Carl DeMaio and Reform California have released their “Plain English” voter guide to give you an easy-to-understand explanation of the ballot measures and to grade candidates.
WARNING! CA politicians have placed several deceptively-worded measures on your primary election ballot – and special interests are funding dishonest campaigns to trick voters and split the vote in key races.
Check out Reform California's “Plain English” Voter Guide below so you know what you are actually voting on – complete with ratings for all candidates on your ballot (including school board and judges) along with red flags on any measures with hidden tax hikes.
Review the guide below - and share it with your friends, family and neighbors!
No on Prop 1: Borrows $11.25 Billion for Costly Housing Projects
Politicians want to borrow $10 Billion on the taxpayers’ credit card — and you’ll pay back over $17 billion with interest. Provides taxpayer-funded subsidies to developers without reforming costly mandates that make housing so expensive. Prop 1 does nothing to make housing more affordable. Many of the boondoggle projects supported by this bond will cost more than $1 MILLION per unit! Campaign contributors to politicians also get special contracts under Prop 1.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 1: COMING SOON
No on Prop 2: Guts State Budget Spending Limit and Cancels Tax Rebates
**DECEPTION ALERT: Appears on your ballot with the politicians’ FALSE ballot title of “Increases State’s Rainy Day Fund.”
Prop 2 claims to create a bigger rainy day fund in the state budget, but in reality it creates a new slush fund for politicians to engage in more wasteful spending. Prop 2 eviscerates the current voter-imposed spending limit on state politicians. Worse, it virtually eliminates the requirement that taxpayers receive tax rebates if revenues exceed the spending limit. With Prop 2, politicians get to keep more of your money so they can waste more of your money.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 2: COMING SOON
No on Prop 3: Income Tax Increase
**DECEPTION ALERT: Biased title plays up funding for schools and health care without accountability for how the money is spent.
Makes permanent California’s highest-in-the-nation income tax rates at a time when California is losing employers, jobs and taxpayers to other states and seeing lower tax revenues as a result. Worse, Prop 3 does nothing to reform wasteful spending in the programs it purports to fund, so taxpayers will not see better services. This tax was sold as “temporary” in 2012, extended in 2016 and now politicians want to make it permanent before it even expires.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 3: COMING SOON
No on Prop 4: Gives Your Tax Dollars to Politicians’ Campaigns
**DECEPTION ALERT: False cost estimate of only a “few hundred thousand dollars each year” when it will cost MILLIONS a year.
Repeals a previously approved ban on public financing of politicians’ campaigns. Voters wisely decided years ago that their tax dollars should never be used to fund the campaigns of politicians, but with Prop 4 the politicians are refusing to take no for an answer. They already tried to sneak this through the legislature in 2016. The courts threw it out and ruled that voters must decide. Ten years later they’re back, hat in hand, asking to spend your tax dollars on their attack ads. Tell them the same thing the courts did: NO.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 4: COMING SOON
No on Prop 5: Weakens Citizens’ Right to Recall Politicians from Office
Makes it harder to Recall a politician from office and simultaneously replace them with a candidate of the voters’ choosing. Under Prop 5, if the voters recall the Governor, you don’t get to choose the replacement — the office is automatically handed to the political machine’s second-in-command. The decision will be entirely out of the voters’ control.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 5: COMING SOON
No on Prop 37: Borrows $25 Billion for Costly Housing Projects
Provides taxpayer-funded subsidies to developers without reforming costly mandates that make housing so expensive. Worse, Prop 37 makes the State of California one of the biggest mortgage lenders in America overnight – and taxpayers are left holding the bag for any losses. Many of the boondoggle projects supported by this bond will cost more than $1M per unit! Campaign contributors to politicians also get special contracts under Prop 37.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 37: COMING SOON
Yes on Prop 38: Public-Private Partnership Bonds for Immunology Research
Authorizes $8 billion in bonds to support immunology research with the repayment coming from proceeds of cures and treatments. This is the only bond on the ballot that puts the strings on the government instead of the taxpayer. Every drug and treatment developed with this funding must be sold in California at 20% BELOW the national average price. Half of the research money is required by law to target cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 38: COMING SOON
