STATE PROPOSITIONS
California voters will decide the fate of 12 statewide propositions on Nov. 3, measures placed on the ballot either by politically powerful interest groups or lawmakers that cover a variety of topics including property taxes, criminal justice and workplace regulations. ¶ The propositions, like all state ballot measures, require approval by a simple majority of voters for passage. Unless otherwise specified, propositions approved by voters will take effect once the election results are certified in December. ¶ Here’s a look at the key issues behind each proposition:
More borrowing for stem cell research 14 Kidney dialysis clinic rules revisited 23
Like the do-over ballot measure on rent control, this is the second straight November election in which California voters will be asked to approve a new law governing kidney dialysis clinics in the state.
About 600 dialysis clinics in California serve about 80,000 patients per month, according to a state legislative analysis. To address the patients’ needs, clinics often operate longer hours each day and are open for six days a week.
The ballot measure would require every clinic to have at least one physician present during all operating hours. The clinics would have to offer the same level of care to all patients, regardless of whether the treatment is paid for by private insurance or a government-funded program such as Medi-Cal or Medicare. Clinic administrators would have to report more information about infections among their dialysis patients, and the state Department of Public Health would have a new role in agreeing to changes at a clinic or its closure.
The initiative was placed on the ballot by a union representing healthcare workers and is opposed by some prominent dialysis companies. These were largely the same forces that fought it out over Proposition 8 in 2018, which also would have imposed new rules on dialysis clinics and was rejected by voters.
Ending cash bail 25
This measure is a referendum, a special kind of ballot measure asking voters to approve or reject a law passed by the Legislature. In this case, it’s the fate of a 2018 law abolishing cash bail in California.
Companies representing the bail industry quickly gathered signatures on a referendum after the law was signed. As a result, it’s been on hold and is awaiting a final decision by voters this fall.
That the bail companies sought a second opinion isn’t surprising. The historic law would eliminate the industry’s practice of offering cash to those who can’t afford to pay for early release.
Instead, the law gives judges wide discretion to decide who can be released prior to trial. Defendants deemed to be a danger to the community could be held under a policy known as “preventive detention.”
A wide array of state officials, including California’s chief justice, supports the law. Civil rights groups, in particular, say the cash bail system too often has led to decisions based less on public safety and more on the ability to pay. Voters who say “yes” on this measure will be giving their approval of the law to end cash bail. Voters who say “no” will be rejecting the law and affirming the system as it has existed for decades.