From affordable housing to mass incarceration, your ballot is more than just electing a face to run the U.S. empire. There are plenty of propositions that will affect our everyday lives. Check out All Rise's California ballot guide to understand what the heck these ballot measures mean.
Prop 2
$10 billion bonds to build schools, colleges
A yes vote means:
$10 billion from bonds to repair and construct facilities for K-12 schools and community colleges. Prop 2 allows 5% more funding for less affluent schools with more English learners and foster youth.
A no vote means:
Schools would not receive $10 billion in bond funds. Some argue Prop 2 doesn’t do enough to ensure less affluent schools receive an equitable amount from the state. Because schools are funded according to their district’s home property tax values, those in more affluent areas generally raise more funds.
Prop 3
Reaffirm the right of same-sex couples to marry in California
A yes vote means:
Same-sex marriage would be guaranteed according to the CA constitution. Currently, same-sex marriage is legal nationwide because of a 2015 U.S. Supreme Court case.
A no vote means:
Same-sex marriage would still be guaranteed according to the Supreme Court, but the CA ban on same-sex marriage put in place by Prop 8 in 2008 would stay in the CA constitution. A no vote would mean that should the Supreme Court decision be overturned, the Prop 8 ban in CA could become law.
Prop 4
$10 billion in bonds to respond to climate change
A yes vote means:
A $10 billion bond would be used on environmental and climate projects, with $3.8 billion going toward drinking water improvements and drought and flood protection.
A no vote means:
A $10 billion bond would not be used for environmental and climate projects.
Prop 5
Lower supermajority requirement to 55% for affordable housing and infrastructure bonds
A yes vote means:
Local governments could issue bonds for affordable housing and infrastructure projects with just 55% of the vote instead of the current 66%. Due to pressure from the realtor lobby, Prop 5 also bans local governments from using the funds to buy up existing homes to convert to affordable or denser housing. If passed, the lowered requirement would also apply to all bond-related measures on the 2024 ballot.
A no vote means:
The supermajority vote required to pass bonds for affordable housing and infrastructure projects would remain at 66%. Some argue that the increase in bonds would result in increased property taxes for existing homeowners. And while infrastructure projects can include broadband internet, libraries, and flood protection, Prop 5 would also lower voter numbers needed to fund policing equipment and buildings.
Prop 6
Limit forced labor in state prisons
A yes vote means:
The state would be prohibited from using involuntary work assignments to punish incarcerated folks and disciplining those who choose not to work. State prisons could instead use work as an incentive, with volunteer work programs to take time off sentences in the form of credits.
A no vote means:
Incarcerated people will continue to be subjected to slave labor, working long hours for very little to no pay to the benefit of corporations.
Prop 32
Raise state minimum wage to $18 an hour
A yes vote means:
Minimum wage would be $17 an hour for 2024, and $18, starting January 2025. Businesses with 25 employees or less would pay $17 an hour in 2025, and $18 in 2026. If passed, CA would have the highest state minimum wage in the U.S. According to MIT, a living wage for a family of 4 in San Diego should be $34.79 an hour.
A no vote means:
Minimum wage in CA would remain at $16 an hour. Restaurants and business owner associations have lobbied against this proposition to keep their workers on un-liveable wages.
Prop 33
Allow local governments to enact rent controls
A yes vote means:
Local governments would have the ability to cap rent on vacant units, single-family homes, and apartments built after February 1, 1995. A yes vote would make it possible, but governments wouldn’t be required to implement rent controls yet.
A no vote means:
Current law known as Costa-Hawkins would remain in place, allowing landlords to set rent at any rate for new tenants and prohibiting cities from setting rent caps on single-family homes and apartments built after February 1, 1995.
Prop 34
Requires AIDS Healthcre Foundation (AHF) to spend prescription drug revenue on “direct patient care"
A yes vote means:
AHF would be forced to spend their prescription drug revenue on “direct patient care.” This measure is funded by The California Apartment Association to prevent AHF CEO Michael Weinstein from funding rent control and housing affordability initiatives like Prop 33, also on the 2024 ballot.
A no vote means:
AHF would be allowed to continue advocating for tenant protections and equity. A no vote also means the landlord lobby will have wasted their money on nothing.
Prop 35
Makes tax system on health care providers with Medi-Cal patients permanent
A yes vote means:
A tax currently in place on health care providers that serve Medi-Cal patients would become permanent. If passed, Prop 35 would determine where tax revenues could go, specifically preventing the govt from reallocating revenue to fill gaps in the state budget, as Governor Newsom is currently trying to do.
A no vote means:
Current law known as Costa-Hawkins would remain in place, allowing landlords to set rent at any rate for new tenants and prohibiting cities from setting rent caps on single-family homes and apartments built after February 1, 1995.
Prop 36
Reclassifies some misdemeanor theft and drug crimes as felonies
A yes vote means:
In 2014, Prop 47 was passed to reclassify some felonies as misdemeanors in response to overcrowded prisons. Studies show Prop 47 reduced recidivism, saved the state millions and created successful diversion programs. A yes vote on Prop 36 would reverse Prop 47’s effects and create 3-strikes punishments for low-level offenses. Prop 36 also imposes a “treatment-mandated felony,” on those with two or more drug-related offenses, even misdemeanor possession.
A no vote means:
Successful drug treatment and homelessness and violence prevention programs created by Prop 47 would continue to serve the community. According to the Vera Institute, voting no on Prop 36 would prevent 150,000 more people from being jailed,10,000 from being imprisoned, and $5 billion spent on locking people up.