Rotary hosts breakdown of statewide ballot initiatives

With the Nov. 3 general election just over a month away, timing was good for the Rossmoor Rotary Club to host a talk about statewide initiatives.

Janet Hoy and Audra Ruthruff of the League of Women Voters Diablo Valley spoke at the Rotary Club’s weekly meeting on Sept. 23 in Hillside’s Diablo Room, giving pro-andcon overviews on seven of the 14 statewide propositions on the ballot this year, plus SB63, the Regional Transit Measurement, that will be voted on in five Bay Area counties, including Contra Costa.

Not surprisingly, one topic was Proposition 40, the socalled Billionaire’s Tax, a onetime 5% tax on certain taxpayers with assets over $1 billion to help fund health care, and to a lesser extent, education. Historically, California has taxed income, not wealth, Hoy said, but with this, wealth would be measured by net worth. The tax revenue would be used to address federal funding cuts for programs like Medi-Cal and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), she noted.

Prop. 40 supporters assert the tax is needed because health care in California is on the brink of collapse, Hoy said. They also contend that the cuts to Medi-Cal and SNAP disproportionately affect low-income people, while higher-income people continue to get tax breaks.

Should this pass, many think it’s likely to get tied up in the courts, as some contend it’s unconstitutional, she said. Its opponents say this is “a poorly designed scheme,” as it’s a one-time deal. There’s been speculation that, if it is enacted. wealthy people will leave California, and thus the state will lose a significant portion of tax revenue.

Hoy gave overviews of Propositions 41 and 42, both proposed in response to Prop. 40 and designed to cancel it. All three propositions have “competing measure provisions” so that if all three should pass, Prop. 40 would be invalidated if either 41 or 42 get more votes, and vice versa should Prop. 40 get more votes than both 41 and 42.

“People are confused about voting yes on Prop. 40 and don’t understand that if you do 42 or 41, it’s going to invalidate 40,” Hoy said. “It’s a confusing trifecta here in terms of three different ballot issues.”

Prop. 41 would nullify any state taxes enacted after Jan. 1, 2026 that “exempt their revenues from voter-approved state spending limit,” according to California’s official voter information guide. It also would require audits of any new state special taxes. Prop. 42 would prohibit new taxes on personal financial assets and limit the ability of the state or citizen initiatives to implement taxes retroactively. It would apply to any new taxes enacted or taking effect after Jan. 1, 2026.

Ruthruff discussed Prop. 1, one of three bond measures on the state ballot. This would authorize $11.25 billion in state general obligation bonds to go toward housing affordability programs, such as multifamily rental housing, mortgages for veterans, downpayment assistance, supportive housing, and preservation of existing affordable housing, according to the state’s official voter guide.

The fiscal impact would be $500 million to $600 million a year for 25 years, she said, which is just one-quarter of 1% of the state’s total general fund budget.

Advocates, including Habitat for Humanity, teaching and veterans’ groups, contend this provides affordable housing for veterans, seniors, working families and those in disadvantaged positions, and reduces homelessness. No opposition statement had been received as of two weeks ago when LWV data was compiled for this presentation, she said.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization that doesn’t support or oppose candidates or political parties. But it does take stands on issues, and has made statewide California ballot recommendations for this election. It has been in the news for advocating support of democracy, Hoy said, but she and Ruthruff came to the Rotary meeting “with our educational hats on.”

In discussing Prop. 39, which would require ID for voting, Ruthruff noted that the League of Women Voters is among those voicing opposition to it. This proposition would require voters to designate a government-issued ID number for registration, and that ID number would be required for voting in person. A mail-in ballot would be invalidated if certain requirements are not met. It also would require elections officials to annually report the percentage of each county’s voters whose citizenship they’ve verified.

This could cost state and local governments anywhere from tens of millions to low hundreds of millions of dollars annually, California officials estimate. There could be costs for court proceedings, of those contesting if they aren’t allowed to vote, Ruthruff said.

Proponents of Prop. 39 say it would increase participation and trust in elections, she noted, while opponents say it would create costly obstacles, disproportionately affecting marginalized groups, including “seniors, people of color, low-income workers, and millions of women who have passports or other documentation where they have name changes and things don’t match,” she said The Regional Transit Measure calls for a sales tax increase by one-half of 1% in Contra Costa, Alameda, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties and up to 1% in San Francisco County, to prevent major cuts to BART and other transit services. It would raise this county’s tax to 9.25%.

Arguments in favor contend the proposed severe cuts disproportionately impact disadvantaged populations, and passing this protects the regional economy, Ruthruff said, noting that opponents say it’s a regressive tax coming when taxes for Bay Area residents are too high, and is only a temporary solution to transit organizations’ problems.

Secure ballot drop boxes will be available starting Monday, Oct. 5. The closest one to Rossmoor again will be at Grace Presbyterian Church at 2100 Tice Valley Blvd., Walnut Creek. Additional sites in Walnut Creek are at City Hall (1666 Main St.) and Center for Community Arts (111 N. Wiget Lane). Other nearby drop box locations include Alamo Plaza Shopping Center (190 Alamo Plaza) and the Lafayette School District office (3477 School St.)

On Election Day – Tuesday, Nov. 3 – the Event Center once again will be a polling place for residents to vote in person. Polls open that day at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

Visit www.contracostavote. gov/elections for more county-specific information on the general election.