California
California propositions: Election results for the 2024 ballot measures
Californians are voting on 10 propositions in the 2024 election, covering issues from minimum wage and marriage equality to increasing penalties for some theft and drug crimes.
We’ve put together a guide to the 2024 propositions in California and we are tracking election results as they become available.
Polls close in California at 8 p.m., we’ll update the story below with results as races are called.
California Propositions Election Results 2024
Prop 2: Authorizes bonds for public school and community college facilities
Prop 3: Constitutional right to marriage
Prop 4: Authorizes bonds for safe drinking water, wildfire prevention, and protecting communities and natural lands from climate risks
Prop 5: Allows local bonds for affordable housing and public infrastructure with 55% voter approval
Prop 6: Eliminates constitutional provision allowing involuntary servitude for incarcerated person
Prop 32: Raises minimum wage
Prop 33: Expands local governments’ authority to enact rent control on residential property
Prop 34: Restricts spending of prescription drug revenues by certain health care providers
Prop 35: Provides permanent funding for Medi-Cal health care services
Prop 36: Allows felony charges and increases sentences for certain drug and theft crimes
Scroll down to read about each ballot proposition.
Prop 2: Authorizes bonds for public school and community college facilities
Summary: Authorizes $10 billion in general obligation bonds for repair, upgrade, and construction of facilities at K-12 public schools (including charter schools), community colleges, and career technical education programs, including for improvement of health and safety conditions and classroom upgrades. Requires annual audits.
Argument for: Many schools and community colleges are outdated and need basic health and safety repairs and upgrades to prepare students for college and careers and to retain and attract quality teachers. Prop. 2 meets those needs and requires strict taxpayer accountability so funds are spent as promised with local control.
Argument against: Proposition 2 will increase our bond obligations by $10 billion, which will cost taxpayers an estimated $18 billion when repaid with interest. A bond works like a government credit card-paying of that credit card requires the government to spend more of your tax dollars! Vote NO on Prop. 2.
Supporters: California Teachers Association; California School Nurses Organization; Community College League of California
Opponents: Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
More details: Prop 2 looking to borrow money to repair schools, colleges
Prop 3: Constitutional right to marriage
Summary: Amends California Constitution to recognize fundamental right to marry, regardless of sex or race. Removes language in California Constitution stating that marriage is only between a man and a woman.
Argument for: Proposition 3 protects Californians’ freedom to marry, regardless of their race or gender. Proposition 3 removes discriminatory language from the California Constitution stating marriage is only between a man and a woman. Proposition 3 reinforces California’s commitment to civil rights and protects personal freedom. Vote YES! YesonProp3CA.com
Argument against: Proposition 3 removes all rules for marriage, opening the door to child marriages, incest, and polygamy. It changes California’s constitution even though same-sex marriage is already legal. By making moms and dads optional, it puts children at risk. This careless measure harms families and society. Vote No on Proposition 3.
Supporters: Sierra Pacifc Synod of The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Dolores Huerta Foundation; Equality California
Opponents: Jonathan Keller, California Family Council; Rev. Tanner DiBella
More details: Prop 3 aiming to protect marriage rights for all
Prop 4: Authorizes bonds for safe drinking water, wildfire prevention, and protecting communities and natural lands from climate risks
Summary: Authorizes $10 billion in general obligation bonds for water, wildfire prevention, and protection of communities and lands. Requires annual audits.
Argument for: Yes on 4 for safe drinking water, wildfire prevention, clean air, and protection of natural resources. California firefighters, conservation groups, clean water advocates urge YES. Accountable, fiscally responsible, with independent audits, strict transparency. Proactive approach saves money and prevents the worst impacts of devastating wildfires, smoke, droughts, and pollution.
Argument against: Bonds are the most expensive way to fund government spending. Water and wildfire mitigation are necessities, not luxuries. They should be budgeted for, not bonded. Mismanagement led to this crisis. This $10 billion bond will cost taxpayers almost $2 to repay for every dollar spent. Vote NO on Prop. 4.
