When Californians head to the polls in November, they won’t just cast their votes for the next president and congressional representatives; they’ll also make decisions on key policy issues like affordable housing, the environment and upgrades to public schools.

California’s system of direct democracy has enjoyed widespread support among voters since the state adopted the statewide initiative, referendum and recall processes in 1911. Since 1974, California voters have reviewed over 500 propositions on statewide ballots, including measures that forced businesses to place health warning labels on products known to cause cancer, provided supportive housing for homeless people and funded arts education in K-12 schools.

“California continues to be the national leader in allowing citizens to use ballot measures to resolve important state issues, with a healthy 10 issues on the ballot at this time,” said John G. Matsusaka, executive director of the Initiative and Referendum Institute at USC, which studies and tracks ballot initiatives and propositions nationwide. “As is the case in almost every election, there are some important issues on the ballot for the voters to decide.”

How California’s ballot propositions work

In California, measures generally make it to the ballot in one of two ways: through the legislature, which can propose amendments to the state constitution or secure bond funding for projects, or via citizen-led petitions that directly place issues on the ballot.

“On a typical ballot, most of the propositions are placed on the ballot by the legislature. This year, five of the 10 propositions currently set for the ballot came from the legislature and five came from citizen petitions,” said Matsusaka, the Charles F. Sexton Chair in American Enterprise at the USC Marshall School of Business and the USC Gould School of Law.

Matsusaka explained legislative propositions appear on the ballot because the California Constitution mandates that bond issues and constitutional amendments must be approved by voters. In contrast, propositions from citizen petitions, known as “initiatives,” are efforts to bypass the legislature and directly address issues proposed by the public.

“Groups typically sponsor initiatives after they fail to persuade the legislature to pass a law they want, in an effort to go over the heads of elected officials to the final authority, the people,” he said.

CALIFORNIA BALLOT MEASURES: Q&A WITH JOHN MATSUSAKA
Matsusaka, a political economist and expert on direct democracy, discusses the key statewide ballot measures voters will decide on in November.

Proposition 2: A game-changer for public schools — and housing

One of the most notable measures, Proposition 2, proposes issuing $10 billion in bonds to fund the modernization of California’s public education facilities. Of this amount, $8.5 billion would be allocated to elementary and secondary schools, while $1.5 billion would support improvements at community colleges.

“The two school construction bond measures on the California ballot in November are essential for ensuring that every student in the state has a safe and up-to-date place to attend school every day,” said Lawrence Picus, the Richard T. Cooper and Mary Catherine Cooper Chair in Public School Administration at the USC Rossier School of Education.

Picus noted many school facilities are over 50 years old and require significant upgrades to meet current technological and educational needs. “These funds will help transform classrooms and schools into environments where all our children can thrive,” Picus said.

In addition to upgrading schools, experts say Proposition 2 might also address the critical housing shortage for educators.

“Prop. 2 is also likely to be used by some school districts to support efforts to develop housing for teachers and staff. While this might seem like an unusual expansion of the responsibilities typically taken on by school districts, the critical housing shortage in California has made it necessary,” said Pedro Noguera, dean of USC Rossier.

Proposition 2 isn’t the only measure aimed at improving housing. Proposition 33 would eliminate a state law prohibiting cities from limiting rental rates on single-family homes, and Proposition 5 would make it easier for cities to borrow money for affordable housing by reducing the number of votes needed to approve housing and infrastructure bonds, with the caveat the money won’t be used to buy single-family homes.

Proposition 4: Weighing the costs, benefits of California’s most ambitious environmental proposal yet

Proposition 4 proposes borrowing $10 billion for a range of critical environmental projects, including flood control, water infrastructure, wildfire management and parks. Experts have expressed concerns about its complexity, arguing the bundled nature of the measure could make it difficult for voters to assess each component.

Matthew Kahn, an economic expert on climate change policy and urban quality of life, pointed out several key concerns: the financial impact on middle- and low-income residents, the distribution of benefits across different regions in California and the anticipated improvements in environmental quality.

“When we go to a restaurant, we can construct our own meal based on choosing which courses we want to eat. In contrast, this proposition resembles a fixed price, fixed menu meal,” said Kahn, provost professor of economics and spatial sciences at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

“Why didn’t the authors propose a separate ballot initiative for each of the ballot’s pieces? There could be a separate vote on flood control and on investing in parks. Under these rules, voters could better prioritize which of these environmental items they care the most about,” he said.