Below is a description of the 12 measures on the November ballot taken from the state voter information guide. My comments are in parentheses.
All of the major veteran organizations have taken an oppose position on Proposition 15 (property tax), Proposition 21 (rent control) and Proposition 23 (dialysis clinics).
Please study all these measures carefully before you vote. Some of these propositions will cost taxpayers increased taxes and add to the cost of state government as well as to increased prices on just about all goods and services (Prop 15).
Prop 14 Bonds – Stem Cell Research
Authorizes $5.5 billion state bonds for: stem cell and other medical research, including training; research facility construction; administrative costs. Dedicates $1.5 billion to brain-related diseases. Appropriates General Fund moneys for repayment. Expands related programs. Fiscal Impact: Increased state costs to repay bonds estimated at about $260 million per year over the next roughly 30 years . ($7.8 Billion)
Prop 15. Increases Tax Assessments on Commercial Property. ***
Taxes such properties based on current market value, instead of purchase price. Fiscal Impact: Increased property taxes on commercial properties worth more than $3 million providing $6.5 billion to $11.5 billion in new funding to local governments and schools. taxes such properties based on current market value, instead of purchase price. Fiscal Impact: Increased property taxes on commercial properties worth more than $3 million providing $6.5 billion to $11.5 billion in new funding to local governments and schools. (After $1 Billion taken to establish a new bureaucracy). ***(OPPOSED BY OVER 15 VETERAN ORGANIZATIONS)
Prop 16 Allows diversity as a factor in public employment, education and contracting
Permits government decision-making policies to consider race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in order to address diversity by repealing constitutional provision prohibiting such policies. Fiscal Impact: No direct fiscal effect on state and local entities. The effects of the measure depend on the future choices of state and local government entities and are highly uncertain. (overturns Proposition 209, added to the state Constitution in 1996)
Prop 17 Restores Right to Vote After Completion of Prison Term (while on parole)
Restores voting rights upon completion of prison term to persons who have been disqualified from voting while serving a prison term. Fiscal Impact: Annual county costs, likely in the hundreds of thousands of dollars statewide, for voter registration and ballot materials.
Prop 18 Allows 17-year olds to Vote in Primaries and Special Elections if they will be 18 For Next General Election
Fiscal Impact: Increased statewide county costs likely between several hundreds of thousands of dollars and $1 million every two years. Increased one-time costs to the state of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Prop 19 Changes Certain Property Tax Rules
Allows homeowners who are over 55, disabled, or wildfire/ disaster victims to transfer primary residence’s tax base to replacement residence. Changes taxation of family-property transfers. Establishes fire protection services fund. Fiscal Impact: Local governments could gain tens of millions of dollars of property tax revenue per year, probably growing over time to a few hundred million dollars per year. Schools could receive similar property tax gains. (opposed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association)
Prop 20 Restricts Parole for Certain Offenses Considered Non-Violent
Limits access to parole program established for non-violent offenders who have completed the full term of their primary offense by eliminating eligibility for certain offenses. Fiscal Impact: Increase in state and local correctional, court, and law enforcement costs likely in the tens of millions of dollars annually, depending on implementation.
Prop 21 Expands Local Governments’ Authority to enact Rent Control on Residential Property ***
Allows local governments to establish rent control on residential properties over 15 years old. Local limits on rate increases may differ from statewide limit. Fiscal Impact: Overall, a potential reduction in state and local revenues in the high tens of millions of dollars per year over time.
***(OPPOSED BY OVER 15 VETERAN ORGANIZATIONS)
Prop 22 Exempts App-Based Transportation and Delivery Companies from Providing Benefits to Certain Drivers
Classifies app-based drivers as “independent contractors,” instead of “employees,” and provides independent-contractor drivers other compensation, unless certain criteria are met. Fiscal Impact: Minor increase in state income taxes paid by rideshare and delivery company drivers and investors.
Prop 23 Establishes State Requirements for Kidney Dialysis Clinics ***
Requires physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant on site during dialysis treatment. Prohibits clinics from reducing services without state approval. Prohibits clinics from refusing to treat patients based on payment source. Fiscal Impact: Increased state and local government costs likely in the low tens of millions of dollars annually.
***(OPPOSED BY OVER 15 VETERAN ORGANIZATIONS)
Prop 24 Amends Consumer Privacy Laws
Permits consumers to: prevent businesses from sharing personal information, correct inaccurate personal information, and limit businesses’ use of “sensitive personal information,” including precise geolocation, race, ethnicity, and health information. Establishes California Privacy Protection Agency. Fiscal Impact: Increased annual state costs of at least $10 million, but unlikely exceeding low tens of millions of dollars, to enforce expanded consumer privacy laws. Some costs would be offset by penalties for violating these laws.
Prop 25 Referendum on Law That Replace Money Bail With System Based on Flight Risk
A “Yes” vote approves, and a “No” vote rejects, law replacing money bail with system based on public safety and flight risk. Fiscal Impact: Increased costs possibly in mid hundreds of millions of dollars annually for a new process (new bureaucracy) for release from jail prior to trial. Decreased county jail costs, possibly in high tens of millions of dollars annually.
