California 2018 ballot propositions

Elections in California, 2018

• General election: Nov. 6
• Voter registration deadline: Oct. 22
• Early voting: Oct. 8 - Nov. 5
• Absentee voting deadline: Postmark Nov. 6

• Online registration: Yes
• Same-day registration: Yes
• Voter ID: No
• Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

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2018 California Ballot Propositions
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2018 U.S. state ballot measures
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Sixteen (16) statewide ballot propositions were certified for the ballot in California for elections in 2018.

Eleven (11) of the ballot propositions were certified for the election on November 6, 2018; six were approved and five were defeated.

Five (5) of the ballot propositions were certified for the election on June 5, 2018; four were approved and one was defeated.

HIGHLIGHTS

Voters defeated Proposition 6, which would have repealed the gas tax increase enacted in 2017 and required voter approval for fuel tax increases in the future. Committees for GOP leadership in the U.S. House—Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.)—had all contributed to the initiative campaign.

The most expensive ballot measure of 2018 was Proposition 8, which voters rejected. Proposition 8 would have required dialysis clinics to issue refunds to patients or patients' payers for revenue above certain limits.

Proposition 10 would have overturned a 23-year old law limiting the use of rent control in California, allowing cities to enact rent control. Voters rejected Proposition 10.

Between 1996 and 2016, an average of 18 statewide ballot propositions appeared on the ballot each even-numbered year in California. In 2016, the number of propositions was 18. In 2014, the ballot featured 8 propositions—tieing with 1912 for the lowest number featured on an even-year ballot since electors gained the right to initiative and referendum.

On the ballot

June 5, 2018:

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LBM	Proposition 68	Bonds	Issues $4 billion in bonds for parks, environmental protection, and water infrastructure	a
LRCA	Proposition 69	Budget	Requires certain tax and fee revenue related to transportation be used for transportation purposes	a
LRCA	Proposition 70	Budget	Requires a one-time two-thirds vote to use revenue from the cap-and-trade program	d
LRCA	Proposition 71	Direct Democracy	Changes the date for when voter-approved ballot measures take effect	a
LRCA	Proposition 72	Taxes	Excludes rainwater capture systems from property tax assessments	a

November 6, 2018:

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LBM	Proposition 1	Bonds	Issues $4 billion in bonds for housing programs and veterans' home loans	a
LRSS	Proposition 2	Bonds	Authorizes state to use revenue from millionaire's tax for $2 billion in bonds for homelessness prevention housing	a
CISS	Proposition 3	Bonds	Issues $8.877 billion in bonds for water-related infrastructure and environmental projects	d
CISS	Proposition 4	Bonds	Issues $1.5 billion in bonds for children's hospitals	a
CICA/SS	Proposition 5	Taxes	Revises process for homebuyers who are age 55 or older or severely disabled to transfer their tax assessments	d
CICA	Proposition 6	Taxes	Repeals 2017's fuel tax and vehicle fee increases and requires public vote on future increases	d
LRSS	Proposition 7	Time	Authorizes legislature to provide for permanent daylight saving time if federal government allows	a
CISS	Proposition 8	Healthcare	Requires dialysis clinics to issue refunds for revenue above a certain amount	d
CISS	Proposition 10	Housing	Allows local governments to regulate rent on any type of housing	d
CISS	Proposition 11	Labor	Allow ambulance providers to require workers to remain on call during breaks paid	a
CISS	Proposition 12	Animals	Bans sale of meat from animals confined in spaces below specific sizes	a

Removed from ballot

The California Supreme Court removed the following ballot proposition from the ballot:

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
CISS	Proposition 9	Statehood	Asks government to divide California into three states

Withdrawn

See also: List of California ballot initiatives that were withdrawn after signature verification

The campaigns behind the following ballot initiatives collected enough signatures for their measures to appear on the ballot. However, the initiatives were withdrawn.

