NOVEMBER 2026 BALLOT MEASURES

Fourteen measures have qualified for the November 3, 2026, statewide ballot. C.A.R. has already taken a position on five of the measures, which previously qualified.  The C.A.R. Board of Directors will consider the remaining measures, which qualified more recently, at the fall general business meetings.

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C.A.R. HAS TAKEN A POSITION ON THE FOLLOWING MEASURES:

Proposition 4: SB 42 (Umberg), Political Reform Act of 1974: Public Campaign Financing: California Fair Elections Act of 2026
C.A.R. Position:  NEUTRAL
This measure would permit, but not require, public funding of political campaigns in California. Currently state law prohibits it. If this measure passes, candidates who chose to take public money would have to accept spending limits, and the money could not be used for legal fees, fines, or paying back personal loans to a campaign.

Proposition 5: SCA 1 (Newman), Elections: Recall of State Officers]  
C.A.R. Position:  NOT REAL ESTATE RELATED
This measure would remove the replacement candidates from the recall ballot. Voters would decide only whether to remove the officeholder. Replacement candidates would be decided in a subsequent ballot or by appointment.  If a Governor were recalled, the Lieutenant Governor would take over rather than whoever finished first in a crowded replacement field.

Proposition 37: Creates Loan Program for Middle-Income Buyers of Qualified New Homes. Initiative Statute
C.A.R. Position:  FOR [SUPPORT]
This ballot proposition would create a $25 billion loan program to help middle-income Californians buy a newly built home. Qualified buyers could borrow up to 17 percent of the purchase price at a fixed rate. Buyers must live in the home, have lived in California for at least a year, earn under 200 percent of area median income, and put down at least 3 percent. The bonds are repaid by the participating homeowners, not by taxpayers.

Proposition 40: Imposes One-Time Tax on Certain Individuals and Trusts. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute
C.A.R. Position:  AGAINST [OPPOSE]
The so-called “billionaire tax” would impose a one-time tax of up to 5 percent on Californians and trusts holding more than $1 billion in assets such as businesses, stocks, art, and intellectual property. Real property is excluded. Most of the revenue would go to health care. The Legislative Analyst projects an ongoing loss of hundreds of millions of dollars a year in state income tax revenue.

Proposition 45: Modifies Environmental Review for Certain Projects. Initiative Statute
C.A.R. Position:  FOR [SUPPORT]
This measure would implement reform to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by speeding up environmental review under CEQA for most housing, transportation, water, health, and clean energy projects. It puts agencies on deadlines, trims the requirement to study endless project alternatives, and limits how long opponents have to sue and what a court can order.

C.A.R.’s BOARD OF DIRECTORS WILL CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING MEASURES AT ITS OCTOBER BUSINESS MEETINGS:

Proposition 1: SB 417 (Limón), The Veterans and Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2026
An $11.25 billion bond for housing. About $10 billion would fund affordable rental and homeownership programs, including CalHome and farmworker housing, and $1.25 billion would fund home, farm, and mobilehome purchase loans for veterans. Repaid by the state General Fund. It is the successor to the 2018 housing bond.

Proposition 2: ACA 20 (Gabriel), Save for California’s Future Act
Lets the state save more during good years by doubling the cap on the rainy day fund from 10 percent to 20 percent of General Fund revenue, and requires bigger deposits in years when capital gains revenue spikes. Also directs more money toward paying down state debts.

Proposition 3: Provides Permanent Funding for Schools and Healthcare by Extending Existing Tax on High Incomes. Initiative Constitutional Amendment
The higher income tax rates voters approved in 2012 are set to expire in 2031. This measure makes them permanent. The rates apply to income above roughly $360,000 for a single filer and $721,000 for a couple, and the money goes to K-12 schools and community colleges.

Proposition 38: Authorizes Bonds for Immunology Research. Initiative Statute
Authorizes $8.4 billion in bonds for immunology and immunotherapy research, with half of the research money going to cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s. Repayment would cost the General Fund about $500 million a year for 25 years.

Proposition 39: Establishes Additional Voter Identification and Citizenship Verification Requirements. Initiative Constitutional Amendment
Requires voters to show government-issued identification at the polls, or provide the last four digits of an ID number when voting by mail. The state would issue voter ID cards on request, and counties would report annually on citizenship verification.

[Note:  Opponents of the billionaire tax, Proposition 40, have qualified two measures, Propositions 41 and 42, which contain language that restricts taxes approved on the same ballot.  In other words, they have qualified the two measures with the intent of negating or cancelling out the billionaire tax.  Having these three measures on the same ballot will result in a well-funded campaign.]

Proposition 41: Requires Audits of Programs Funded by New State Special Taxes. Prohibits New State Taxes That Are Excluded From Existing Voter-Approved State Spending Limit. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.
Requires programs funded by new statewide special taxes to be audited, both before the election and on a recurring basis afterward. Also blocks new state taxes that try to exempt their revenue from the state spending limit, including any on this same ballot.

Proposition 42: Prohibits New State Personal Property Taxes and Certain Retroactive State Taxes. Initiative Constitutional Amendment
Prohibits any new state tax on simply owning personal property such as retirement accounts, investments, business interests, and intellectual property, and prohibits taxes applied retroactively. Applies to taxes taking effect on or after January 1, 2026, including any on this same ballot.

Proposition 43: ACA 22 (Wicks), Local Taxes: Limitation
Closes the loophole created by the courts that lets a local special tax pass with a simple majority when it is placed on the ballot by citizen initiative rather than by the city council or board of supervisors. Starting January 1, 2027, all local special taxes would again need two-thirds voter approval. Existing taxes are not affected. This measure came out of the agreement in which the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association pulled its initiative and the Legislature pulled ACA 13.

