California Propositions

The California ballot is coming in on the short side in 2022. With only seven propositions to weigh in on this year, California voters will have the fewest ballot measures before them in more than a century.
Education, abortion rights, on-line gambling and other hot button issues are all on the ballot this year.
Here’s everything voters need to know about California’s ballot props.
For more information go to https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2022/propositions.

Prop 1: Guarantee Abortion Rights In State Constitution
This ballot measure would amend the California Constitution to enshrine a fundamental right to reproductive freedom. That includes the right to choose to have an abortion and the right to choose or refuse contraceptives. Because these rights are already protected by state law, Prop. 1 is unlikely to have any financial impact on California, unless a court interpreted it as expanding the government’s obligation to pay for contraception and abortion procedures, which it already does for low-income residents.

Prop 26: Sports Betting At Tribal Casinos
Prop. 26 would allow tribal casinos and the state’s four horse race tracks to offer in-person sports betting. At race tracks, sports betting could only be offered to people 21 or older. Age restrictions on sports betting at tribal casinos would need to be negotiated by California’s governor and each tribe, and written into each tribe’s compact with the state. The proposition would also allow tribal casinos to begin offering roulette and dice games, including craps. It taxes sports bets placed at horse race tracks. It doesn’t tax tribes, which are sovereign nations, but it requires tribes to reimburse the state for the cost of regulating sports betting. The proposition also creates a new way of enforcing some gaming laws, allowing anyone to bring a lawsuit if they believe the laws are being violated and the state Justice Department declines to act. Any penalty and settlement money that results would go to the state. State analysts say the proposition could generate as much as tens of millions annually for the state. It’s difficult to know the exact amount for a few reasons. New tribal-state compacts might require tribes to pay more to local governments, for example, and it’s unclear how much money will result from the new private lawsuits. The revenue would first be spent on education spending commitments and regulatory costs. If there’s any money left over, it would go to the state’s discretionary fund, as well as to problem gaming and mental health research, and the enforcement of gaming rules.

Prop 27: Allow Online Sports Betting
Prop. 27 would allow licensed tribes and gaming companies to offer mobile and online sports betting for adults 21 and older outside Native American tribal lands. Gaming companies — such as FanDuel and DraftKings — could only offer sports betting if they made a deal with a tribe. The measure creates extremely high thresholds for gaming companies to do business in California, making it all but impossible for smaller gaming companies to compete. The proposition creates a new division within the state’s Justice Department to regulate online sports wagering. That division could also decide whether to approve new forms of gambling, such as betting on awards shows and video games. It also gives the Justice Department additional powers to address illegal sports betting. Tribes and gaming companies would pay fees and taxes to the state that could total several hundred million dollars a year, state analysts estimate. The actual amount is uncertain, in part because gaming operators are allowed to deduct certain expenses to reduce their tax bill. After covering the state’s new regulatory costs, most of the money would be used to address homelessness and for gambling addiction programs, while 15% would go to Native American tribes that aren’t involved in sports betting.

Prop 28: Arts And Music Education Funding
The measure would require the state to allocate at least 1% of Prop. 98 funding — money guaranteed for public schools and community colleges in the state budget — for music and arts education. That’s estimated to be a $1 billion annual set aside. Schools with high proportions of students from low-income households would get more funding. School districts will be required to spend 80% of the new funding on hiring arts and music instructors, and they will have to publish annual reports on how they spend the money.

Prop 29: Impose New Rules On Dialysis Clinics
This measure would require kidney dialysis clinics to have at least one physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant with six months of relevant experience available on site or, in some cases, via telehealth. It also requires that clinics report infection data to the state, as well as publicly list physicians who have ownership interest of 5% or more in a clinic. The measure also prohibits clinics from closing or reducing services without state approval and from refusing treatment to people based on their insurance type.

Prop. 30: Tax Millionaires For Electric Vehicle Programs
Prop. 30 would impose a 1.75% personal income tax increase on Californians making more than $2 million per year to fund a suite of climate programs. The goal is to clean up the state’s dirty air and help meet ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets. The proposition creates a new revenue stream to subsidize zero-emission vehicles and fund wildfire response and prevention — between $3.5 billion to $5 billion annually, growing over time, according to state analysts. Most of the money — about 80% — would go towards rebates for people buying zero-emission cars and to build more charging stations. Half of that funding will go to low- and middle-income residents, who are disproportionately affected by poor air quality and heavy pollution. The state already spends millions each year on zero-emission vehicle programs and dedicated an additional $10 billion over the next five years to those programs in this year’s budget. A quarter of the tax money would provide funding to hire and train firefighters, who are battling increasingly worsening wildfires. On average, the state spends about $2 billion to $4 billion annually putting out wildfires. The tax would go into effect in January 2023 and would end by January 2043, or possibly earlier, if the state is able to slash its emissions to at least 80% below 1990 levels for three consecutive calendar years.

Prop 31: Uphold Flavored Tobacco Ban
The referendum will decide whether to overturn a 2020 law that prohibits the sale of some flavored tobacco products. A “yes” vote upholds the current law; a “no” vote would strike down the law and allow the sale of flavored tobacco products. The outcome of Prop. 31 would impact the state budget because if the law is upheld the state could lose as much as $100 million in annual tobacco tax revenue from the sale of flavored tobacco.