What’s On The Ballot? A Summary Of The 12 State Propositions For November 2020 Election

Posted by: Michael Brown in Elections, Santa Clarita Latest News July 31, 2020 - 4:24 pm 0 2,741 Views

When Santa Clarita residents cast their ballots in November during the 2020 election, they will have the opportunity to vote on a dozen state propositions ranging from cash bail to affirmative action.

At the beginning of July, the Office of the California Secretary of State posted the 12 statewide ballot measures that had qualified for the 2020 election on Nov. 3.

Out of the dozen state propositions set to be voted on in November, eight were placed on the ballot by citizens and special interests, while four were put on by state legislators.

With issues ranging from lifting the decades-old ban on affirmative action to the fate of the cash bail system in California, here are the 12 state propositions Santa Clarita residents are set to vote on in November.

Bonds

Only one state bond measure made it onto the ballot this year, with this one going towards the funding of stem cell research.

Prop 14: “Authorize Bonds to Continue Funding Stem Cell and Other Medical Research”

This proposition would authorize $5.5 billion in state general obligation bonds to fund grants from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine to educational, non-profit, and private entities for three things:

Stem cell and other medical research, therapy development and therapy delivery
Medical training
Construction of research facilities

As part of this, $1.5 billion would also go towards funding research and therapy for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, stroke, epilepsy and other brain and central nervous system diseases and conditions, according to the proposition’s text.

See Related: COC Measure E Committee, COC Foundation Fined $14,500 For Campaign Violations

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine was initially created after California voters passed Proposition 71 in 2004, which allowed the state to borrow roughly $3 billion to create the institute.

While payments on the bond would be postponed for an initial five years, money from the state’s General Fund would be used to pay back the estimated $7.8 billion cost of the bond (principal of $5.5 billion, interest of $2.3 billion).

Housing/Real Estate

There are three measures on the 2020 ballot that pertain to housing and real estate, including the controversial issues of rent control and the “split roll” tax.

Prop 15: “Increases Funding for Public Schools, Community Colleges, and Local Government Services by Changing Tax Assessment of Commercial and Industrial Property”

More commonly known as the “split roll” tax, this proposition would require certain commercial and industrial properties to be taxed based on their current market value, as opposed to the market value when the property was originally purchased.

Proposition 15 would overturn a portion of Proposition 13, a measure passed by California voters in 1978 that capped property taxes from increasing as the market value of a piece of property increased.

Residential and agricultural properties would be exempt from the measure, as well as commercial and industrial properties with a combined value of $3 million or less.

State officials say that an estimated $7.5 billion to $12 billion would be generated each year, the majority of which would go towards public schools and local governments.

Prop 19: “ACA 11: The Home Protection for Seniors, Severely Disabled, Families, and Victims of Wildfire or Natural Disasters Act”

This measure would allow eligible homeowners to transfer their tax assessments anywhere within the state and allow tax assessments to be transferred to a more expensive home with an “upward adjustment”

Additionally, it would increase the number of times that a person over the age of 55 or an individual with severe disabilities can transfer their tax assessments from one to three.

The measure also requires that any homes that a person inherits and does not use as a principal residence to be reassessed using the market value at the time of the transfer.

The majority of funds raised by this measure would go towards combating wildfires, as well as local counties.

Prop 21: “Expands Local Governments’ Authority to Enact Rent Control on Residential Property”

This proposition would amend state law to allow local governments to “establish rent control on residential properties over 15 years old.”

State legislators had previously passed a law in 2019 that set a seven percent ceiling on how much landlords can raise their rents each year.

The measure exempts single-family homes owned by landlords with no more than two properties.

If the measure is passed, state officials estimated a potential reduction in state and local revenues of “tens of millions of dollars per year in the long term,” depending on the actions that local communities take.

Civil Rights

The largest section of the 2020 ballot is dedicated to various civil rights issues ranging from affirmative action to lifting some voting restrictions.

Prop 16: “ACA 5: Government Preferences”

Proposition 16 would repeal an amendment to the state constitution that bans the practice of affirmative action within state institutions.

Passed in 1996, Proposition 209 amended the California Constitution to prohibit any public agency from “discriminating against, or granting preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin.”

See Related: Senator Scott Wilk Votes To Put Repeal Of State Affirmative Action Ban On November Ballot

Republican State Senator Scott Willk, who represents Santa Clarita Valley as part of the 21st Senate District, crossed the aisle and voted to put this measure on the ballot, stating at the time that “with the conversations many citizens have been having around their dinner tables the past few weeks, it is reasonable to let voters revisit this issue.”

The measure was introduced by Democratic Assemblywoman Shirley Weber of San Diego.