Proposition 44: Requires Community Health Clinics Spend 90% of Revenue on Program Services. Initiative Statute
Requires nonprofit community health clinics to spend at least 90 percent of their revenue on patient services and other program services rather than on management and overhead, with penalties for falling short.

BALLOT BASICS

California voters have the tools to shape politics and policy directly.  With the initiative, referendum and recall, they can bypass legislators to pass and change laws and remove officials from office.  For over a hundred years, these three instruments of direct democracy have profoundly shaped policy making in the state, and they have played a large role in local and statewide elections.  To learn more about the ballot measure process in California, please read on.  You can also download a PDF version of this document below.

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California Ballot Measures: History and Process
California’s relationship with direct democracy goes back more than 100 years.  In a special election held on October 10, 1911, voters approved a package of constitutional amendments placed on the ballot by reform-minded Governor Hiram Johnson.  The amendments created the instruments of direct democracy, giving voters three types of measures that can be placed directly on the ballot without consent of the legislature.  When approved by the voters these three types of measures have the full force of law and do not need to be approved by legislators or signed by the Governor:

• Initiative. The electorate can bypass the legislature to directly adopt statutes or amend the California Constitution.Each of the two methods has its own signature thresholds.
• Recall. Voters can remove an elected official from office before the end of the elected official’s term.
• Referendum. Voters can overturn a statute recently approved by the legislature.

The Legislature also has two pathways of its own to place a measure before voters: a legislative constitutional amendment or bond measure, and a legislative statute referred to voters for approval. This table below summarizes all measure types that can appear on a California statewide ballot.

At a Glance: California Ballot Measure Tools

Initiatives

An initiative is the mechanism by which voters or the legislature propose and adopt new statutes or amendments to the California Constitution. Generally, any matter that is a proper subject of legislation may become an initiative, but no initiative addressing more than one subject area may be submitted to voters or take effect.  (Often referred to as,the “single-subject rule”.)

Two Types of Initiatives

Initiative Statute. Creates, amends, or repeals a state statute. Approval requires a simple majority of voters. The Legislature may amend or repeal an initiative statute only if (a) the initiative itself permits legislative amendment, or (b) a subsequent measure approved by the voters does so.

Initiative Constitutional Amendment. Amends the California Constitution. Approval requires a simple majority of voters. Once adopted, a constitutional amendment can only be changed by another vote of the people.

Signature Requirements (Current Cycle)

Signature thresholds are tied to the total votes cast for Governor at the most recent gubernatorial election. The Secretary of State certifies the current numbers, which apply through the next gubernatorial cycle.

Note. Once proponents reach 25% of the required signatures, they must immediately certify to the Secretary of State. Each house of the Legislature must assign the measure to committee and hold joint public hearings at least 131 days before the election. The Legislature may not amend the measure or block it from the ballot.

Citizen Initiative Timeline (Step by Step)

Critical rule. Per SB 202 (2011), citizen initiative measures can appear only on a statewide General election ballot, not a primary. To qualify, the measure must be certified at least 131 days before the General election.

Referendums

A referendum allows voters to repeal a statute recently enacted by the Legislature. Referendums are far less common than initiatives and operate on a much shorter timeline.

Subject Matter Limits

A referendum may not be used against:

• Urgency statutes

• Statutes calling elections

• Statutes providing tax levies or appropriations for current state expenses

Referendum Timeline

Key contrast with initiatives. Referendum proponents have only 90 days total from enactment of the bill, compared with 180 days of circulation for initiatives. The Attorney General has 10 days (not roughly 65) to produce the title and summary. Unlike citizen initiatives, a referendum may appear on either a Primary or a General election ballot, whichever statewide election is next held at least 31 days after qualification.

Initiative vs. Referendum: Side-by-Side

Constitutional Amendment vs. Statute (Initiatives)

Withdrawal provisions.  Proponents of an initiative also have the option to withdraw their measure before it goes to the ballot, even after they have gathered signatures. An initiative that has gathered enough valid signatures becomes eligible for the ballot, but it is not locked in until the Secretary of State certifies it as qualified. That certification happens on the 131st day before the General Election. For example that falls on June 25, 2026 for the November 3, 2026 election. Proponents may withdraw the measure any time before then, by 5 p.m. on that date. Once the measure is certified on June 25, it is set for the ballot and can no longer be removed.

Citizen-Led vs. Legislatively Placed Measures

The Legislature can place its own measures on the ballot under Article XVIII of the California Constitution and the Government Code. Compared with citizen initiatives, legislatively placed measures bypass signature gathering but face a higher internal vote threshold. They also enjoy broader ballot eligibility: the Legislature may choose either a Primary or a General election, whereas citizen initiatives are restricted to the General election ballot.

The practical takeaway. If C.A.R. or any sponsor wants a measure on a Primary ballot, the only available route is a legislative placement (or in narrow cases a referendum on a recently enacted statute). Citizen initiatives default to General elections.

Recall

Any state officer may be recalled. These include the elected offices of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Controller, Attorney General, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Insurance Commissioner, Members of the State Board of Equalization, State Legislators, and Justices of the Courts of Appeal and the State Supreme Court. A state officer appointed in lieu of election or to fill a vacancy may also be recalled. The Constitution requires the Legislature to provide for the recall of local officers; counties and cities with their own charter recall provisions follow those instead.

Signature Thresholds for State-Level Recalls

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