The vote for president may be the item on the ballot that is drawing the most attention, but California voters are faced with another slate of propositions.
Of the 12 measures on this year’s ballot, some may feel very familiar. Others are all new.
It’s a lot to consider. And now that ballots have been mailed to Californians, it’s a good time to find out what each proposition is about.
Here’s a primer:
Proposition 14: Stem Cell Research Institute Bond
Vote yes for this and state taxpayers will be on the hook for $5.5 billion in bonds aimed at reviving the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), a program created in 2004 to boost stem cell research.
A vote against it would save money, but it might kill CIRM. The 16-year-old program ran out of its initial funding last year and it hasn’t taken on new research since last summer, according to the state.
Stem cells, if you’re wondering, are used in medical research on everything from nerve disorders and blindness to tooth decay.
Read our recommendation on how to vote here.
Proposition 15: Tax on Commercial and Industrial Properties for Education and Local Government Funding
A yes vote would essentially create two distinct tracks (“split roll”) for state property taxes – one for most commercial buildings and another for residential dwellings.
Under Prop. 15, the tax rate on most commercial and industrial properties would be based on the building’s market value, not its original purchase price. Exceptions would be made for buildings used in agriculture and for buildings owned by individuals or companies with less than $3 million in other assets. Overall, the state estimates it would generate up to $12.5 billion a year in new taxes from the owners of commercial properties.
A no vote would leave California’s Prop. 13 tax rules intact. All residential structures in California would continue to be taxed as they are now, with annual tax hikes jumping no more than the rate of inflation or 2%, whichever is lower.
Read our recommendation on how to vote here.
Proposition 16: Repeal Proposition 209 Affirmative Action Amendment
A yes vote on Prop. 16 would make it legal to consider race and gender, among other things, as potentially favorable factors when it comes to making decisions about public employment, public education and public contracting.
Technically, Prop. 16 is a constitutional amendment to repeal Prop. 209, a 1996 constitutional amendment approved by voters that ended the use of affirmative action in California.
Thus, a no vote would uphold Prop. 209.
Read our recommendation on how to vote here.
Proposition 17: Voting Rights Restoration for Persons on Parole
A yes vote for Prop. 17 would make it legal for people to vote while on parole for a felony conviction. Right now, in California, felons can’t vote until after they’ve served both their prison sentence and any parole. So we’re clear, Prop. 17 does not propose letting felons vote while in prison.
Read our recommendation on how to vote here.
Proposition 18: Primary Voting for 17-Year-Olds
A yes vote would allow 17-year-olds to vote in any primary or special election if they will turn 18 by the following general election
Read our recommendation on how to vote here.
Proposition 19: Property Tax Transfers, Exemptions, and Revenue for Wildfire Agencies and Counties
This complicated grab bag of a proposal would allow older homeowners (those 55 and older), as well as disabled people and anyone who lost properties in a natural disaster, to take some of their property tax base with them when they sell a home and buy a new one.
It also would make it harder to keep a low property tax rate while transferring properties between generations.
And, finally, some of the new money generated by these changes would be used to help pay for firefighting.
Read our recommendation on how to vote here.
Proposition 20: Criminal Sentencing, Parole, and DNA Collection
A yes vote for Prop. 20 would add to the state’s list of “wobbler” crimes, violations that currently are misdemeanors but, under this proposal, could be charged as felonies in some circumstances. Such crimes include organized petty theft, credit card scams and stealing a firearm, among others.
Prop. 20 also would create stiffer penalties for people who violate terms of their parole three times and make it tougher for those convicted of certain crimes – including domestic violence – to be considered for early parole. Finally, Prop. 20 would require that DNA samples be taken from people convicted of some misdemeanors.
Read our recommendation on how to vote here.
Proposition 21: Local Rent Control
A yes vote on Prop. 21 would let cities write new rent control laws for older housing (15 years and older) or expand any rent control rules they already have on the books.
The proposal carves out an exception for single-family homes owned by landlords with no more than two properties. And, while Prop. 21 would wipe out the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act (Costa-Hawkins) of 1995, it would not change the 7% rent hike limit set by state lawmakers last year.
Read our recommendation on how to vote here.
Proposition 22: App-Based Drivers as Contractors and Labor Policies
A yes vote on Prop. 22 would make an employee of gig-based companies such as Lyft or Uber an independent contractor — same as before the passage of AB 5, which took effect in September 2019.
Under Prop. 22, rideshare and delivery companies that depend on such workers would not have to pay standard wage and hour restrictions, though they would have to provide an earnings floor and some money to purchase health insurance and mileage, among other things.
A no vote on Prop. 22 means existing law – including AB 5 – will apply to gig workers.
It’s important to note that Prop. 22 is about people who use their own cars and cell phones as keys to their trade.
Read our recommendation on how to vote here.
Proposition 23: Dialysis Clinic Requirements
A yes vote on Prop. 23 would mean at least one physician would have to be on site at an operating dialysis clinic. It also would require clinics to report on infections and get health department approval to close. And it would prohibit clinics from discriminating against patients based on how they pay for the clinic’s services.
Read our recommendation on how to vote here.
Proposition 24: Consumer Personal Information Law and Agency
A yes vote on Prop. 24 would expand and add to California’s 2-year-old law on consumer data privacy and its reuse. Consumers could prohibit companies from sharing their personal information for any reason and shorten the period companies currently are given to fix the problem.
Prop. 24 also would create a Privacy Protection Agency to enforce the new rules.
Read our recommendation on how to vote here.
Proposition 25: Replace Cash Bail with Risk Assessments
Two years ago, state legislators passed a law (SB 10) to end cash bail in California. A yes vote on Prop. 25 would keep that law in place, replacing cash bail with a risk assessment system that would let people wait for trial at home based on a variety of factors.
A no vote on Prop. 25 would maintain the cash bail system, letting people stay or leave jail while awaiting trial based largely on their ability to pay.
Read our recommendation on how to vote here.
Southern California News Group writer Andre Mouchard contributed to this story.