Supporters: Clean Water Action; CALFIRE Firefghters; National Wildlife Federation; The Nature Conservancy
Opponents: Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
More details: What is Prop 4? $10 billion bond pays for long list of CA climate change projects
Prop 5: Allows local bonds for affordable housing and public infrastructure with 55% voter approval
Summary: Allows approval of local infrastructure and housing bonds for low- and middle-income Californians with 55% vote. Accountability requirements.
Argument for: Prop. 5 shifts local spending priorities away from state government, giving local voters and taxpayers the choice and the tools to address the challenges facing their communities. Whether it’s housing affordability, safer streets, more fire stations, or other community-driven projects, Prop. 5 empowers local voters to solve local problems. Vote YES.
Argument against: Prop. 5 changes the constitution to make it easier to increase bond debt, leading to higher property taxes. Prop. 5 shifts the financial burden from the state to local communities, increasing costs for homeowners, renters, and consumers. Politicians wrote loopholes in Prop. 5 so “infrastructure” can mean just about anything.
Supporters: California Professional Firefghters; League of Women Voters of California; Habitat for Humanity California.
Opponents: California Taxpayers Association; California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce; Women Veterans Alliance.
More details: California is in serious need of housing. Is Proposition 5 the solution?
Prop 6: Eliminates constitutional provision allowing involuntary servitude for incarcerated person
Summary: Amends the California Constitution to remove current provision that allows jails and prisons to impose involuntary servitude to punish crime (i.e., forcing incarcerated persons to work).
Argument for: Proposition 6 ends slavery in California and upholds human rights and dignity for everyone. It replaces carceral involuntary servitude with voluntary work programs, has bipartisan support, and aligns with national efforts to reform the 13th Amendment. It will prioritize rehabilitation, lower recidivism, and improve public safety, resulting in taxpayer savings.
Argument against: No argument against Proposition 6 was submitted.
Supporters: Assemblymember Lori Wilson
Opponents: None submitted
Prop 32: Raises minimum wage
Summary: Raises minimum wage as follows: For employers with 26 or more employees, to $17 immediately, $18 on January 1, 2025. For employers with 25 or fewer employees, to $17 on January 1, 2025, $18 on January 1, 2026.
Argument for: YES on Proposition 32 raises the minimum wage to $18 so more SERVICE, ESSENTIAL, AND OTHER WORKERS, and SINGLE MOMS can AFFORD the state’s COST OF LIVING. CORPORATE PROFIT MARGINS INCREASED 100% since 2000 because CORPORATIONS SPIKED the PRICES OF GOODS. YES on PROP. 32 so workers can afford life’s basic needs.
Argument against: Prop. 32 was written by one multimillionaire alone, and he wrote a horribly flawed measure. Prop. 32 increases the cost of living, eliminates jobs, makes our state and local government budget deficits worse, and makes California’s complex minimum wage laws even harder for businesses and workers to understand. No on 32!
Supporters: None submitted
Opponents: California Chamber of Commerce; California Restaurant Association; California Grocers Association
More details: Voters to consider raising minimum wage to $18 with Proposition 32
Prop 33: Expands local governments’ authority to enact rent control on residential property
Summary: Repeals Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act of 1995, which currently prohibits local ordinances limiting initial residential rental rates for new tenants or rent increases for existing tenants in certain residential properties.
Argument for: The rent is too damn high. One million people have left California. Rent control in America has worked to keep people in their homes since 1919. California’s 17 million renters need relief. Homeowners and taxpayers benefit from stable communities. The California dream is dying. You can help save it.
Argument against: Don’t be fooled by the latest corporate landlord anti-housing scheme. California voters have rejected this radical proposal twice before, because it would freeze the construction of new housing and could effectively reverse dozens of new state housing laws. Vote No on 33 to protect new affordable housing and California homeowners.
Supporters: CA Nurses Assoc.; CA Alliance for Retired Americans; Mental Health Advocacy; Coalition for Economic Survival; TenantsTogether
Opponents: California Council for Afordable Housing; Women Veterans Alliance; California Chamber of Commerce
More details: Prop 33 – a ballot measure on expanding rent control
Prop 34: Restricts spending of prescription drug revenues by certain health care providers
Summary: Requires certain providers to spend 98% of revenues from federal discount prescription drug program on direct patient care. Authorizes statewide negotiation of Medi-Cal drug prices.
