Ballot Measures

Ballot measures are proposed laws. Voters decide if ballot measures become laws or not. They are also called propositions. This guide covers measures that change state laws. There may also be ballot measures for your local area.

Propositions 1, 2 and 3 were put on the ballot by the state Legislature. Late additions from the Legislature are Prop 1A ($9.2 billion bond for school construction) and Prop 11 (Local Sales and Use Taxes). Propositions 4 through 10 are initiatives put on the ballot after proponents gathered enough signatures. Propositions 1, 2 and 10 would change the state Constitution.

You do not have to vote on every ballot measure. You can vote on just the ones that are important to you.

Official Title: Property Taxes: Contaminated Property

The way it is now: Homeowners pay taxes on the "assessed" value of their property. If an owner has to move or rebuild a home because of environmental disaster, the property tax will increase on the basis of the current market value.

What Prop 1 would do: If a property is "contaminated" (because of toxic or hazardous materials), Prop 1 would allow the owner to transfer the current "assessed" value to a new or repaired home within their county.

What it would cost: Property taxes would go down, but probably by less than $1 million per year.

Official Title: Transportation Funding

The way it is now: Money from gas taxes and motor vehicle fees is usually spent on roads and other public transportation projects. However, these funds may be loaned to the state General Fund and used for other purposes, as they have been in some cases over several years.

What Prop 2 would do: Allow loans to the General Fund from transportation funds only if the loan is repaid in the same budget year. The Governor can extend this loan period by declaring a monetary emergency or if the General Fund has dropped from the year before.

What it would cost: There would be no extra costs to state and local governments.

Official Title: Partisan Presidential Primary Elections

The way it is now: In 1998, a new open primary law went into effect in California. In a primary election, voters can now vote for a candidate from any party, not just the party they are registered with.

What Prop 3 would do: Only voters who belong to political parties could vote for President in primary elections. They would vote for President in their own party. Independent voters would not be able to vote for any presidential candidate in the primary election.

What it would cost: The cost to state and most county governments would be minor.

Official Title: Trapping Practices. Bans Use of Specified Traps and Animal Poisons.

The way it is now: State law allows the capture or killing of certain fur-bearing and non-game animals for commercial and recreational purposes. This requires a license from the Department of Fish and Game. Allowable methods include shooting, trapping and poisoning.

What Prop 4 would do: Ban the use of leghold traps by any person for nearly any purpose. It bans the use of "body-gripping" traps for commercial and recreational purposes. It also bans the sale of raw furs obtained by using these types of traps. Prop 4 also outlaws the use of certain poisons on animals. There would be fines and imprisonment if this law is broken.

What it would cost: The cost for enforcement could range from several hundred thousand to a couple of million dollars.

Official Title: Tribal-State Gaming Compacts. Tribal Casinos.

The way it is now: The state of California has limits on legal gambling. It prohibits casino-style slot machines and allows horse racing, bingo for charitable purposes, and the California State Lottery.

What Prop 5 would do: The state would be required to enter into an agreement to allow gambling such as lotteries, slot machines and horse race betting on Indian lands for those tribes that want to do this. If any tribe wants a different agreement, the Governor would have to work out another one with them.

What it would cost: It is difficult to determine the cost.

Official Title: Prohibition on Slaughter of Horses and Sales of Horsemeat for Human Consumption

The way it is now: In California it is legal to kill horses to be used as food for humans and for use in pet food. Also, horses can be sent from California to other states to be killed for use as human food.

What Prop 6 would do: Make it a crime in California to sell or own horses as food for humans or to sell horsemeat as human food. Also, horses could not be sent out of California to other states to be killed for this use. This includes ponies, burros, and mules.

What it would cost: There could be some cost to enforce this law, but it would probably be small.

Official title: Air Quality Improvement. Tax Credits.

The way it is now: The federal and state governments make rules to keep the air clean to protect public health. The state requires individuals and businesses to follow these rules. Sometimes the state offers lower taxes as a reward or as encouragement to do better than the rules require.

What Prop 7 would do: Provide a total of $218 million in tax credits to lower personal and business income taxes for money spent to make the air cleaner by:

• Making or buying trucks that run cleaner.
• Fixing old equipment to run cleaner.
• Recycling agricultural waste instead of burning it.
• Supporting research to help clean the air.

What it would cost: The state would lose taxes equal to the $218 million in credits. Another $4.35 million per year would be needed to run the program. Cleaning up the air could also reduce some health costs.

Official Title: Public Schools. Permanent Class Size Reduction. Parent-Teacher Councils. Teacher Credentialing. Pupil Suspension for Drug Possession. Chief Inspector's Office.

The way it is now: The state Department of Education oversees public schools in California. The number of students in each kindergarten through third grade class has been lowered over the past two years. This has cost the state $1.5 billion.

What Prop 8 would do: Make changes in the laws about education:

• The state would continue funding for smaller class sizes in kindergarten through 3rd grade.
• Schools would be required to set up local parent and teacher councils that would make important decisions about the schools.
• Principals would be able to hire and remove school staff.
• Teachers would have to pass tests in the subjects they teach and have written lesson plans approved.
• Students who bring illegal drugs to school would be expelled.
• A new position, Chief Inspector of Public Schools, would be created to evaluate the quality of all public schools.

What it would cost: Up to $60 million in new state education programs, but some of this would come from current budgets.

Official Title: Electric Utilities. Assessments. Bonds.

The way it is now: There are three major private electricity utilities in California -- Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), and Southern California Edison (SCE). In the past, the rates these companies charged for electricity were set by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), a state agency.

In 1998, state law changed to allow the price customers pay for electricity to be set by competition among companies instead of by the PUC. This is called "deregulation." The state set up some ways to help private electricity companies make this change:

• Companies can have customers pay an extra charge for the "transition cost" of existing power plants, including nuclear plants, that do not make a profit.

• Companies must make a 10% reduction in electricity rates for customers over a 4-year period.

• Bonds could be sold to help pay for the 10% rate reduction and higher fees charged to help pay off the bonds.

What Prop 9 would do: Change current law to:

• Stop extra charges to customers for the cost of nuclear power plants.

• Require a 20% (instead of 10%) reduction in charges to electricity customers.

• Not allow utilities to charge customers extra fees to pay for the bonds that were sold to help pay for the rate reduction.

What it would cost: State and local governments may lose tax income, potentially in the high tens of millions of dollars per year for the state and in the tens of millions of dollars per year for local government. There would also be added cost for more work for the Public Utilities Commission and the courts.

Official Title: State and County Early Childhood Development Programs. Additional Tobacco Surtax.

The way it is now: There is a 37-cent state tax on each pack of cigarettes. The tax money is used mostly for health programs and a state campaign to discourage people from smoking. There is also a federal tax of 24 cents per pack.

What Prop 10 would do: Increase the state tax on each pack of cigarettes by 50 cents for a total of 87 cents per pack. Taxes would also increase on other tobacco products, such as cigars and chewing tobacco. The new tax money would be used to create new state and local commissions for early childhood development programs, such as parent education and family support services including health and child care.

A state commission would be created and county commissions would be created if counties chose to receive funding. They would provide information and form guidelines for improving early childhood development, including ways to discourage pregnant women from smoking.

What it would cost: About $750 million per year in tobacco taxes would be raised for the new early childhood development programs.