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
CICA	Two-Thirds Vote for State and Local Revenue Increases Initiative	Taxes	Require two-thirds vote of electorate to pass local taxes
CISS	Consumer Personal Information Disclosure and Sale Initiative	Business	Allow consumers to prohibit businesses from selling on disclosing their personal information
CISS	Home and School Remediation Bond and Remove Status of Lead Paint as Public Nuisance Initiative	Bonds	$2 billion in bonds for remediation and declare that lead paint is not a public nuisance

Summary of campaign contributions

See also: Ballot measure campaign finance, 2018

The following chart illustrates how much support and opposition committees had amassed in campaign contributions for each measure on the ballot:

Note: In some cases committees were registered to support or oppose multiple propositions. Ballotpedia lists the total sum that all committees registered to support or oppose each proposition have received in contributions. This means that the sum of all contributions in the chart below is higher than the total amount contributed.

November election

Ballot Measure:	Support contributions:	Opposition contributions:	Outcome:
California Proposition 1, Housing Programs and Veterans' Loans Bond (2018)	$7,239,732.07	$0.00	a
California Proposition 3, Water Infrastructure and Watershed Conservation Bond Initiative (2018)	$4,936,583.46	$0.00	d
California Proposition 4, Children's Hospital Bonds Initiative (2018)	$11,465,759.35	$0.00	a
California Proposition 5, Property Tax Transfer Initiative (2018)	$13,224,875.08	$3,324,418.89	d
California Proposition 6, Voter Approval for Future Gas and Vehicle Taxes and 2017 Tax Repeal Initiative (2018)	$5,161,188.80	$46,719,587.54	d
California Proposition 7, Legislative Power to Change Daylight Saving Time Measure (2018)	$0.00	$0.00	a
California Proposition 8, Limits on Dialysis Clinics' Revenue and Required Refunds Initiative (2018)	$18,943,227.65	$111,482,980.16	d
California Proposition 10, Local Rent Control Initiative (2018)	$25,295,590.67	$71,366,691.31	d
California Proposition 11, Ambulance Employees Paid On-Call Breaks, Training, and Mental Health Services Initiative (2018)	$29,887,769.96	$0.00	a
California Proposition 12, Farm Animal Confinement Initiative (2018)	$13,312,539.22	$689,278.60	a

June election

Ballot Measure:	Support contributions:	Opposition contributions:	Outcome:
California Proposition 71, Effective Date of Ballot Measures Amendment (June 2018)	$0.00	$0.00	a
California Proposition 69, Transportation Taxes and Fees Lockbox and Appropriations Limit Exemption Amendment (June 2018)	$11,196,378.59	$0.00	a
California Proposition 72, Rainwater Capture Systems Excluded from Property Tax Assessments Amendment (June 2018)	$84,745.28	$0.00	a
California Proposition 68, Parks, Environment, and Water Bond (June 2018)	$6,631,682.28	$0.00	a
California Proposition 70, Vote Requirement to Use Cap-and-Trade Revenue Amendment (June 2018)	$0.00	$55,544.09	d

Cost per required signature

See also: Ballot measure signature costs, 2018 and California ballot initiative petition signature costs

The cost-per-required signature (CPRS) is a comparison of the amount of money spent on the petition drive to the number of signatures the state requires for an initiative to make the ballot. The following chart illustrates the CPRS for ballot initiatives:

Ballot Measure:	Topic:	Petition company	Cost	Signatures	CPRS
California Proposition 3	Bond issues	Masterton & Wright	$1,883,203.00	365,880	$5.15
California Proposition 4	Bond issues	National Petition Management, INC.	$2,645,311.84	365,880	$7.23
California Proposition 5	Taxes	AAP Holding Company, Inc. and The Monaco Group	$5,140,990.49	585,407	$8.78
California Proposition 6	Direct democracy measures	GOCO Consulting and The Monaco Group	$2,094,520.02	585,407	$3.58
California Proposition 8	Healthcare	Kimball Petition Management	$1,648,357.38	365,880	$4.51
California Proposition 10	Housing	AAP Holding Company, Inc. and The Monaco Group	$1,982,004.92	365,880	$5.42
California Proposition 11	Labor and unions	National Petition Management, Inc.	$2,892,967.03	365,880	$7.91
California Proposition 12	Treatment of animals	AAP Holding Company, Inc. and The Monaco Group	$2,199,613.72	365,880	$6.01
Averages:	N/A	N/A	$2,560,871.05	N/A	$6.07

Newspaper endorsements

See also: 2018 ballot measure media endorsements

The tables below record the endorsements of ballot propositions by the top-five California newspapers by circulation in 2018.

