Forced labor, same-sex marriage and shoplifting are on the ballot in California in November

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

California’s secretary of state assigned proposal numbers to the measures Wednesday after the Legislature added two more title proposals for voting.

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

This asks voters for permission to borrow $10 billion for public school construction and repairs. The bulk of the money, $8.5 billion, would go to elementary and secondary schools. The rest, or $1.5 billion, would go to community colleges. No money would be available for the California State University or University of California systems.

That would be remove the ban on same-sex marriage in the California Constitution. Voters added that ban to the Constitution in 2008. But the U.S. Supreme Court has blocked California from enforcing the ban since 2013. Still, language prohibiting same-sex marriage remains in the state Constitution. The proposed change would eliminate the prohibition and replace it with language that read: “The right to marry is a fundamental right.”

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

The rest would be divided between parks and outdoor recreation programs, clean air initiatives and extreme heat preparedness programs, protecting biodiversity and helping to make farms and ranches sustainable.

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

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

This would change the California Constitution to prohibit forced labor in any form. The Constitution currently prohibits involuntary servitude or forced labor, except as punishment for crime. This exemption has become a target of criminal justice advocates concerned about working conditions in prisons. It is not uncommon for incarcerated people to be put to work earning less than $1 an hour.

This would eventually increase California’s minimum wage to $18 per hour. It currently costs $16 per hour for most people and $20 per hour for fast food workers. Healthcare professionals will eventually see their minimum wage reaches US$25 per hourunder a law Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed last year.

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

Similar measures failed in 2018 and 2020, amid fierce opposition led by homeowner groups and the real estate industry. Opponents argued that the proposal would harm family homeowners and discourage the construction of affordable housing.

State lawmakers in 2019 approved a 10% statewide cap on annual rent increases. The law exempted new construction for 15 years and will 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 allowing the payments. This measure would make it a law.

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

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

This would make the state pay more money to doctors treating patients who are 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 pay for the Medicaid program. This measure would require the state to use a portion of tax dollars to increase the amount Medicaid pays doctors.

This would make shoplifting a crime 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 those with multiple drug charges to receive treatment.

Proponents said the initiative is needed to plug gaps in existing laws that make it difficult for authorities to punish shoplifters and drug dealers.

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