A FEW FACTS:
California offers voter registration online, by mail, and in person. Online voter registration is available at RegisterToVote.ca.gov. You can also request and complete a paper voter registration form and mail or hand deliver it to your county elections official to register to vote. Registration deadlines Online: Oct. 19 By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 19 In person: Nov. 3 Absentee ballot deadlines Request a mail-in ballot: Oct. 27 Return by mail: Postmarked by Nov. 3 Return in person: Nov. 3 by 8:00 p.m. Early voting: Oct. 5 - Nov. 2, but dates and hours may vary based on where you live Additional information You can also register and vote on Election Day. Conditional voter registration is a safety net for Californians who miss the deadline to register to vote or update their voter registration information. Voters can use the conditional voter registration process from the day after the deadline all the way through Election Day. Eligible citizens can go to their county election office, polling place, or vote center to register and vote conditionally. These ballots will be processed once the county elections office has completed the voter registration verification process. If you have registered to vote, Voting Ballots will be mailed beginning October 5, 2020. You do not need to request a mail-in ballot. It will be sent to you automatically. However, if you have moved or sat out the last few elections, it’s important to check your voter status to ensure you will automatically receive a ballot in the mail. You have until Oct. 27th. to register. Voters will be able to track the status of their mail-in ballots using the “Where’s My Ballot?” tool. Notifications are sent when a ballot has been mailed to a voter’s address, when a cast ballot has arrived at the county official’s office and when it has been counted. Deadline to register to vote? You have until Oct. 19 to register online, which is recommended if you want to avoid going to an elections office or polling place on Election Day. THE PROPOSITIONS Proposition 14: AUTHORIZES BONDS TO CONTINUE FUNDING STEM CELL AND OTHER MEDICAL RESEARCH BY INITIATIVE STATUTE. The measure authorizes $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: (1) stem cell and other medical research, therapy development, and therapy delivery; (2) medical training; and (3) construction of research facilities. Also Dedicates funds to research and therapy for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, stroke, epilepsy, and other brain and central nervous system diseases and conditions. A No vote means the state cannot sell bonds for stem sell research or development of new medical treatments in California. Proposition 15: THIS MEASURE WILL INCREASE FUNDING FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS, COMMUNITY COLLEGES, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES BY CHANGING TAX ASSESSMENT OF COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY OF MORE THAN $3 MILLION. THE INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. Commercial properties are taxed at a higher rate than residential properties. Increases funding for K-12 public schools, community colleges, and local governments, Exempts small businesses from personal property tax; for other businesses, it exempts $500,000 worth of personal property. Proposition 16: Repeals Proposition 209 (from 1996), which prohibited the state from considering race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public employment, education, or contracting. A Yes vote would help provide more opportunity for young people of color to get ahead. It would provide for educational and work opportunities for more diverse people and help correct previous inequities experienced by people of color. Proposition 17: THIS INITIATIVE RESTORES THE RIGHT TO VOTE to people, at least 18 years of age, who were convicted of felonies and have completed their prison term. Proposition 18: THIS MEASURE WOULD AMEND THE CALIFORNIA CONSTITUTION to allow 17-year-olds who will be 18 at the time of the next general election to vote in primaries and special elections. The cost to the state would be cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. A No vote means no one younger than 18 years old may vote in any election. Proposition 19: THE PASSAGE OF THE MEASURE TO CHANGE TAX ASSESSMENT TRNASFER AND INHERITNCE RULES to allow older persons who sell their homes to maintain property tax rate of previous dwelling. Encourages resale of properties and provides financial stability for senior homeowners. A Yes vote could allow property sales and enable older homeowners to move to smaller homes while maintaining their current property tax burden. Also establishes fire protection services fund gaining tens of millions of dollars of property tax revenue per year. Schools could receive similar property tax gains. Proposition 20: THIS INITIATIVE RESTRICTS PAROLE FOR NON-VIOLENT OFFENDERS. IT AUTHORIZES FELONY SENTENCES FOR CERTAIN OFFENSES CURRENTLY TREATED ONLY AS MISDEMEANORS. Imposes restrictions on parole program for non-violent offenders who have completed the full term for their primary offense. It expands list of offenses that disqualify an inmate from this parole program and changes standards and requirements governing parole decisions under this program. Authorizes felony charges for specified theft crimes currently chargeable only as misdemeanors, including some theft crimes where the value is between $250 and $950. Requires persons convicted of specified misdemeanors to submit to collection of DNA samples for state database. Increased state and local correctional costs likely in the tens of millions of dollars annually, primarily related to increases in penalties for certain theft-related crimes and the changes to the