June election

Proposition	Los Angeles Times	The Mercury News	The Orange County Register	The Sacramento Bee	The San Diego Union-Tribune
Proposition 68	a	a	d	a	a
Proposition 69	a	a	a	a	a
Proposition 70	d	d	d	d	a
Proposition 71	a	a	a	a	a
Proposition 72	a	a	a	a	a

November election

Proposition	Los Angeles Times	The Mercury News	The Orange County Register	The Sacramento Bee	The San Diego Union-Tribune
Proposition 1	a	a	d	a	d
Proposition 2	a	a	d	a	a
Proposition 3	d	d	d	d	d
Proposition 4	a	a	d	a	a
Proposition 5	d	d	a	d	a
Proposition 6	d	d	a	d	d
Proposition 7	a	d	tc	d	a
Proposition 8	d	d	d	d	d
Proposition 10	a	d	d	a	d
Proposition 11	a	a	a	a	a
Proposition 12	a	a	d	d	d

Positions of political parties

The following table illustrates the positions of the state's political parties on 2018's ballot propositions:

California Democratic and Republican Parties on November 2018 ballot propositions
Proposition	Democratic Party	Republican Party	Green Party	Libertarian Party	Peace and Freedom Party
Proposition 1: $4 billion housing bond	a	d	a	d	d
Proposition 2: millionaire's tax revenue for $2 billion homelessness prevention bond	a	a	tc	d	a
Proposition 3: $8.877 billion water bond	tc	tc	d	d	d
Proposition 4: $1.5 billion children’s hospitals bond	a	d	a	d	d
Proposition 5: expand tax assessment transfers for senior homebuyers	d	a	d	a	d
Proposition 6: repeal 2017 fuel tax increase and require voter approval of future increases	d	a	d	a	d
Proposition 7: year-round daylight saving time	a	a	a	tc	tc
Proposition 8: limits on dialysis clinics' revenue and required refunds	a	d	a	d	a
Proposition 10: local rent control expansion	a	d	a	d	a
Proposition 11: ambulance workers to remain on-call during breaks and be paid during breaks	d	a	d	d	d
Proposition 12: ban sale of meat from animals confined in spaces below a specific number of square feet	a	d	a	tc	a

Comparison to 2016 and 2014

There were 66 citizen-initiated measures filed for the 2018 ballot in California, which was below the number filed for the 2016 ballot and 2014 ballot. The number filed for the 2016 ballot was 135, and 15 (11 percent) of the proposals were certified for the ballot. The number filed for the 2014 ballot was 82, and four (5 percent) of the proposals were certified for the ballot. Ultimately in 2018, eight initiatives (12 percent) were put on the ballot. Three additional measures qualified for the ballot, but they were withdrawn following compromises with state legislators. Counting these, there were 11 successful initiative efforts, which amounts to a success rate of between 16 and 17 percent.

Geographic origins of ballot initiatives

Of the citizen-initiated measures proposed for the 2018 ballot, 22 ballot measures, or around 33 percent of the 66 proposed, were filed in southern coastal California (Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties). Eighteen (18) initiatives originated in Sacramento County, California, and 15 were filed in the San Francisco Bay Area (Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties). The remaining ten initiatives originated in the counties of Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Monterey, Placer, San Bernardino, and San Luis Obispo. One initiative filing did not include an address.

Historical facts

See also: History of Initiative and Referendum in California and List of California ballot propositions

• A total of 214 measures appeared on statewide ballots in California from 1996 to 2016.
• From 1996 to 2016, the number of measures on even-year statewide ballots ranged from eight to 28.
• Between 1996 and 2016, an average of 18 measures appeared on the ballot in California during even-numbered election years.
• Between 1996 and 2016, about 59 percent (116 of 198) of the total number of measures that appeared on statewide ballots during even-numbered years were approved, and about 41 percent (82 of 198) were defeated.
• Before 1960, citizen-initiated measures appeared only on general election ballots; from 1960 through 2011, California ballot measures appeared on primary, general, and special election ballots and were voted on in both even and odd-numbered years.
• In 2011, the California Legislature approved a law requiring all citizen initiatives to go before voters at general elections in Novembers of even-numbered years.