Argument for: Proposition 34 will protect patients and ensure public healthcare dollars actually go to patients who need it. Prop. 34 will close a loophole that allows corporations to spend this money on things like buying stadium naming rights and multi-million dollar CEO salaries. Protect Patients Now. Vote Yes on Proposition 34.
Argument against: Prop. 34-The Revenge Initiative. California Apartment Association, representing billionaire corporate landlords, doesn’t care about patients. Their sole purpose is silencing AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the sponsor of the rent control initiative. 34 weaponizes the ballot, is a threat to democracy, and opens the door to attacks on any non-profit.
Supporters: The ALS Association; California Chronic Care Coalition; Latino Heritage Los Angeles
Opponents: National Org. for Women; Consumer Watchdog; Coalition for Economic Survival; AIDS Healthcare Foundation; Dolores Huerta
More details: Prop 34 – the prescription drug revenue-spending measure
Prop 35: Provides permanent funding for Medi-Cal health care services
Summary: Makes permanent the existing tax on managed health care insurance plans, which, if approved by the federal government, provides revenues to pay for Medi-Cal health care services.
Argument for: Yes on 35 addresses our urgent healthcare crisis by securing dedicated funding-without raising taxes-to protect access to primary and specialty care, community clinics, hospitals, ERs, family planning, and mental health providers. Prop. 35 prevents the state from redirecting funds for non-healthcare purposes. Supported by Planned Parenthood, pediatricians, California Medical Association. www.VoteYes35.com
Argument against: No argument against Proposition 35 was submitted.
Supporters: Planned Parenthood Afliates of CA; American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists; American Academy of Pediatrics
Opponents: None submitted
More details: Prop 35 – a measure to fund Medi-Cal services
Prop 36: Allows felony charges and increases sentences for certain drug and theft crimes
Summary: Allows felony charges for possessing certain drugs and for thefts under $950, if defendant has two prior drug or theft convictions.
Argument for: Prop. 36 makes California communities safer by addressing rampant theft and drug trafficking. It toughens penalties for fentanyl and drug traffickers and “smash-and-grabs” while holding repeat offenders accountable. It targets serial thieves and encourages treatment for those addicted to drugs, using a balanced approach to fix loopholes in current laws.
Argument against: Don’t be fooled. Proposition 36 will lead to more crime, not less. It reignites the failed war on drugs, makes simple drug possession a felony, and wastes billions on prisons, while slashing crucial funding for victims, crime prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. This puts prisons first and guts treatment. Vote No.
Supporters: Crime Victims United of California; California District Attorneys Association; Family Business Association of California
Opponents: Diana Becton, District Attorney Contra Costa County; Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice
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California
Xavier Becerra surges in poll after Eric Swalwell drops out of California governor’s race
A new poll shows a major shift in the California governor’s race after former Rep. Eric Swalwell, who was once a frontrunner, dropped out of the election following several allegations of sexual misconduct.
“This definitely throws this race into even more volatility, creates a huge vacuum,” Pomona College politics professor Sara Sadhwani said.
According to the new numbers, Xavier Becerra, the former state attorney general and Health and Human Services Secretary under President Biden, is surging in popularity.
In Emerson College’s Inside California Politics poll, Becerra is now polling at 10%, a seven-point jump since March.
Republican Steve Hilton remains in the lead with 17%, followed by Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco at 14%.
Among Democrats, billionaire Tom Steyer leads the pack with 14%, followed by Becerra and former Rep. Katie Porter at 10% each. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan sits at 5%.
The poll showed that 23% of voters remain undecided.
“Xavier Becerra should be the happiest of them all because he’s the biggest move in this survey,” said Zev Yaroslavsky, director at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs.
Emerson College conducted the poll right after Swalwell dropped out of the race and President Trump endorsed Hilton.
“I believe over time, because Trump has endorsed Hilton for the governorship, that Hilton will continue to edge up and Bianco by definition will have to go down,” Yaroslavsky said.
Last weekend, the California GOP held its convention, and, similar to the Democrats, the party did not make an endorsement. However, Bianco received the most votes from the GOP delegates.
“We’re extremely happy with how it came out,” Bianco said. “There was a lot of effort put in by my opponent. Hundreds of thousands of dollars to try and win this election.
