2020 Ballot Propositions With fewer than 130 days before the election, we thought it was a good time to do a roundup of the various propositions that will appear on the November ballot. Please note this list is not final. 
 

California Criminal Sentencing Parole, and DNA Collection (2020) Restricts Parole for Non-Violent Offenders. Authorizes Felony Sentences for Certain Offenses Currently Treated Only as Misdemeanors. Initiative Statute. Imposes restrictions on parole program for non-violent offenders who have completed the full term for their primary offense. Expands list of offenses that disqualify an inmate from this parole program. Changes standards and requirements governing parole decisions under this program. Authorizes felony charges for specified theft crimes currently chargeable only as misdemeanors, including some theft crimes where the value is between $250 and $950. Requires persons convicted of specified misdemeanors to submit to collection of DNA samples for state database.

 

SB10 - PRETRIAL RELEASE AND DETENTION SB10 - PRETRIAL RELEASE AND DETENTION was passed by the California Legislature in 2018 and signed by Governor Jerry Brown.  It replaces California's cash bail system with risk assessments to determine whether a detained suspect should be granted pretrial release and the conditions under which release would be granted.  Review the Current Pretrial Release and Detention System

 

Proposition 13 Split Roll Tax-Increase Businesses whose owners have more than $3.0 million in holdings in CA (note: This is not indicative of a "big" business based on CA real estate prices.) would have their properties
immediately reassessed to current market value, and then reassessed again every three years. The fiscal impact of this is expected to be an increase in tax revenue of between $7 and $12.5 billion annually.  It would not apply to agricultural property owners, or business property owners with $3.0 million or less in holdings in CA. Some other business property owners would qualify for an exemption on the first $500K in personal property. It would also not apply to residential property owners (YET!).  

 

Arguments For Split Roll Property Taxes What is stealing money from schools and cities are things like ridiculous and bloated pensions and benefits for an over sized government workforce with too many layers, encouraging illegal and unemployed people to come here for myriad "free" benefits, and the resulting extremely high Medicaid costs, and too much regulation that requires even more layers of bureaucracy, to name just a couple of factors.
 
So, it's not that Prop. 13 needs to be "fixed". Our state needs to end its addiction to raising taxes to create or enhance benefit programs at a level that is not realistic. We need to encourage businesses to come back to Calif., and that won't happen if businesses are threatened with unaffordable business property taxes. When the businesses are gone, guess who the next group will be that is accused of "not paying their fair share" .... residential property owners who have Prop. 13 protection.

 

California Local Rent Control Initiative 

The ballot measure would replace the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act (Costa-Hawkins), which was passed in 1995. Prior to the enactment of Costa-Hawkins, local governments were permitted to enact rent control, provided that landlords would receive just and reasonable returns on their rental properties. Costa-Hawkins continued to allow local governments to use rent control, except on (a) housing that was first occupied after February 1, 1995, and (b) housing units with distinct titles, such as condos, townhouses, and single-family homes.^[1]

The ballot measure would allow local governments to adopt rent control on housing units, except on (a) housing that was first occupied within the last 15 years and (b) units owned by natural persons who own no more than two housing units with separate titles, such as single-family homes, condos, and some duplexes, or subdivided interests, such as stock cooperatives and community apartment projects.^[2]