An Economy for us, not billionaires

ANTI-BILLIONAIRES VOTER GUIDE

Taking Back Our Economy & Everyday Livelihoods

This November, we’re putting a stop to lying billionaires scamming our pockets. Their record profits are at the cost of our unpaid wages and exploitation of workers. Wages that could buy our first homes, pay school tuition, and afford everyday necessities.

The billionaires want us to believe that being broke is our fault. But they’re robbing us in every aspect of our lives - from our ability to vote, privatizing single family homes, buying national parks, to contaminating (or drying up) our water. They’re forcing us to pay higher utilities, record high rent, and skyrocketing our groceries prices. They’re cheating us out of our dreams, and scheming to dismantle democracy.

We say down with the old guard politicians and their billionaire backers. We’re taking back our power one vote at a time. Vote for a California all of us can afford.

Here’s our voter’s guide. Let’s take back our future.

AND REMEMBER:
ANYTHING billionaire backed, will only set us back. 

DEFINITELY YES

PROP 1

Authorizes $11.25 billion in bonds for affordable housing, preservation, homeownership, and veteran housing.
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PROP 2

Allows larger deposits into California’s rainy-day fund, and authorizes the state to use tax revenue to pay unemployment debt, and other services during environmental crises and economic recessions.
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PROP 3

Makes existing tax rates on California’s highest earners permanent to keep billions of dollars flowing to schools, healthcare, and other public programs. 
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PROP 4

Allows public financing of state and local election campaigns, so candidates can still have a shot without wealthy donors and private checks. It can help voters have more power, and wealthy donors and corporate interests have less. 
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PROP 5

Requires a separate election to replace recalled state officials.This ensures state officials are elected with majority vote, not simply appointed.
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PROP 40

One time 5% tax on billionaires to cover federal healthcare cuts (the same cuts that led to billionaire tax breaks).
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DEFINITELY No

PROP 38

Authorizes $8.4 billion for disease research, with almost half of the funding being sent to a single nonprofit.
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PROP 39

Prohibits voters from voting unless they present government issued identification (like your SSN), making voting harder and risking identity theft.
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PROP 41

Makes it harder for voters to decide how taxes are used, by requiring program audits before special taxes and limiting new tax revenue for public programs. (If approved, it could block Prop 40 - the billionaire tax).
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PROP 42

Permanently limits California’s ability to tax the ultra wealthy and their accumulated assets, while we all struggle to survive this crisis.
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PROP 43

Makes it harder for cities to address the cost of living crisis by requiring two-thirds approval, instead of simple majority. VOTE NO. 
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PROP 44

Requires community clinics to spend a minimum of 90% of their total revenue on “program services,” limiting their ability to fund other crucial parts of operating a clinic.
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PROP 45

Expedites environmental impact and review for development projects, like housing, transportation, or data centers. They want to build faster, NOT safer. VOTE NO.
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LEAN NEUTRAL

PROP 37

Authorizes $25 billion in bonds in downpayment assistance for middle-class homebuyers. It may help some buy a home, but can make it harder to keep a home, if you can afford two mortgages. Proceed with caution. 
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READ MORE ABOUT THESE ISSUES AND WHY THEY MATTER.

Vote YES
Prop 1 authorizes $11.25 billion in bonds for affordable housing and veterans’ housing, including funding to build and preserve affordable homes, and support housing for veterans, farmworkers, students, and tribal communities.

California is facing a massive housing affordability crisis, and we need more homes that working people can actually afford. Prop 1 won’t solve the housing crisis on its own, but it’s a step towards more affordable housing through major investments in expanding and preserving affordable housing across the state.
SUPPORTED BY: Governor Newsom, Senate and Assembly leadership, Housing California

OPPOSED BY: Reform California, California College Republicans,

Vote YES
Prop 2 allows the state to deposit up to 20% of its general fund tax revenue annually into its rainy day fund, instead of the current 10%. The state could also spend some tax revenue to pay down its $20 billion federal unemployment insurance debt.