nonviolent offender release consideration process. Increased state and local court-related costs of around a few million dollars annually related to processing probation revocations and additional felony theft filings. Could lead to increased state and local law enforcement costs not likely to exceed a couple of million dollars annually state-wide related to collecting and processing DNA samples from additional offenders. Undermines some previous initiatives. Proponents say we will be safer because some crimes re-instated as felonies. DNA database enhanced. Proposition 21: THIS INITIATIVE EXPANDS LOCAL GOVERNMENTS' AUTHORITY TO ENACT RENT CONTROL ON RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY. INITIATIVE STATUTE. The initiative amends state law to allow local governments to establish rent control on residential properties over 15 years old. Allows rent increases on rent controlled properties of up to 15 percent over three years from previous tenant’s rent above any increase allowed by local ordinance. Exempts individuals who own no more than two homes from new rent-control policies. In accordance with California law, provides that rent-control policies may not violate landlords’ right to a fair financial return on their property. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Potential reduction in state and local revenues of tens of millions of dollars per year in the long term. Depending on actions by local communities, revenue losses could be less or more. Experience across the US shows that rent control does not create new affordable housing. A No vote means State law would maintain current limits on rent control laws cities and counties can apply. Proposition 22: THIS INITIATIVE CHANGES EMPLOYMENT CLASSIFICATION RULES FOR APP-BASED TRANSPORTATION AND DELIVERY DRIVERS.The initiative establishes different criteria for determining whether app-based transportation (rideshare) and delivery drivers are “employees” or “independent contractors.” Independent contractors are not entitled to certain state-law protections afforded employees—including minimum wage, overtime, unemployment insurance, and workers’ compensation. Instead, companies with independent-contractor drivers will be required to provide specified alternative benefits, including minimum compensation and healthcare subsidies based on engaged driving time, vehicle insurance, safety training, and sexual harassment policies. Restricts local regulation of app-based drivers; criminalizes impersonation of such drivers; requires background checks. Summary of estimate: fiscal impact on state and local governments. Increase in state personal income tax revenue of an unknown amount. Step to undermining state rules on contractors. Specific to app-based services. Funded by Uber and Lyft, etc. to perpetuate the current system in response to AB5 and the state supreme court ruling on independent contractor status. A No vote means App-based rideshare and delivery companies would have to hire drivers as employees. Drivers would have less choice about when, where and how much to work. Proposition 23: AUTHORIZES STATE REGULATION OF KIDNEY DIALYSIS CLINICS. ESTABLISHES MINIMUM STAFFING AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS. INITIATIVE STATUTE. The measure requires at least one licensed physician on site during treatment at outpatient kidney dialysis clinics; authorizes Department of Public Health to exempt clinics from this requirement due to shortages of qualified licensed physicians if at least one nurse practitioner or physician assistant is on site. Requires clinics to report dialysis-related infection data to state and federal governments. Requires state approval for clinics to close or reduce services. Prohibits clinics from discriminating against patients based on the source of payment for care. Will provide increased state and local health care costs, likely in the low tens of millions of dollars annually, resulting from increased dialysis treatment costs. Proponents claim passage would provide for a safer environment for patients and less profit for companies doing dialysis. A No vote means dialysis clinics would not be required to have a doctor on-site during all patient treatment hours. Many treatment centers would be forced to shut down threatening the lives of 80,000 California patients. Also, health care costs will increase to hundreds of millions of dollars annually and cause a doctor shortage and make ER overcrowding worse. Proposition 24: THIS MEASURE AMENDS CONSUMER PRIVACY LAWS BY INITIATIVE STATUTE. This initiative would expand existing consumer data privacy laws and rights. Businesses would be required to share personal information; correct inaccurate personal information; and limit businesses’ use of “sensitive personal information”—such as precise geolocation; race; ethnicity; religion; genetic data; union membership; private communications; and certain sexual orientation, health, and biometric information. fiscal impact on state and local governments, Increased annual state costs of roughly $10 million. Proposition 25: THE REFERENDUM TO OVERTURN A 2018 LAW THAT REPLACED MONEY BAIL SYSTEM WITH A SYSTEM BASED ON PUBLIC SAFETY RISK. Requires a majority of voters to approve a 2018 no money bail state law before it can take effect. The 2018 law replaces the money bail system with a system for pretrial release from jail based on a determination of public safety or flight risk, and limits pretrial detention for most misdemeanors. A No vote means that some people would continue to pay bail to be released from jail before trial. Other people could continue to be released without paying bail. This is discriminatory system of computer generated profiling administered by governmental bureaucrats. |
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