In this March 1, 2020, file photo, voters prepare their ballots in voting booths during early voting for the California presidential primary election at an LA County “vote center” in Los Angeles, California.
The race for the White House will take center stage in November, but voters will also face 12 statewide ballot measures in California.
Here is a roundup explaining the 12 statewide ballot measures that have qualified for the 2020 California General Election.
Proposition 14: Bonds
- Would issue $5.5 billion in bonds to stem cell and other medical research.
- Dedicates $1.5 billion to fund research and therapy for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, stroke, epilepsy, and other brain and central nervous system diseases and conditions.
- Limits bond issuance to $540 million per year.
- Appropriates money from General Fund to repay bond debt, but postpones repayment for first five years.
Proposition 15: Taxes
- Amends Proposition 13 (1978), which limits property tax increases.
- Would increase funding for public schools, community colleges, and local governments.
- Taxes commercial and industrial properties based on market value.
Proposition 16: Affirmative Action
- Repeals Proposition 209 (1996), which prohibits the state from discriminating against, or granting preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting.
Proposition 17: Voting Rights
- Would restore voting rights of people on parole upon completion of their prison term.
Proposition 18: Voting Age
- Seventeen-year-olds would be allowed to vote in primary elections, if they turn 18 before the general election.
Proposition 19: Home Protection
- Allows people age 55 and older, who are severely disabled or victims of wildfires and other disasters, to keep lower property tax rates when they move to new homes.
Proposition 20: Crime
- Changes parts of two previous ballot measures (Propositions 47 and 57) that eased up on criminal penalties.
- Restricts parole for non-violent offenders and authorizes felony sentences for certain offenses currently treated only as misdemeanors.
Proposition 21: Rent Control
- Would allow local governments to establish rent control on housing over 15-years-old, with an exception for landlords who own no more than two homes.
Proposition 22: Employment
- Drivers for companies like Lyft, Uber and Doordash would continue to be classified as independent contractors.
- Criminalizes impersonation of app-based drivers and requires background checks.
Proposition 23: Health Care
- Kidney dialysis clinics would be required to have at least one licensed physician on-site; clinics are exempt from this requirement if there is a shortage of qualified licensed physicians.
- Requires state approval for clinic closures or service reductions.
- Dialysis clinics would be required to report infection data.
- Prohibits clinics from discriminating against clients based on payment source.
Proposition 24: Consumer Privacy Laws
- Would allow consumers to prevent businesses from sharing personal information, to correct inaccurate personal information, and to limit businesses’ use of “sensitive personal information”
- Triples maximum penalties for violations concerning consumers under age 16.
- Establishes the California Privacy Protection Agency to enforce consumer data privacy laws and impose administrative fines.
Proposition 25: Bail System
- Would replace the state's money bail system with a system based on public safety risk.
- Limits pretrial detention for most misdemeanors.
