In November, Californians will vote on 10 propositions—including questions around school construction funding, state prisons’ ability to dole out involuntary work assignments, how to allocate cities’ and counties’ power over rent control, and appropriate punishment for drug and theft crimes. The Scholars Strategy Network’s California chapters have commissioned a suite of policy briefs from California experts to shed light on what’s at stake and what current research suggests voters might expect should a given ballot measure pass. SSN brief authors do not represent the positions of their individual institutions; rather they marshal their knowledge and training as scholars to provide education to state residents as they decide which propositions to support. 

If you are a local journalist, policymaker, or civic leader looking to connect with a researcher to discuss issues relevant to any of the propositions below, feel free to reach out to the authors of these briefs.

Proposition 2 would provide $8.5 billion to K-12 schools and $1.5 billion to community colleges for facilities repair. The money would be distributed through matching grants, with the state paying a greater share of costs for less affluent districts and those with higher numbers of English learners and youth engaged in the foster-care system. A portion of this funding would be reserved for removing lead from drinking water, creating transitional kindergarten classrooms, and building career/technical education facilities.

School Capital Investments Improve Student Achievement and Reduce Inequality

Emily Rauscher

My research has found that capital spending improved achievement more among low-income students than higher-income students in California. Research in additional states has confirmed that capital spending has larger achievement benefits in low-income districts compared to higher-income districts. This is consistent with growing evidence from multiple studies that students and districts with fewer economic resources benefit more from school spending.

Proposition 6 would amend the California Constitution to stop the state from giving inmates involuntary work assignments and disciplining those who refuse to work. Instead, state prisons could set up a volunteer work assignment program that would remunerate workers with time-off credits toward their sentences, and county or city ordinances could determine jail pay scales. 

Ending Modern-Day Slavery in California

Brittany Friedman

Incarcerated people in California face severe consequences for refusing to work, including potential reassignment to solitary confinement. This practice is particularly concerning given the United Nations recognizes solitary confinement as a form of torture. In addition, the disparity in compensation between prison labor and comparable work outside is stark.

Proposition 6: Banning Forced Labor in California State Prisons

Maria Smith and David James Harding

Although some may view prison labor as rehabilitative, the reality is that incarcerated individuals often work under coercive and exploitative conditions. The jobs offer little to no skill development or opportunity for future employment outside of the prison, and workers who refuse to accept or perform a work assignment face severe penalties, including loss of visitation rights and forfeiture of earned sentence reductions.

Proposition 33 eliminates a previous state law—CostaHawkins—which limited local rent control laws. Under this new proposition, cities and counties can control rents for any housing and limit landlords’ ability to increase rent on properties when previous tenants vacate. The proposition itself does not make any changes to existing local rent control laws; cities and counties would have to take separate actions to change laws under their purview. 

Rent Control’s Expansion and the Need for Local Control

Jackelyn Hwang and Iris Zhang

The expansion of rent control does not appear to mitigate displacement for poor residents in the neighborhood. In some contexts, it may facilitate some poor residents moving into neighborhoods, yet in other contexts it may limit housing options for financially disadvantaged groups by making it more difficult for them to move in.

“The Justice for Renters Act” (Proposition 33)

Kyle Nelson

While a yes vote on Proposition 33 will not single-handedly solve the state’s crushing housing affordability and homelessness crises, it will give policymakers an important tool—rent stabilization ordinances—that will help keep tenants housed.

Proposition 36 makes several key changes related to current punishments for theft and drug crimes in California. First, it increases punishment for some of these crimes, which were last reduced with the passage of Prop 47 in 2014. Second, it creates a new treatment-focused court process for some drug possession crimes. Third, it requires courts to warn people convicted of selling or providing illegal drugs to others that they can be charged with murder upon the drug-related death of a person who received those substances from them. 

Proposition 36: A Sign of a Return to Mass Incarceration

Megan Welsh Carroll

Recent estimates indicate that it costs $132,860 annually to incarcerate one individual in California, when alternatives ranging from community violence interventions to community-based rehabilitation and mental health and substance abuse treatment can address crime concerns at much lower cost. If Proposition 36 passes, it would mean funding cuts to community-based programs across California that have been supported by funds through the savings generated by Proposition 47.