sponsored by California’s health care industry to raise more money for Medi-Cal providers and block lawmakers from using the cash to avoid cuts to other programs.

Vote YES: Underpaid Medicaid providers are turning away patients as the program has expanded to cover up to 40% of Californians. Prop 35 renews an expiring tax & restricts its use.

(PASSED)

Proposition 35: Require certain health providers to use nearly all revenue from a federal prescription drug program on patient care. Sponsored by the trade group for California’s landlords, this measure is squarely aimed at knee-capping the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which has been active in diverting funding to ballot measures (see Prop. 33, above).

Vote YES: The Aids Healthcare Foundation has been using AIDS funding to promote bizarre concepts (requiring condoms in porn, etc.) on ballot measures for years. The State recently cancelled its contracts with AHF over financial disclosure failures. They have to be stopped.

(PASSED)

Proposition 36: Increase penalties for theft and drug trafficking. It would partly roll back 2014’s Proposition 47.

Vote YES: Prop 36 will reduce crime and drug overdoses by imposing felony penalties on repeat offenders for thefts under $950 and sale of certain dangerous drugs.

(PASSED)

Withdrawn Statewide Proposition: Taxpayer Protection Act (ACA-13): In a highly unusual and controversial decision, the California Supreme Court removed from the ballot a citizens’ initiative aiming to restore and expand taxpayer protections. This was in response to a lawsuit by Newson and the legislature. The CA League of Cities aggressively opposed the TPA, fearing it would roll back recently enacted taxes and raise the barrier to additional future taxes.

Expect the Howard Jarvis organization, the California Business Roundtable and other business organizations to file a modified version of the TPA in 2026 in response to the court ruling.