2020 California Ballot Propositions Megathread

[Coastal Elitist]

Starting another megathred on these like I did last year.

March 3, 2020:
Proposition 13
Issues $15 billion in bonds for school and college facilities
Rejected



Yes   4,147,158   46.7%
No   4,735,953   53.3%

Good to see voters reject a bond measure for once.

On the Ballot
November 3, 2020:
Criminal Sentencing, Parole, and DNA Collection Initiative:
The ballot initiative would make specific types of theft and fraud crimes, including firearm theft, vehicle theft, and unlawful use of a credit card, chargeable as misdemeanors or felonies, rather than misdemeanors. The ballot initiative would also establish two additional types of crimes in state code—serial crime and organized retail crime—and charge them as wobblers (crimes chargeable as misdemeanors or felonies).
The ballot initiative would require persons convicted of certain misdemeanors that were classified as wobblers or felonies before 2014, such shoplifting, grand theft, and drug possession, along with several other crimes, including domestic violence and prostitution with a minor, to submit to the collection of DNA samples for state and federal databases.

Tax on Commercial and Industrial Properties for Education and Local Government Funding Initiative:
The ballot initiative would create a process in the state constitution for distributing revenue from the revised tax on commercial and industrial properties. The ballot initiative would distribute the revenue to specific areas, rather than the General Fund. First, the revenue would be distributed to (a) the state to supplement decreases in revenue from the state's personal income tax and corporation tax due to increased tax deductions and (b) counties to cover the costs of implementing the measure. Second, 60 percent of the remaining funds would be distributed to local governments and special districts, and 40 percent would be distributed to school districts and community colleges

Replace Cash Bail with Risk Assessments Referendum: Replaces cash bail with risk assessments for suspects awaiting trial

Local Rent Control Initiative: The ballot measure would allow local governments to adopt rent control on housing units, except on (a) housing that was first occupied within the last 15 years and (b) units owned by natural persons who own no more than two housing units with separate titles, such as single-family homes, condos, and some duplexes, or subdivided interests, such as stock cooperatives and community apartment projects.[2]
Under Costa-Hawkins, landlords are allowed to increase rent prices to market rates when a tenant moves out (a policy known as vacancy decontrol).[1] The ballot measure would require local governments that adopt rent control to allow landlords to increase rental rates by 15 percent during the first three years following a vacancy
(basically the same thing as prop 10 from 2018 which failed miserably)

Signatures submitted:
Property Tax Transfers and Exemptions Initiative   997,139

25% of signatures reached:
Commercial and Industrial Property Tax for Education and Local Government Funding Initiative deadline: April 14

Changes to Medical Malpractice Lawsuits Cap Initiative
deadline: June 1

Dialysis Clinic Requirements and Consent to Close Initiative
deadline: June 29

App-Based Drivers Regulations Initiative
deadline: June 30   

Consumer Personal Information Law and Agency Initiative   
deadline: June 15

Stem Cell Research Institute Bond Initiative
deadline: June 15

Packaging Waste Reduction Regulations Initiative
deadline: July 6

Legalize Sports Betting on American Indian Lands Initiative
deadline: July 20

[Coastal Elitist]

Propositions have been finalized for the ballot meant to do this earlier but didn't get to it.

For some reason they start with 14
Proposition 14   Bonds   Issues $5.5 billion in bonds for state stem cell research institute

Proposition 15   Taxes   Requires commercial and industrial properties to be taxed based on market value and dedicates revenue

Proposition 16   Affirmative Action   Repeals Proposition 209 (1996), which prohibited the state from considering race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public employment, education, or contracting

Proposition 17   Suffrage   Restores the right to vote to people convicted of felonies who are on parole

Proposition 18   Suffrage   Allows 17-year-olds who will be 18 at the time of the next general election to vote in primaries and special elections

Proposition 19   Taxes   Changes tax assessment transfers and inheritance rules

Proposition 20   Law Enforcement   Makes changes to policies related to criminal sentencing charges, prison release, and DNA collection

Proposition 21   Housing   Expands local governments' power to use rent control

Proposition 22   Business   Considers app-based drivers to be independent contractors and enacts several labor policies related to app-based companies

Proposition 23   Healthcare   Requires physician on-site at dialysis clinics and consent from the state for a clinic to close

Proposition 24   Business   Expands the provisions of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and creates the California Privacy Protection Agency to implement and enforce the CCPA

Proposition 25   Trials   Replaces cash bail with risk assessments for suspects awaiting trial

I guess we're giving rent control another try even though it got crushed last time. It only passed in congressional districts 12, 13, 28, 29, 34, 37 and 43. Hopefully the affirmative action one fails it seems racist.

[Coastal Elitist]

Not sure why a British polling firm is polling this but we have our first poll of proposition 22 and they went quite in depth on the numbers as well:
https://redfieldandwiltonstrategies.com/california-proposition-22-voting-intention-9-august/

Yes 41%
No 26%
Undecided 34%

[Coastal Elitist]

New polls for proposition 15 and 16 from PPIC: https://www.ppic.org/wp-content/uploads/ppic-statewide-survey-californians-and-their-government-september-2020.pdf

Proposition 15 (amends prop 13):
Yes 51%
No 40%

Proposition 16 (affirmative action):
No 47%
Yes 31%

[Coastal Elitist]