Getting initiatives on the ballot in California

Ballot initiative process

In California, citizens have the right to initiate legislation through the ballot initiative or repeal legislation through the veto referendum. Getting an initiative or referendum placed on the ballot requires a measure's proponents to complete four steps. Step 1 requires proponents of an initiative to file their proposal with the attorney general's office, which prepares the language used on petitions for the initiative. Step 2 involves the measure receiving the circulating title and summary, allowing proponents to begin collecting signatures. The secretary of state assigns the initiative with a signature filing deadline. Step 3 requires proponents to tell the secretary of state's office that at least 25 percent of the required signatures have been collected for the initiative. Step 4, the final step, is the submission of signatures for a ballot initiative or referendum.

Click on the following bolded text to view which ballot initiatives have completed each step.

• Step 1—Filed for ballot title: Proponents file their proposed ballot initiative with the attorney general to receive circulating language.
• Step 2—Cleared to circulate: Proponents receive the circulating language for their ballot initiative, giving the go-ahead to begin collecting signatures.
• Step 3—25 percent of signatures reached: Campaign reports that 25 percent of the required signatures for its initiative had been collected.
• Step 4—Signatures submitted: Proponents of an initiative file unverified signatures with local election officials.

Signatures submitted

Proponents of a ballot initiative file signatures with local elections officials, who then have eight days to determine a raw count of unverified signatures and communicate the count to the secretary of state. If the raw count is more than the required number of signatures, the secretary of state instructs local officials to conduct a random sampling of the submitted signatures. If the random sample indicates more than 110 percent of the required number of signatures, the initiative qualifies for the ballot. If the sample indicates fewer than 95 percent of the required number of signatures, the initiative fails to make the ballot. If the random sample indicates more than 95 percent but fewer than 110 percent, a full check of each signature must be conducted.

25 percent of signatures reached

Proponents of initiatives are required to report when 25 percent of the number of signatures required—91,740 for initiated statues and 146,352 for initiated amendments—had been gathered. The secretary of state notifies each chamber of the California State Legislature to hold joint public hearings on the initiative proposals. Legislators could decide to consider the initiative as legislation, although this has no direct effect on whether an initiative appears on the ballot. Proponents of an initiative could consider withdrawing their proposal if the legislature approved their initiative as legislation.

Cleared to circulate

Once the attorney general's office assigns a ballot title and a summary to an initiative, proponents are allowed to begin collecting signatures. Proponents of an initiative are given 180 days from the date the title and summary were assigned to collect the required signatures. Proponents of a veto referendum are given 90 days from the date the governor signed the targeted legislation.

Submitted to attorney general

The first step to getting an initiative prepared for signature gathering is submitting the proposal to the attorney general's office, which prepares a ballot title and summary of the proposal. When a proposal arrives at the office, the measure receives an expected date for when the attorney general will issue a ballot title and summary.

Not on the ballot

See also: Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot

The list below contains measures that were proposed and reached a certain stage in the initiative or referral process, but did not make the ballot.

