Forced labor, same-sex marriage, shoplifting on the ballot in California this year

SACRAMENTO, California — Forced labor, gay marriage and shoplifting are among the 10 ballot proposals California voters will consider in November.

The California Secretary of State assigned proposal numbers to the measures on Wednesday after the Legislature two more bond proposals added to the polls.

Here’s what voters will decide in November:

This asks voters to approve borrowing $10 billion to build and repair public schools. The bulk of the money, $8.5 billion, would go to K-12 schools. The rest, or $1.5 billion, would go to community colleges. There would be no money for the California State University or University of California systems.

This would lift the ban on same-sex marriage from the California Constitution. Voters added that ban to the state constitution in 2008. But the U.S. Supreme Court has blocked California from enforcing the ban since 2013. However, the language banning same-sex marriage remains in the state constitution. The proposed amendment would remove the ban and replace it with language that says, “The right to marry is a fundamental right.”

This asks voters to approve $10 billion for various climate programs. The largest chunk of the money, $3.8 billion, would help improve drinking water systems and prepare for droughts and floods. Programs that prepare for wildfires would get $1.5 billion, while programs that combat sea level rise would get $1.2 billion.

The remainder would be divided among parks and outdoor recreation programs, clean air initiatives, and programs to prepare for extreme heat, protect biodiversity and support the sustainability of farms and ranches.

This would change the state constitution to make it easier for local governments to borrow money, provided they use the funds to build affordable housing or public infrastructure. Local governments, with the exception of school districts, can currently only borrow money if two-thirds of voters approve.

This would lower that threshold to 55% for affordable housing and public infrastructure projects. Public infrastructure includes water and sewer systems, public transportation, libraries, broadband internet, and hospitals.

This would change the California Constitution to Ban forced labor in any form. The Constitution currently prohibits involuntary servitude, or forced labor, except as punishment for a crime. That exception has become a target of criminal defense attorneys concerned about prison working conditions. It is not uncommon for incarcerated people to be forced to work for less than $1 an hour.

This would eventually raise the minimum wage in California to $18 an hour. It is currently $16 an hour for most people and $20 per hour for fast food workers. Healthcare providers will ultimately have their minimum wage reaches $25 per hourunder a law signed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom last year.

It repeals a state law that prohibits cities and counties from capping rents on single-family homes, apartments and condos built after 1995. Supporters say the proposal would help prevent homelessness.

Similar measures failed in 2018 and 2020 amid fierce opposition led by landlord groups and the real estate industry. Opponents argued the proposal would hurt small landlords and discourage the construction of affordable housing.

State lawmakers passed a statewide 10% cap on annual rent increases in 2019. The law exempted new construction for 15 years and is set to expire in 2030. Several cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Jose, also have local rent control policies.

This would permanently allow California’s Medicaid program to pay pharmacies directly for prescription drugs. California began doing so in 2019 after Newsom signed an executive order authorizing the payments. This measure would make it law.

The measure would also require some health care providers to spend nearly all of the money they receive through a federal prescription drug program directly on patient care, rather than on other things.

This proposal appears to be aimed at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. The measure is supported by the California Apartment Association, which helped pay for an ad criticizing the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. The foundation has said it is being attacked for its support of rent control.

This would mean that the state would pay more money to doctors for treat patients who are insured through Medicaid, the government-funded health insurance program for low-income people.

Managed care organizations contract with the state to provide these health benefits. The state taxes these organizations to help pay for the Medicaid program. This measure would require the state to use some of that tax money to increase the amount Medicaid pays doctors.

This would make shoplifting a felony for repeat offenders and increase penalties for some drug charges, including those involving the synthetic opioid fentanyl. It would also give judges the authority to order people with multiple drug charges to seek treatment.

Supporters said the initiative is needed to close loopholes that make it difficult for law enforcement to punish shoplifters and drug dealers.

Opponents, including Democratic state leaders and social justice groups, said the proposal would disproportionately lock up poor people and those with drug addictions instead of targeting the gang leaders who hiring large groups of people to steal goods that they can resell online.