Prop 17: “ACA 6: Elections: Disqualification of Electors”

If passed, Proposition 17 would allow individuals who were out of prison on parole for a felony conviction to vote.

Under the California Constitution, felons are disqualified from voting until both their imprisonment and parole are completed.

Proposition 17 would amend the state constitution to allow felons out on parole to vote, restoring the right to vote to an estimated 40,000 Californians.

The measure was introduced by Democratic Assemblyman Kevin McCarty of Sacramento.

Prop 18: “ACA 4: Elections: Voting Age”

This measure would allow 17-year-olds to vote in primary and special elections, provided that they will be 18 at the time of the subsequent general election.

This is the first time that such a measure has made it onto the ballot, despite lawmakers pushing similar efforts several times in the past.Similar measures have already been approved in at least 18 other states, as well as Washington D.C.

The proposition was introduced by Democratic Assemblyman Kevin Mullin of San Mateo

Prop 24: “Amends Consumer Privacy Laws”

Proposition 24 would expand consumer data privacy laws in the state of California, which are already considered the strongest in the nation.

Under this measure, consumers would be allowed to:

Prevent businesses from sharing their personal information
Correct inaccurate personal information
Limit businesses’ use of “sensitive personal information,” which includes precise geolocation, race, ethnicity, religion, genetic data, union membership, private communications; and certain sexual orientation, health and biometric information

In addition to prohibiting businesses from retaining personal information for “longer than reasonably necessary,” the measure also triples maximum penalties for certain violations concerning consumers under the age of 16.

The proposition would also establish the California Privacy Protection Agency in order to “enforce and implement consumer privacy laws, and impose administrative fines.”

Criminal Justice

Two measures pertaining to criminal justice are on the ballot this year, with one addressing the future of the cash bail system within the state of California.

Prop 20: “Restricts Parole for Non-Violent Offenders. Authorizes Felony Sentences For Certain Offenses Currently Treated Only as Misdemeanors”

If passed, Proposition 20 would add crimes to the list of violent felonies for which early parole is restricted, allow prosecutors to charge certain misdemeanor crimes with felony charges, and require people convicted of specified misdemeanors to submit to collection of DNA samples for a state database.

Under the measure, those who are convicted of domestic violence, as well as other crimes that are currently categorized as “nonviolent,” would no longer be considered for early parole.

See Related: Dozens Of Residents Protest Against Human Trafficking In Valencia

Additionally, the passage of the proposition would make specific types of theft and fraud crimes — such as firearm theft, vehicle theft, and unlawful use of a credit card — chargeable as misdemeanors or felonies, rather than just misdemeanors.

The ballot initiative also establishes two new types of crimes in state code (serial crime and organized retail crime), which could be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony.

Prop 25: “Referendum to Overturn a 2018 Law That Replaced Money Bail System with a System Based on Public Safety Risk”

This measure looks to uphold contested legislation that replaces California’s cash bail system with “risk assessments” for detained suspects awaiting trials.

In 2018, state legislators passed Senate Bill 10, which eliminated the cash bail system, and instead gave judges the role in determining whether or not an arrested individual should be held in jail or not leading up to their trial based on the risk that they pose to others or themself.

The law also restricts pretrial detentions for many misdemeanor charges.

Voting “yes” on Proposition 25 would uphold the 2018 law, while voting “no” would overturn it and bring back cash bail to California.

Labor

The final two ballot initiatives on this year’s ballot involve labor regulations, including a vote on whether or not to reclassify ride-share drivers as “independent contractors.”

Prop 22: “Changes Employment Classification Rules for App-Based Transportation and Delivery Drivers”

Proposition 22 would reclassify drivers for ride-share apps or food delivery services as independent contractors, essentially overturning a significant portion of Assembly Bill 5 (AB 5), which was passed in September of 2019.

This would exempt companies such as Uber and Lyft from standard wage and hour restrictions.

In exchange, companies with independent-contractor drivers would be required to provide “specified alternative benefits,” such as minimum compensation and healthcare subsidies, vehicle insurance, and sexual harassment policies.

The ballot initiative was largely funded by Uber, DoorDash and Lyft.

Prop 23: “Authorizes State Regulation of Kidney Dialysis Clinics. Establishes Minimum Staffing and Other Requirements”

This ballot initiative would require “at least one licensed physician on site during treatment at outpatient kidney dialysis clinics.”

Clinics would also be required to report data on dialysis-related infections to the state health department, as well as obtain consent from the same department before closing.

Additionally, Proposition 23 would prohibit clinics from discriminating against patients based on “the source of payment for care.”

State officials estimate that the measure would likely increase dialysis costs, resulting in increased state and local health care costs by tens of millions of dollars each year.

Ed. Note: The full text for all of the ballot measures can be read here.