We all need a savings account in the case of a dire emergency. We can leverage the rainy day fund on what our communities need most: an affordable California.
SUPPORTED BY: CA legislature

OPPOSED BY: Reform California and Legislative Republicans

Vote YES!
Prop 3 extends the existing income tax rates on CA's highest- income earners (roughly the top 2% of taxpayers) to maintain permanent funding for education, health care, and other state programs.

It would make these rates permanent and protect billions in public revenue that helps fund schools, health care, and other services Californians rely on in the long run. Billionaires shouldn’t get tax breaks before we get relief. We’re just out here trying to survive and we think they should pay their fair share!
SUPPORTED BY: California Teachers Association, California Faculty Association

OPPOSED BY: California Taxpayers Association, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, Reform California

Vote YES!
Prop 4 would allow California to create public financing programs for candidates, so they don’t have to count on just wealthy corporate donors and private checks.

Running for office is expensive and not everyone has a billionaire on speed dial. Public financing could help level the playing field for more everyday people to run for office. This can help give voters more power, and wealthy donors and corporate interests less in our elections.
SUPPORTED BY: League of Women Voters CA

OPPOSED BY: California Tax Payers Association

Vote YES
Prop 5 requires a separate election to select a replacement if voters approve the recall of an elected state official.

Voters should get to decide whether to recall someone without also having to choose their replacement at the same time. Separating the two decisions creates a clearer and more democratic process.
SUPPORTED BY: League of Women Voters CA, Common Cause, Secretary of State

OPPOSED BY: Election Integrity Project Inc., Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association

NEUTRAL
Prop 37 authorizes $25 billion in bonds in downpayment assistance for middle-class homebuyers to buy homes priced below $1.5 million. Bonds will be repaid by mortgages, not the state, and you’ll have to pay back both loans.

California must build more homes and make homeownership possible for working, middle class families, millennials and gen zs. Ask yourself: can you afford two mortgages? Well, it might help you buy a home, but keeping it will be a lot harder. We need real pathways to buy homes, not pathways that lock you into two monthly payments.

We also ask, why is the CA Association of Realtors putting this on? These are the same lobbyists who block statewide rent control. They have a long history of lobbying for policies that only benefit themselves. Prop 37 doesn’t guarantee that more middle class folks will purchase a home, or be able to keep their home especially in a real cost of living crisis. Use your best judgement.
SUPPORTED BY: CA Association of Realtors, CA Homes Committee

OPPOSED BY: Richard Uihlein, Reform California, Winklevoss Twins

VOTE NO
Prop 38 would authorize $8.4 billion in state general obligation bonds for research to cure diseases at the UCs and public or non profit research institutions.

Directing 4 billion for one specific non-profit that is funded by the billionaire who is funding this proposition…. doesn’t sit with us right, or our values. Immunology research is important and we all have and know people in our lives that have a lot to benefit from this…but the consolidation of funding gives us pause.
SUPPORTED BY: Michelson Center for Public Policy, Meyer Luskin

OPPOSED BY: Stanford University School of Medicine Courage California, League of Women Voters

VOTE NO
Prop 39 prevents citizens from voting unless they present a government issued ID or the last four digits.

California already verifies voters’ identities. The majority of Californians voted by mail in the 2024 election. Prop 39 would force all voters who vote by mail to write their social security number or some other government ID number on their ballot envelopes. This is a major security risk issue.

Also, requiring a government issued ID would also create another unnecessary barrier for people who are already more likely to be excluded from the political process, including voters with disabilities, young people, seniors, and communities of color.
SUPPORTED BY: Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, Latino American Political Association, Reform California, Transparency Foundation

OPPOSED BY: ACLU Norcal & ACLU Socal, California Nurses Association, Disability Rights California, California Teachers Association, League of Women Voters of California, SEIU California State Council, Asian Law Caucus, Courage California, and Planned Parenthood CA Affiliates

Vote YES
Prop 40 places a one time tax of up to 5% on individuals with a net worth exceeding 1 billion to cover the healthcare cuts from the federal government.

