Forced labor, gay marriage and shoplifting all on the agenda in California's November elections

ADAM BEAM, TRÂN NGUYỄN and SOPHIE AUSTIN, Associated Press

32 minutes ago

FILE – People vote and cast their ballots at City Hall in San Francisco, Tuesday, March 5, 2024. Slavery, same-sex marriage and shoplifting are among the 10 statewide ballot measures California voters will consider in November. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Forced labor, same-sex marriage and shoplifting are among 10 statewide ballot measures California voters are expected to consider in November.

The California secretary of state assigned proposition numbers to the measures Wednesday after the Legislature added two more bond proposals to the ballot.

Here’s a look at what voters will decide in November:

Proposition 2

The bill asks voters for permission to borrow $10 billion to build and repair public schools. Most of that money, $8.5 billion, would go to elementary and secondary schools. The rest, $1.5 billion, would go to community colleges. No money would be available for the California State University or University of California systems.

Proposition 3

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

Proposition 4

The bill asks voters for permission to borrow $10 billion for various climate programs. The bulk of the money, $3.8 billion, would go toward improving drinking water systems and preparing for droughts and floods. Wildfire preparedness programs would get $1.5 billion, while programs to combat sea-level rise would get $1.2 billion.

The remainder would be split between parks and outdoor recreation programs, clean air initiatives and extreme heat preparedness programs, protecting biodiversity and helping farm and ranch sustainability.

Proposition 5

The measure would amend the state constitution to make it easier for local governments to borrow money, as long as they use the funds to build affordable housing or public infrastructure. Local governments, except school districts, currently can borrow money only if two-thirds of voters approve.

The measure 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.

Proposition 6

The measure would amend the California Constitution to prohibit forced labor in all its forms. The Constitution currently prohibits involuntary servitude, or forced labor, except as punishment for a crime. That exemption has become a target for criminal justice advocates concerned about prison labor conditions. It is not uncommon for incarcerated people to be forced to work for less than $1 an hour.

Proposition 32

The bill would eventually raise California’s minimum wage to $18 an hour. It’s currently $16 an hour for most people and $20 an hour for fast-food workers. Health care workers will eventually see their minimum wage rise to $25 an hour, under a law signed last year by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Proposition 33

The measure would repeal a state law that prohibits cities and counties from capping rents on single-family homes, condominiums and apartments built after 1995. Supporters of the proposal say it would help prevent homelessness.

Similar measures failed in 2018 and 2020 due to fierce opposition from landlord groups and the real estate industry. Opponents argued the proposal would hurt family homeowners and discourage the construction of affordable housing.

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

Proposition 34

The measure would 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. The measure would become law.

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

The proposal appears to be directed against the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. The measure has the support of the California Apartment Association, which helped fund an ad criticizing the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. The foundation said it was targeted because of its support for rent control.

Proposition 35

It would require the state to pay doctors more to treat patients covered by 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 fund the Medicaid program. This measure would require the state to use some of that money to increase the amount Medicaid pays doctors.

Proposition 36

The law would make shoplifting a criminal offense for repeat offenders and increase penalties for certain drug offenses, including those involving fentanyl, a synthetic opioid. It would also give judges the power to order people charged with multiple drug offenses to undergo treatment.

Supporters of the initiative said it was needed to close loopholes in existing laws that make it difficult for law enforcement to punish shoplifters and drug dealers.

Opponents, including state Democratic leaders and social justice groups, said the proposal would disproportionately jail poor people and those with substance abuse problems rather than targeting ringleaders who hire large groups of people to steal goods to resell online.