California Proposal Results: How Voters Decided Retail Theft and Minimum Wage

As California voters cast their ballots into the evening Tuesday, they are expected to reverse course on a decade of progressive criminal justice reform, with polls showing overwhelming support for a statewide ballot measure to combat retail theft and the deadly drug Show fentanyl.

Support for Proposition 36 comes amid rising concerns about crime, homelessness and drug use in the state, an issue that has been taken up by Republicans and some Democratic big city mayors in the 2024 election. The initiative reforms a law passed a decade ago through Proposition 47, which reduced some felonies to misdemeanors and was seen as a milestone in California's attempt to end draconian sentencing policies of the past.

Voters will also decide on Proposition 32, a statewide ballot initiative to increase California's current $16 minimum wage by $2 for all workers by 2026, a measure that was supported by labor unions and anti-poverty advocates but defeated by was rejected by influential economic interests. Polls have shown the measure could be a misstep and depend on the demographics of turnout — young and black voters are among the likely supporters, according to a recent Berkeley poll co-sponsored by The Times.

Californians are expected to cast off the last vestiges of Proposition 8, the measure passed by voters in 2008 that banned same-sex marriage and was later declared unconstitutional. Proposition 3 would repeal the outdated clause and instead enshrine marriage as a “fundamental right” for all — a precaution that advocates, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, said were necessary in the event of possible conservative rulings by the Supreme Court.

Proposition 36 was by far the most high-profile measure, raising millions on both sides, and it was so politically sensitive that Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, a former California attorney general, declined to say whether she supported it.

Opinion polls leading up to Tuesday's election showed that voters strongly supported Proposition 36, despite warnings from Newsom and the Democratic leadership of the California Legislature – recidivism programs and a dramatic increase in prison populations.

Growing support for Proposition 36 has alarmed criminal justice advocates, who argued that Proposition 47 helped reduce incarceration and spur reform, while critics claim it contributed to rising crime rates in the state.

California voters also weighed in on proposals that would impact the state's response to climate change, rent and more:

Proposal 2

This bond measure would authorize the state to borrow $10 billion to modernize K-12 schools and community colleges. The funds will be used to repair aging school buildings as well as modernize libraries, heating and cooling systems and broadband internet.

Money from the last successful school bond passed by voters in 2016 has been spent, and school districts are reporting aging buildings, dangerous mold and leaky roofs.

Proposal 4

This bond measure would authorize the state to borrow $10 billion to finance the response to climate-related disasters such as drought, flooding and extreme heat. It would also help ensure clean drinking water. It is the largest investment to combat climate change in California history.

The deposit would also be used to ensure clean drinking water and forest fire protection. California taxpayers would repay the bond with interest, with costs estimated at 400 million dollars per year for the next 40 years, or $16 billion, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office in Sacramento.

Proposal 5

This measure would make it easier for local governments to approve bonds and tax measures to finance affordable housing and some public infrastructure. Proposition 5 lowers the voting threshold required to approve these measures from a two-thirds majority to 55%.

The new threshold would apply to local policies affecting low-income housing, road and public transit expansion, parks and wildfire resilience.

Proposal 6

This measure would ban involuntary servitude and eliminate compulsory labor for state prisoners. The proposed constitutional amendment is part of a reparations package for descendants of African Americans enslaved in the United States

California is one of eight states that still allows involuntary servitude as a criminal punishment. Proposition 6 would eliminate work requirements for state prisoners and instead create voluntary work programs.

Proposal 33

This measure would allow cities and counties to introduce rent control. Proposition 33 repeals a 1995 law called the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, which generally prohibits local governments from capping rental rates set by landlords.

The measure would give local jurisdictions more power to regulate rent and allow them to impose price caps.

Proposal 34

This measure would require health care providers to spend the majority of the revenue they generate from federal prescription drug discount programs on direct patient care.

This only applies to a very specific subset of physicians who spent more than $100 million over the course of a decade on “anything other than direct patient care.”

Proposal 35

This measure would provide permanent funding for Medi-Cal, California's version of Medicaid, which funds health care services for low-income residents.

Currently, a tax on managed health plans that funds the program is scheduled to expire in 2026.