While A one-time tax is not the long-term solution we need, it can help close the funding gap from the healthcare cuts from our federal government. The reality remains billionaires have been hoarding wealth for too long, without paying their fair share. This one time tax will protect our healthcare, imagine what is possible if we can continue taxing billionaires to provide their fair share? If taxing them once can protect our healthcare, imagine what else can be possible.
SUPPORTED BY: SEIU, United Healthcare Workers West, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Teamsters California, AFSCME California, CA Democratic Party

OPPOSED BY: California Business Roundtable, State Building and Construction Trades, Crypto executive Chris Larsen, Venture capitalist Ron Conway

VOTE NO
Prop 41 makes it harder for voters to decide. This proposition requires an audit of state programs before voters can approve special taxes and limits the state’s ability to dedicate new tax revenue to public programs.

Bottom line - it makes it harder to pass new special taxes by requiring the state auditor to review it, before it goes to voters. Even worse, this could block the billionaire tax under prop 40 even if voters approve it.
SUPPORTED BY: Californian Chamber of Commerce, California Taxpayers Association, Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association, California Alliance of Seniors

OPPOSED BY: SEIU-UHW

VOTE NO
Prop 42 permanently prohibits California from creating any new taxes on financial assets and other personal property, limiting the state's ability to tax accumulated wealth and investments.

IN THIS ECONOMY? We should not lock the state into protecting the ultra wealthy and their assets while working families struggle to meet their basic needs.
SUPPORTED BY: Building Better CA Sergey Brin, Chris Larsen, Reform CA (Supported by billionaires that back The California Business Roundtable)

OPPOSED BY: SEIU-UHW, California Democratic Party,

VOTE NO
Prop 43 would require that at least two-thirds of local voters approve any local initiative that would create, extend, or increase a special tax - instead of a simple majority vote.

This measure would make it harder for local voters to raise revenues to support local public services by allowing a small group of voters to block special taxes. Communities are already struggling to fund housing, transportation, schools, and other basic needs. We should not make it even harder for local voters to invest in themselves.
SUPPORTED BY: Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (John Coupal)

OPPOSED BY: League of California Cities, California Teachers Association, SEIU California, California Labor Federation, League of Women Voters, Nonprofit Housing Action Fund, National Union of Healthcare Workers, California Association of Nonprofits, California Calls, Courage California,

VOTE NO
Prop 44 requires community clinics to spend a minimum of 90% of their total revenue on “program services.”

Although requiring clinics to spend 90% of their funds on program services may seem reasonable, a rigid mandate does not reflect what it actually takes to operate a clinic. Clinics require some flexibility to cover staffing, technology, facilities, and other costs required for patient treatment.
SUPPORTED BY: SEIU UHW, Californians for Responsible Healthcare

OPPOSED BY: California Primary Care Association, Planned Parenthood - Altamed, Comm. Clinic Assn of LA County, California Medical Association, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, Black Women for Wellness Action Project, California Latinas for Reproductive Justice

VOTE NO
Prop 45 would expedite environmental review of housing and transportation projects.

Additional housing and transportation infrastructure that our communities need should not come at the expense of our health and wellbeing. Fast-tracking environmental review would make it easier to fast-track projects with significant energy, water, pollution, and community impacts before those impacts are fully considered... (cough cough, AI data centers).
SUPPORTED BY: California Chamber of Commerce, Bay Area Council, Associated General Contractors, CBIA

OPPOSED BY: Center for Biological Diversity, Building Trades, Clean & Healthy CA, CEJA and our EJ partners
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An economy for us, not billionaires.

Ad paid for by Youth Power PAC, Sponsored by PowerCA Action. Committee major funding from
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