Initiatives

Type	ID	Description	Status
CISS	#16-0002	Electronic Signature Gathering Initiative
CISS	#16-0003	Child Custody Determination by Jury Initiative
VR	#16-0004	Definition of Assault Weapon Referendum
VR	#16-0005	Ban on Large-Capacity Ammunition Magazines Referendum
VR	#16-0006	Ammo Sales Regulations Referendum
VR	#16-0007	Definition of Assault Weapon Referendum
VR	#16-0008	False Report of Lost or Stolen Firearm Referendum
VR	#16-0009	Firearm Loans Regulations Referendum
VR	#16-0010	Serial Numbers on Assembled Firearms Referendum
CICA/SS	#16-0011	California Independence from the U.S. Initiative
CISS	#16-0012	National Popular Vote for President Initiative
CISS	#17-0001	Child Custody Determination by Jury Initiative
CICA	#17-0002	Neighborhood Legislative Districts and Working Groups Initiative
CICA	#17-0003	Free Exercise of Gender Identity Initiative
CISS	#17-0004	Repeal Gas Tax and Fees Increase Bill Initiative
CICA/SS	#17-0005	Sovereign and Autonomous Nation Initiative
CISS	#17-0006	Elderly Inmate Parole Initiative
CISS	#17-0007	Water Infrastructure, Natural Resources, and Parks Bond Initiative
CICA	#17-0008	Abortion as First-Degree Murder Initiative
CISS	#17-0009	Youth Offender Parole Hearings Initiative
CICA/SS	#17-0011	Proposition 13 Tax Transfer Initiative
CICA/SS	#17-0012	Proposition 13 Tax Transfer Initiative
CISS	#17-0015	Limits on Charges for Dialysis and Minimum Clinic Staffing Initiative
CISS	#17-0016	State Bar to Use ABA Rules for Conduct Initiative
CISS	#17-0017	Constitutional Convention Initiative
CICA	#17-0019	Healthcare Trust Fund Initiative
CICA	#17-0020	Repeal Top-Two Primary Initiative
CISS	#17-0021	Sales and Use Tax Increase for Teacher Salaries Initiative
CICA	#17-0022	Criminal Prosecution of Law Enforcement Officers Initiative
CICA/SS	#17-0023	Right to Vote of Convicted Felons Initiative
CISS	#17-0024	Psilocybin Mushroom Decriminalization Initiative
CICA	#17-0025	University of California Online Initiative
CISS	#17-0027	Consumer Personal Information Disclosure and Sale Initiative
CICA	#17-0028	No Taxes on Residents Without Students for Public Schools Initiative
CICA	#17-0029	No Taxes After Age 55 Initiative
CICA	#17-0030	Right of Parents to Control Children's Education Initiative
CISS	#17-0031	State Law Governing Taxes, Fee, Debt, and Child Support Collection and DMV Fees Initiative
CISS	#17-0032	Homeowners and Renters Tax Credit Initiative
CICA	#17-0034	Use of Voter-Approved Bond and Tax Revenue Initiative
CISS	#17-0035	Changes to Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) Initiative
CISS	#17-0036	Changes to Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) Initiative
CISS	#17-0037	Changes to Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) Initiative
CICA/SS	#17-0038	Estate Tax for College Access Fund Initiative
VR	#17-0040	Sanctuary State Law Veto Referendum
CISS	#17-0042	Farm Animal Confinement Initiative
CISS	#17-0044	Violent Crime Definition, DNA Collection, and Parole Initiative
CISS	#17-0046	Changes to Three-Strikes Sentencing Law and Prison Savings Allocation Initiative
CICA	#17-0047	Tax on Incomes Exceeding $1 Million for Hospitals, Health Clinics, and Workforce Training Initiative
CISS	#17-0048	Managed Health Insurance Premiums Initiative
CICA	#17-0051	Two-Thirds Vote for Local Revenue Increases Initiative
CISS	#17-0052	Environment Board and Policies Initiative
CICA	#17-0053	Top-Four Primary Initiative
CISS	#17-0054	Child Custody Determination by Jury Initiative
CICA	#17-0055	Tax on Commercial and Industrial Properties for Education Funding Initiative

Legislative referrals

Type	Bill	Description	Status
LBM	AB 18	Parks and Environment Bond
LRSS	AB 222	Crime to Use False Documents to Conceal Citizenship Status Measure
LBM	AB 668	Voting Equipment Bond
LBM	AB 2771	Higher Education Facilities Bond
LRCA	ACA 12	Property Tax Transfer for Persons with Severely Disabled Children Amendment

State profile

Demographic data for California
	California	U.S.
Total population:	38,993,940	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	155,779	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	61.8%	73.6%
Black/African American:	5.9%	12.6%
Asian:	13.7%	5.1%
Native American:	0.7%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0.4%	0.2%
Two or more:	4.5%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	38.4%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	81.8%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	31.4%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$61,818	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	18.2%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in California. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in California

California voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

More California coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in California
• United States congressional delegations from California
• Public policy in California
• Endorsers in California
• California fact checks
• More...

See also

Suggest a link

• 2018 ballot measures
• List of California ballot propositions
• Laws governing ballot measures in California
• Campaign finance requirements for California ballot measures

External links

• California Secretary of State Ballot Measures
• California Secretary of State Ballot Initiatives