Yes on Prop 39: Voter ID to Improve Trust in Elections
**DECEPTION ALERT: Appears on your ballot with the politicians’ FALSE ballot title of “Prohibits Citizens From Voting.”
Prop 39 is a bipartisan solution for Voter ID! That’s why it is supported by large majorities of Democratic, Republican and Independent voters. Prop 39 requires cleaning up and auditing of voter rolls and citizenship verification of anyone registering to vote. It keeps voting simple while adding integrity reforms to make voting more secure. The politicians falsely claim Prop 39 prohibits citizens from voting when it will only prevent non-citizens and ineligible individuals from voting. Prop 39 protects the right of every citizen to vote and restores public trust and confidence in our elections.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 39: COMING SOON
No on Prop 40: “Billionaire” Tax that Is Really an “Everybody” Tax
Prop 40 is deceptively being sold as the "Billionaire's Tax" but it is really the "Everybody Tax!" Worse, Prop 40 creates the first-in-the-nation Wealth Tax (or Savings Tax) on Californians. Prop 40 contains a provision allowing state politicians to expand the Wealth Tax to everyone without another vote of the public. Prop 40 allows government to tax the value of your savings, checking account, 401k, stock portfolio, and current equity in your home. If you don't have the cash to pay the Wealth Tax, then you'd be forced to sell some of what you own.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 40: COMING SOON
Yes on Prop 41: Audit Special Taxes
Prop 41 would make it harder for state and local politicians to impose special taxes on you. Prop 41 requires that all special taxes include audits on all revenues raised and programs funded through the tax to prevent waste, fraud and abuse or diversion of the funds by politicians. Prop 41 also requires that these special taxes adhere to the state's constitutionally-mandated spending limit. Under California law, when two conflicting measures pass, the one with more votes wins. Even if Prop 40 passes, a bigger yes on Prop 41 cancels it.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 41: COMING SOON
Yes on Prop 42: Stop the Savings Tax
Prop 42 would prohibit state and local politicians from imposing a Savings Tax on Californians. Prop 42 would prohibit politicians from taxing the value of your savings, checking account, 401k, stock portfolio, and current equity in your home. We already pay the highest taxes on income, sales, property, gas and our cars— we don't need a Savings Tax on top of all that! If Prop 42 gets more votes than Prop 40, the Wealth Tax dies even if it passes. Every YES on 42 is a second NO on 40.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 42: COMING SOON
Yes on Prop 43: Local Taxpayer Protection Initiative (Saves Prop 13)
**DECEPTION ALERT: Appears on your ballot with the FALSE title of “Limits Voters Ability to Raise Revenues for Local Government Services.”
Prop 43 is known as the Save Prop 13— Local Taxpayer Protection Initiative. Prop 43 makes it harder for local politicians to raise your taxes by restoring the two-thirds vote requirement on any local tax measures. It also closes loopholes the politicians have created in Prop 13 to violate the property tax caps that voters originally imposed. Opponents of Prop 43 simply want more of your money to fund their waste and fraud. Vote Yes on Prop 43 to turn the tide to make California more affordable.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 43: COMING SOON
No on Prop 44: Imposes Costly Mandates on Community Health Clinics
Increases mandates and costs on community health clinics, threatening their ability to provide patient care. Clinics that miss the arbitrary 90% mandate pay penalties into a government account and hotwired to a narrow special interest group who is one of the politicians’ biggest campaign contributors. Trusted healthcare experts warn that Prop 44 would trigger $1.7 billion in penalties in the first year alone and force clinics across California to close their doors.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 44: COMING SOON
Yes on Prop 45: Reduce Housing Costs by Cutting Red Tape
Reduces regulation and combats frivolous lawsuits that have increased the cost of housing projects. California’s environmental review law (CEQA) has been weaponized to block and delay housing, adding years and millions of dollars to every project. Prop 45 is the first time voters have ever been handed the chance to reform CEQA at the ballot box.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 45: COMING SOON
STATEWIDE OFFICES
Governor: Steve Hilton
Lt. Governor: Gloria Romero
Attorney General: Michael Gates
Secretary of State: Don Wagner
Treasurer: Jennifer Hawks
Controller: Herb Morgan
Insurance Commissioner: You're Doomed
Superintendent of Public Instruction: Sonja Shaw
State Board of Equalization
District 1: Shannon Grove
District 2: You're Doomed
District 3: You're Doomed
District 4: Denis Bilodeau
U.S. House of Representatives
District 1: James Gallagher
District 2: Robin Littau
District 3: Robb Tucker
District 4: You're Doomed
District 5: Tom McClintock