With the large number of undecided voters, Yaroslavky believes that the race is still in the air.
“It’s still early,” Yaroslavsky said. “It’s a little less than seven weeks before the election. The ballots go out at the beginning of next month. People, at least 30%, still haven’t made up their mind.”
In the state’s primary system, only the top two vote-getters in the June primary will advance to the November general election.
The race to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who terms out after this year, is ramping up with voters able to cast ballots soon.
The stunning collapse of Eric Swalwell’s campaign has upended the wide-open contest where no Democratic candidate has emerged as a clear frontrunner and mail-in voting is scheduled to start in May
California has an unpredictable top-two primary system that puts all candidates on one ballot, with only the top two vote-getters advancing to November, regardless of party. Despite their party’s dominance in the state, Democrats fear their crowded pool of candidates will divide the party’s vote and allow two Republicans to advance.
Here’s a look at the prominent candidates:
Elementary students practicing music at school.
Credit: Music Workshop
It’s anyone’s guess who is the front-runner for state superintendent of public instruction. According to a voter survey on K-12 education released Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California, none of the 10 candidates for the California schools chief reaches even 10% of support among likely voters.
The PPIC survey of 1,604 California adults was conducted between March 26 and April 3. It also found that voters overwhelmingly approve of teacher strikes and support an initiative, led by the California Teachers Association, that would make permanent a temporary, multi-billion-dollar income tax surcharge on wealthy earners, which is set to expire in 2031.
When asked in the abstract about the quality of education in the state’s public schools, half of voters (51%) said the quality has gotten worse over the past few years and major changes are needed, and 47% of all voters said public schools are headed in the wrong direction. But among public school parents, more than half (57%) said schools are headed in the right direction.
Mark Baldassare, survey director at PPIC, said the results are somewhat surprising, given the increased investments in public education in recent years.
“When you have more than half the people saying that they think that the quality of education has gotten worse, I think that’s something,” Baldassare said. “Given all the efforts that have been made to make it better and the resources that have gone into it, that’s still a sizable proportion who are concerned about where we are and where we’re headed.”
Still, voters’ concerns about the direction in which education is headed do not translate into support for radical changes to education policy, such as vouchers for private and religious schools. Less than a quarter (24%) of likely voters said they would vote yes on an initiative proposed for the November ballot that would require the state to provide money for California residents to attend religious and private schools.
Baldassare said he found it significant that the vast majority (79%) of those surveyed said they were concerned that students in lower-income areas are less likely than other students to be ready for college when they finish high school. A large majority (71%) also said they were concerned about improving educational outcomes for students learning English as a second language.
Good marks for Newsom
The survey found more than half of voters (54%) support Gov. Gavin Newsom’s handling of schools — an increase of 4 percentage points from last year — and there is widespread support for several of the initiatives implemented under his watch, including transitional kindergarten, an extra public school grade for 4-year-olds, limits on cellphone use in schools and protections for immigrant and transgender students.
A majority (61%) also approve of teachers’ unions striking for higher pay. Baldassare said support for teachers has been high for many years, but the answers to the question this year are significant because several teachers’ unions have either gone on strike or threatened to do so, whereas in the past the question was more theoretical.
“That’s really driven by a perception that the cost of living is very high in California and that people are concerned about teachers being able to afford to live here,” Baldassare said.
The PPIC is a prominent nonpartisan research and public policy organization that explores issues of the environment, politics, economics and education, and regularly surveys Californians on their views. The latest education survey has a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points, meaning that 95 times out of 100, the results will be within 3.2 percentage points of what they would be if all adults in California were interviewed.
Race for state superintendent
Almost a third (32%) of likely voters said they did not know who they would vote for in the race for state superintendent of public instruction. The rest were split among the 10 candidates — mostly within the survey’s margin of error — with 9% saying they would vote for Ainye Long, a public school teacher from San Francisco who has not run an active campaign, and 9% for Anthony Rendon, the former speaker of the California Assembly.
Two school board members — Richard Barrera of the San Diego Unified School District and Sonja Shaw, president of Chino Valley Unified School District — each had 7%; Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi and former State Sen. Josh Newman received 6%. Nichelle Henderson, board member of the Los Angeles Community College District, had 5%.
