California voters decide on 10 propositions this November

The Nov. 2024 ballot asks California voters to decide on three constitutional amendments; authorizing funding for education and climate conservation; and future policies for crime, health care and taxes

Alyssa Yang, Editor-in-Chief • September 29, 2024

10 Propositions

Proposition 2

Prop. 2 authorizes the state to borrow $10 million for construction and modernization of public schools and community colleges.

$2.4 million raised in support: According to the Public Policy Institute of California, 38% of students attend schools that don’t meet the state’s minimum safety standards. This money is crucial for basic safety improvements. Learn more here.
$0 raised in opposition: The state should include school repairs in its regular budget rather than turn to taxpayers, who are already overburdened. Learn more here.

Proposition 3

Prop. 3 reaffirms the right of same-sex couples to marry by repealing parts of Proposition 8, passed in 2008, that limit marriage to between a man and a woman. This will have no actual effect on who can legally marry due to Supreme Court rulings in 2013 and 2015.

$3.9 million raised in support: the measure would simply remove obsolete language from the California constitution and uphold a right already recognized by SCOTUS. Learn more here.
$0 raised in opposition: the measure goes too far and would override marriage laws, threatening healthy families. Learn more here.

Proposition 4

Prop. 4 authorizes the state to borrow $10 billion for conserving natural resources and responding to climate change, such as by providing money for drinking water and groundwater programs, wildfire and forest programs and addressing sea level rise.

$639,000 raised in support: threats from wildfires, water pollution and extreme heat create an urgent need for more spending on climate-related issues. Learn more here.
$0 raised in opposition: this money could go towards more directly useful initiatives, like technology. California should pay for such projects without taking on more debt. Learn more here.

Proposition 5

Prop. 5 lowers the vote threshold from 66.67% to 55% for local governments to borrow money for affordable housing and some other public infrastructure projects.

$5 million raised in support: allowing just one-third of voters to overrule two-thirds could be undemocratic. Voters’ majority opinion should hold more weight, especially when it comes to funding affordable housing or other public infrastructure. Learn more here.
$29.6 million raised in opposition: when a local government decides to borrow money, that tab almost always gets put on property owners — who might make up a minority of voters — through higher taxes. The choice to issue a bond should be made only when a broad consensus exists. Learn more here.

Proposition 6

Prop. 6 is a constitutional amendment to end indentured servitude in state prisons. Involuntary servitude would not be allowed as punishment for crime, and state prisons would not be allowed to impose consequences on people in prison who refuse to work.
The California Black Legislative Caucus included the proposal in its reparations agenda.

$319,500 raised in support: being forced to work long hours on jobs that do not necessarily contribute to future skills for little pay, and which can be dangerous, could be considered inhumane. Learn more here.
$0 raised in opposition: no official argument against Prop. 6 has been submitted, but the current work system helps inmates and promotes necessary order in facilities aiming to rehabilitate inmates. Upending the system could make managing prisons more difficult.

Proposition 32

Prop. 32 raises the state minimum wage from $16 to $18 per hour. Fast food workers’ minimum wage already increased to $20 an hour on April 1, and healthcare workers will soon receive $25 an hour, by October 15 at the earliest.

$609,800 raised in support: the money would help families afford basic needs, would be spent at local businesses and would help reduce low-income Californians’ use of taxpayer-provided benefits. UC Berkeley studies have found that California’s gradual increase to $15 had “no significant” effect on job losses. Learn more here.
$65,000 raised in opposition: business groups argue employers already face increased supply and labor costs from inflation and that for some, business hasn’t bounced back fully since the COVID pandemic. Learn more here.

Proposition 33

Prop. 33 allows local governments to impose rent controls by repealing the Costa Hawkins Rental Housing Act, which generally prevents cities and counties from limiting rents in properties first occupied after Feb. 1, 1995.

$31.2 million raised in support: the rent is too high. Enough said. Really, though — in 2023, California accounted for 30% of the entire homeless population in the U.S., which is disproportionate given that California’s total population only represents about 11% of the U.S. Learn more here.
$53.9 million raised in opposition: adopting strict rent control legislation will make California’s housing shortage even worse — and it’s already dire, given that in 2023 residential permits and construction for multifamily units decreased by 2.9% and 5.5%, respectively. Property values will drop and developers will be less likely to build new housing, which, in turn, will drive up prices in existing rental units. Learn more here.

Proposition 34

Prop. 34 would require certain healthcare entities to spend at least 98% of revenue from a federal drug discount program on “direct patient care.” The provisions (at least $100 million on expenses other than direct care, owns and operates apartment buildings, has racked up at least 500 severe health and safety violations in the last decade) mainly seem to target the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which is a major player in state and local housing politics.

$30.1 million raised in support: when the federal government gives discounts to healthcare providers, taxpayers deserve to know that the money is being used to help the neediest patients. Learn more here.
$1.1 million raised in opposition: this is a political hit job paid for by a landlord lobby out for revenge. In a democracy, campaigns should make their case to the voters, not silence their opponents. Learn more here.

Proposition 35

Prop. 35 would make an existing state tax on health plans that provides funding for Medi-Cal permanent, as it otherwise expires in 2026. It’s projected to earn $35 million over the next four years.

$48.7 million raised in support: California has relied on this tax — known as the Managed Care Organization Tax — for decades to offset general fund spending on Medi-Cal. Learn more here.
$0 raised in opposition: no official argument against Prop. 35 has been submitted, but Gov. Newsom argues restricting how the tax revenue is spent “hamstrings” future legislators and governors’ ability to balance the state budget.

Proposition 36

Prop. 36 allows felony charges and increases sentences for certain drug and theft crimes. It also allows a new class of crime to be called treatment-mandated felony, which gives the offender the option to participate in drug and mental health treatment.

$13.2 million raised in support: Prop. 36 combats homelessness since drug dependence pushes people to the street, and increasing the penalties for drug possession is the only way to force people into treatment. Learn more here.
$1.7 million raised in opposition: Prop. 36 will expend hundreds of millions of dollars in court and prison costs, while no studies on criminal justice or homelessness support the idea that harsher punishment — or the threat of harsher punishment — prevents crime or gets people off the street. Learn more here.

About the Contributor

Alyssa Yang, Editor-in-Chief

Alyssa is a senior and an Editor-in-Chief for El Estoque. She enjoys spending too much time in dance studios and socially recharging by exploring new hiking trails.