District 6: You're Doomed
District 7: You're Doomed
District 8: Rudy Recile
District 9: John McBride
District 10: Jeff Frese
District 11: You're Doomed
District 12: You're Doomed
District 13: Kevin Lincoln
District 14: You're Doomed
District 15: Charles Hoelter
District 16: Peter Sundin Soulé
District 17: Ritesh Tandon
District 18: Shane Lewis
District 19: Peter Coe Verbica
District 20: Vince Fong
District 21: Kyle Kirkland
District 22: David G. Valadao
District 23: Jay Obernolte
District 24: Bob Smith
District 25: Joe Males
District 26: Sam Gallucci
District 27: Jason Gibbs
District 28: April A. Verlato
District 29: You're Doomed
District 30: Scott Alan Meyers
District 31: Eric Ching
District 32: Larry Thompson
District 33: Stephanie M. Vargas
District 34: You're Doomed
District 35: You're Doomed
District 36: Houston Brignano
District 37: You're Doomed
District 38: Pedro Antonio Casas
District 39: Steve Manos
District 40: Ken Calvert
District 41: Mitch Clemmons
District 42: Brian Burley
District 43: Cristian Morales
District 44: Genevieve Angel
District 45: Chuong V. Vo
District 46: David Pan
District 47: Jenny Rae Le Roux
District 48: Jim Desmond
District 49: No endorsement
District 50: Steve Cohen
District 51: Ricardo Cabrera
District 52: You're Doomed
Senate
Senate District 2: Tief Gibbs
Senate District 4: Alexandra Duarte
Senate District 6: Roger Niello
Senate District 8: Susan Mason
Senate District 10: Linda Price
Senate District 12: Nathan Magsig
Senate District 14: Darin DuPont
Senate District 16: Guillermo Gonzalez
Senate District 18: Art Hodges
Senate District 20: Tony Rodriguez
Senate District 22: Mike Netter
Senate District 24: You're Doomed
Senate District 26: You're Doomed
Senate District 28: Joe Lisuzzo
Senate District 30: Araceli Martinez
Senate District 32: Kelly Seyarto
Senate District 34: Rhonda Shader
Senate District 36: Tony Strickland
Senate District 38: Laura Bassett
Senate District 40: Kristie Bruce-Lane
Assembly
Assembly District 1: Heather Hadwick
Assembly District 2: Michael Greer
Assembly District 3: Dom Belza
Assembly District 4: You're Doomed
Assembly District 5: Joe Patterson
Assembly District 6: You're Doomed
Assembly District 7: Josh Hoover
Assembly District 8: David Tangipa
Assembly District 9: Heath Flora
Assembly District 10: You're Doomed
Assembly District 11: Jenny Callison
Assembly District 12: You're Doomed
Assembly District 13: Tom Patti
Assembly District 14: You're Doomed
Assembly District 15: Arthur Webb
Assembly District 16: Joseph A. Rubay
Assembly District 17: You're Doomed
Assembly District 18: You're Doomed
Assembly District 19: Not Catherine Stefani
Assembly District 20: Patricia Muga
Assembly District 21: Jabra J. Muhawieh
Assembly District 22: Juan Alanis
Assembly District 23: David G. Johnson
Assembly District 24: Max Hsia
Assembly District 25: Himat Singh Bainiwal
Assembly District 26: Tim Gorsulowsky
Assembly District 27: Mike Murphy
Assembly District 28: Carol Pefley
Assembly District 29: Dennis P. Sanchez
Assembly District 30: Shannon Kessler
Assembly District 31: No endorsement
Assembly District 32: David Couch
Assembly District 33: Alexandra Macedo
Assembly District 34: Charles Frederick Hughes
Assembly District 35: Saul Ayon
Assembly District 36: Jeff Gonzalez
Assembly District 37: Sari Domingues
Assembly District 38: You're Doomed
Assembly District 39: Paul Andre Marsh
Assembly District 40: Rickey Tracy Hayes II
Assembly District 41: Adam Christopher Vena
Assembly District 42: Ted Nordblum
Assembly District 43: Ricardo Benitez
Assembly District 44: Carolyn Daniels
Assembly District 45: Greg Abdouch
Assembly District 46: Tracey Schroeder
Assembly District 47: Greg Wallis
Assembly District 48: Dan T. Tran
Assembly District 49: Long David Liu
Assembly District 50: Victoria Mageno
Assembly District 51: You're Doomed
Assembly District 52: Andrea Anderson
Assembly District 53: Rafaela Romero
Assembly District 54: You're Doomed
Assembly District 55: You're Doomed
Assembly District 56: Jessica Martinez
Assembly District 57: Constance Menzies
Assembly District 58: Leticia Castillo
Assembly District 59: Phillip Chen
Assembly District 60: Ed Delgado
Assembly District 61: You're Doomed
Assembly District 62: Paul Irving Jones
Assembly District 63: Natasha Johnson
Assembly District 64: Raul Ortiz Jr.
Assembly District 65: Lydia A. Gutiérrez
Assembly District 66: You're Doomed
Assembly District 67: Paulo Morales
Assembly District 68: You're Doomed
Assembly District 69: You're Doomed
Assembly District 70: Tri Ta
Assembly District 71: Kate Sanchez
Assembly District 72: Gracey Van Der Mark
Assembly District 73: Urson Russell
Assembly District 74: Laurie Davies
Assembly District 75: Carl DeMaio
Assembly District 76: Carrie Espinoza Villanueva
Assembly District 77: Trinity Hannaway
Assembly District 78: Payton Galvez
Assembly District 79: Andrew Lawson
Assembly District 80: Alejandro Galicia
NOTE: If we do not make a recommendation on a candidate or ballot measure, we either could not support the measure or candidates running in that race, or do not have enough information to make an informed recommendation.
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