Calling the race “a sleeper outside of the education community,” Barrett Snyder, a partner with Capitol Advisors Group, a government relations firm for public schools, estimated it would take $15 million to $20 million for a candidate to get the awareness it would take to ensure a win.
At this point, no candidate has raised even a 10th of that amount. Former Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon has collected $1.2 million, and Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi is second with about half of that amount.
The California Teachers Association, the dominant funding source in past state superintendent elections, has endorsed Richard Barrera, the veteran San Diego Unified school board member, but he has raised only about $180,000 so far — though that could change.
This week, the CTA announced it was throwing its support for governor to Tom Steyer, who has committed $100 million of his own fortune to the campaign, reducing the need for the CTA to throw a lot of money into that race. As a result, Snyder said, Barrera could be the biggest benefactor.
“We’re in it to win it. We know it takes money,” CTA President David Goldberg said Wednesday, without specifying how much the union would spend on the state superintendent primary campaign.
Support for transitional kindergarten, limits on cellphone use
Newsom made early education one of his signature issues during his campaign for governor, and in 2022 signed a law gradually expanding transitional kindergarten, an extra grade before kindergarten, to all 4-year-olds, which is now fully implemented.
The vast majority of voters (68%) said they approve of the state funding transitional kindergarten for all 4-year-olds in California. More than two-thirds (72%) said attending transitional kindergarten is somewhat or very important to helping students succeed in later years of school.
A large majority of voters are concerned about disparities in early education. More than two-thirds (69%) said they were concerned that children in lower-income areas are less likely than other children to be ready for kindergarten, and 61% said they were concerned that students who speak English as a second language are less likely than other children to be ready for kindergarten.
An overwhelming majority also approves of limiting cellphone use in schools, which Newsom championed by signing a law in 2024 requiring every school to adopt a policy limiting the use of phones in school by July 1. More than 90% of parents with school-age children support policies that limit phone use in schools. About half (52%) said they prefer banning cellphones during class time but allowing students to use phones at lunch or between classes, while 40% prefer banning cellphones throughout the school day.
Support for school policies protecting undocumented immigrant and transgender students
Two-thirds of voters (67%) said they were somewhat or very concerned about increased federal immigration enforcement under the Trump administration and the effects on undocumented students in their local public schools. The same percentage supports their school districts becoming a “sanctuary safe zone” to protect undocumented students. The Legislature passed several laws last year prohibiting schools from allowing federal immigration agents to enter nonpublic areas of schools without a warrant signed by a judge, and requiring schools to notify parents and students if federal immigration agents were on campus.
The majority of voters (57%) also said it is a good thing that California passed Assembly Bill 1955 in 2024, which bans schools from requiring teachers and staff to disclose students’ gender identity or sexual orientation to parents or others without their permission.
Ballot initiatives and legislation
Other education issues important to voters
- 66% support building affordable housing for teachers on land where public schools have closed
- 84% said community schools, which offer wrap-around services, are important for improving outcomes for underserved students
- 81% said they would vote yes on an initiative requiring risk labels for artificial intelligence or chatbots likely to be used by children
- 71% said it’s important for high schools to offer ethnic studies classes
- 74% said it’s important for high schools to offer education on the environment, climate and sustainability
Likely voters were asked how they would vote on several different initiatives proposed for the November ballot. A large majority (62%) said they would vote yes to make permanent an existing tax rate for high-income Californians, which is currently set to expire in 2031. If the initiative were to fail, it would result in an estimated annual loss of $2 billion to $5 billion for TK-12 schools and community colleges.
Though most voters (47%) said current state funding is “not enough” for public schools, the poll shows that local bond measures and parcel taxes that could provide more funding for public schools might fall short of the 55% majority needed to pass.
Most voters (57%) said they would not approve an initiative that would limit voters’ ability to pass local taxes by requiring a two-thirds majority.
Newsom’s proposal to shift control of the state Department of Education to a new education commissioner appointed by the next governor appears to have weak support, although it is unclear how much voters understood what the policy would entail. When asked whether they support a proposal to “remove the elected state superintendent as the head of the California Department of Education and have the appointed State Board of Education run the California Department of Education,” only 43% approved.
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