Helping registered voters understand the statewide propositions are, from left, State Assemblyman District 7 Josh Hoover; Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association's legislative director Scott Kauffman; Citrus Heights City Councilmember and Sacramento Taxpayers Association executive board member Tim Schaefer; Carmichael Elks Lodge Number 2103 Exalted Ruler Michael Hanson; and Sacramento Taxpayers Association President Lee. Photo by Paul V. Scholl

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, CA (MPG) - Voters will have 10 statewide propositions to consider on the Nov. 5 General Election ballot.

Because propositions are often hard to understand, Carmichael Elks Lodge Number 2103 presented a nonpartisan town hall meeting on the upcoming propositions Oct. 10 at the Carmichael Elks Lodge.

"Sometimes, propositions are written rather obliquely, intentionally or simply because the propositions are so complex," said Sacramento Taxpayers Association (SacTax) President W. Bruce Lee.

The Sacramento Taxpayers Association is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization committed to promoting equitable taxation.

Helping the 120-plus Oct. 10 town hall attendees understand the propositions were Citrus Heights City Councilmember and Sacramento Taxpayers Association executive board member Tim Schaefer; State Assemblyman District 7 Josh Hoover; Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association's legislative director Scott Kauffman; and Sacramento Taxpayers Association President Lee.

"We are the owners of our government," Lee told the crowd at the town hall's start. "Ponder the propositions, vote intelligently."

Of the 10 statewide propositions on the Nov. 5 ballot, Schaefer said, propositions 2 through 6 are California State Legislature-generated and the other half are citizen-generated.

What It Means if the Propositions Pass

Prop. 2 would provide statewide school bonds for infrastructures and authorize $10 billion for public school up to community college facilities. It would also expand eligibility for financial hardship grants for small and disadvantaged school districts, and provide higher percentage of state-matching funds to schools demonstrating the greatest need.

Prop. 3 would amend the California Constitution to recognize the fundamental right to marry, regardless of sex or race and remove language in the state Constitution stating that marriage is only between a man and a woman.

Prop. 4 would authorize $10 billion in general obligation bonds for safe drinking water, wildfire prevention, and protecting communities and natural lands from climate risks. It would prioritize projects benefiting disadvantaged communities, require annual audits and appropriate money from the General Fund to repay bonds.

Prop. 5 would generate local bonds for affordable housing and public infrastructure with 55-percent voter approval. The 55-percent voter approval would be used instead of a two/thirds voter approval.

Prop. 6 would amend the California Constitution to remove the provision that allows jails and prisons to impose involuntary servitude as punishment for crimes committed.

Prop. 32 would raise the minimum wage, effective Jan. 1, for employers with 26 or more employees from $16 per hour to $17 immediately and $18 on Jan. 1. For employers with 25 or less employees, the minimum wage would go from $16 to $17 on Jan. 1 and $18 a year later on Jan. 1, 2026.

Prop. 33 would enable local government to enact rent control on residential property. State law would not limit the kinds of rent control laws that cities and counties could have.

Prop. 34 would restrict spending of prescription drug revenues by certain health-care providers. Health-care providers meeting certain criteria would be required to spend 98 percent of revenues from a federal discount prescription drug program on direct patient care.  It would authorize statewide negotiation of Medi-Cal drug prices.

Prop. 35 would provide permanent funding for Medi-Cal health-care services. It would require revenues to be used only for specified Medi-Cal Services, including primary and specialty care, emergency care, family planning, mental health and prescription drugs.

Prop. 36 would allow felony charges (and increased sentences) for possessing certain drugs and for thefts under $950, if the defendant has two prior drug or theft convictions. 

All the bonds mentioned require a majority of 50 percent plus one to pass.

"I learned a few things I didn't know," said Judy Sweeney, an audience member and a Carmichael Elks member. She was pleased with the "pretty good" turnout.

Sweeney also said she would have liked the opportunity to hear supporters and opponents discussing the various propositions. 

Mark Sumner, also an audience member and a Carmichael Elks member, however, appreciated the lack of opinions during the town meeting.

"I thought it was great. It was nice to get the community together and hear unbiased opinions about the propositions, Sumner said. "Propositions can be written confusing to understand. This town hall meeting helped. We need to do more of this to get the community out."

To read more about the propositions, check out the Nov. 5 General Election's Official Voter Information Guide mailed to households and available online at voterguide.sos.ca.gov. The voter information guide includes what voting yes and voting no mean, pro and con arguments, and additional resources for studying each proposition.

"I thought the event was very successful with many intelligent questions from the participants. It always encourages me to see citizens exercise ownership of their government and part of that process is casting intelligent, informed votes," Lee said. "Indeed, that is a foundational purpose of SacTax, to see citizens collaborate and empowered to have meaningful influence in their governments, be that local, state, or federal. In many parts of the world, citizens have no oversight of their government, and even many 'democracies' are only pseudo democracies.  This means that they may look like a democracy in form only but they do not function as a democracy should."