Here's my thoughts:
Prop 14: No - Just say no to bonds we are in debt
Prop 15: No - Lots of loopholes and will hurt small businesses
Prop 16: No - It's just racist, lets judge people on their accomplishments not on their race
Prop 17: No - They can vote once there sentence is complete which includes parole
Prop 18: No - I have no problem with them voting in primaries, but special elections are still an election so you should have to be 18 for that
Prop 19: No - Sounds good at first, but it's just a steal by real estate special interests
Prop 20: Yes - Fixes the loopholes in proposition 47 and 57 that have made it easier to steal
Prop 21: No - Once again rent control is not the solution and will only lead to more problems
Prop 22: Yes - Uber, Lyft, Doordash and other jobs like this were never intended to be full time jobs, the business model was always to earn money on the side.
Prop 23: No - another attempt to make voters health regulators
Prop 24: No - sounds good at first, but creates lots of loopholes that renders most of this null and void anyways
Prop 25: No - This would allow computer programs to decide who gets bail and who doesn't, which probably won't help minorities

If anyone want to discuss these I'm more than happy to.

[Coastal Elitist]

Ah thank god lol im prob voting Yes on 15 and no on 16 I really dislike affirmative action people should be hired on their merit not race good to see their both were their at im really interested in how Prop 22 is doing. Theirs a lot of anti uber sentiment here after they threatened to pull out of the state people feel like Uber is blackmailing us but again I have a lot of friends dependent on Uber for their jobs.

I'm glad you feel that way with 16. With 15 I thought it would be good at first, but the more I looked at it the more I didn't like it. It wouldn't just effect big corporations it would also effect small businesses. Former mayor Antoni Villaraigosa makes good points in this article: https://calmatters.org/commentary/my-turn/2020/09/prop-15-the-legislature-should-reform-californias-tax-system/

The thing with 22 is that Uber, Lyft and these other places like doordash were never intended to be full time jobs and if these companies abide by AB5, which has been a disaster, they would have to fire lots of workers that they couldn't afford and all current drivers would probably have to apply for a job instead of just signing up and being able to do it whenever they want. So there would be no guarantee that you get to drive for a place like Uber and of course rides would be more expensive. Basically the legislature is trying to turn Uber and Lyft into taxis. By a 4-1 margin app based drivers want to be independent so it's clear that the majority don't want to be employees as AB5 requires. AB5 was a solution for a problem that didn't exist and in reality the legislature just wanted to target companies like Uber and Lyft but knew they couldn't do that so they came up with AB5 not realizing how many industries it would effect.

[Coastal Elitist]

If anyone want to discuss these I'm more than happy to.

You're so close to nailing my thoughts exactly that it's making me reconsider my one disagreement with you, which is Prop 20. My first reaction is that it will significantly increase prison population, almost exclusively for people who have been charged with theft, some as low as $250, which seems excessive. Has there been a significant uptick in related property crimes in California that I'm not aware of, that calls for this sort of change right now?

Yes there has been: Regarding property crimes, Proposition 47 had no apparent impact on burglaries or auto thefts, but it did contribute to an increase in larcenies—such as theft from motor vehicles and shoplifting—which increased by roughly 9 percent, or about 135 more thefts per 100,000 residents. This proposition would also reclassify crimes like sexual assault and domestic violence as a violent crime. Under 2014’s Prop. 47, rape of an unconscious person, trafficking a child for sex, assault of a peace officer, felony domestic violence and other similar crimes were re classified as non violent crimes and this proposition would change that.

[Coastal Elitist]

polls from Redfield Wilton: https://redfieldandwiltonstrategies.com/california-presidential-proposition-22-and-proposition-24-voting-intentions-19-21-september/

Prop 22
Yes: 53%
No: 27%

Prop 24
Yes: 60%
No: 17%

[Coastal Elitist]

Missed this one earlier Probolsky Research: https://www.probolskyresearch.com/2020/09/05/new-poll-ca-proposition-15/

Prop 15
Yes: 41%
No: 49%

[Coastal Elitist]

Odd results compared to other polls.

On a separate note I saw the most dishonest add on proposition 16. It equated being against affirmative action to being a white supremacist. Most disgraceful proposition add I've even seen.

[Coastal Elitist]

Odd results compared to other polls.

On a separate note I saw the most dishonest add on proposition 16. It equated being against affirmative action to being a white supremacist. Most disgraceful proposition add I've even seen.

This one?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NiPdd-bfNc

Most people in my community I've seen active against Prop 16 have been older Asian people. Rather different demographics than Unite The Right.

Yes and it's telling how they disabled the youtube comments

[Coastal Elitist]

While it is interesting to look at the polls I will note that ballot proposition ones can be wrong more often than not.

[Coastal Elitist]

I was surprised when I visited the liberal north coast last weekend how many No on 15 and 19 signs I saw accompanied by Biden/Harris signs. There's also quite a few No on 16 signs that I've seen around the Bay Area.

Also PPIC just came out with some new polls but just on 15 and 16. https://www.ppic.org/wp-content/uploads/ppic-statewide-survey-californians-and-their-government-october-2020.pdf

Prop 15
Yes 49%
No 45%

Prop 16
Yes 37%
No 50%

16 is trailing in all the regional areas according to the crosstabs so I'm surprised it's not losing by more

[Coastal Elitist]

I'll be surprised if 22 ends up being as close as that poll is showing and I'm not surprised about 15 considering I've seen signs for no in some very liberal areas.

Also here's a poll for Proposition 18:https://www.probolskyresearch.com/2020/10/16/california-voters-rejecting-proposition-18-which-would-lower-voting-age/
Yes 45%
No 52%