California Voters Decide 14 Propositions On Taxes, Housing, Voter ID And Recalls On Tuesday

California propositions fill the back of the state’s ballot on Tuesday, November 3, with 14 statewide measures on taxes, housing, voter ID, health clinics and how recalls work.

The California secretary of state’s voter guide lists them as Propositions 1 through 5 and 37 through 45. Proposition 1 would approve bonds, which are loans the state repays over time, for housing affordability programs. California Today’s proposition guide puts the amount at $11.25 billion. Proposition 2 would increase the state’s rainy day fund, a reserve account for lean budget years. Proposition 4 would repeal the state ban on public money for election campaigns. Proposition 5 would change how recalls of statewide officers work, and California Today reports it would remove the question of who should replace a recalled official from the ballot, so the lieutenant governor would take over for a recalled governor.

The tax measures are the most closely watched. Proposition 3 would extend an existing tax on high incomes to fund schools and health care permanently. Proposition 40 would impose a one time 5 percent tax on the wealth of Californians with a net worth of $1 billion or more, the San Francisco Standard reported. Propositions 41 and 42 were written as counterweights. Proposition 41 would block new state taxes that sidestep California’s cap on state spending and require audits of new special taxes. Proposition 42 would ban new state taxes on personal property such as investments. The Public Policy Institute of California, a research group, said both could effectively cancel Proposition 40 even if voters approve it. When two approved measures conflict, California’s constitution says the one with the most yes votes prevails.

A Public Policy Institute of California survey of 1,086 likely voters taken October 16 through 22 found 46 percent saying yes on Proposition 40 and 52 percent saying no, with a margin of error of 3.8 points. Surveys are not results, and the ballots cast Tuesday will decide it.

The remaining California propositions cover housing, health and local taxes. Proposition 37 would create a loan program for middle income buyers of qualifying new homes, which California Today says would be funded by up to $25 billion in revenue bonds. Proposition 38 would authorize bonds for immunology medical research, listed at $8.4 billion. Proposition 39 would require government issued identification to vote. Proposition 43 would limit voters’ ability to raise revenue for local government services, and California Today says it would require two thirds approval for local special taxes placed on the ballot by petition. Proposition 44 would require community health clinics to spend 90 percent of their revenue on program services. Proposition 45 would change environmental review for certain projects.

The California secretary of state’s office says polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. Voters can confirm their polling place and ballot with their county elections office or the secretary of state’s office at vote.ca.gov. Unofficial results are expected Tuesday night, and final results come after counties finish counting and the state certifies them.

Dee Dee Henderson

Dee Dee Henderson is a Poli Alert journalist covering national politics, elections and the policies that hit closest to home for Black communities, from voting rights and the economy to the courts. She reports the facts first and isn't afraid to say what they mean, and her commentary pieces are clearly labeled as opinion. Her midterm coverage breaks down deadlines, ballot measures and the races that will decide who holds power in Washington.

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