Voters in San Francisco, California, will decide on a policing-related charter amendment, titled Proposition B, on March 5, 2024. Proposition B would amend the city’s charter regarding minimum police officer staffing levels and establish a fund for police officer recruitment and staffing. However, these provisions would not go into effect unless voters approve a new…
On Dec. 29, the Save Our Local Restaurants PAC withdrew a veto referendum from the Nov. 5, 2024, ballot that would have repealed California Assembly Bill 257 (AB 257). AB 257 was designed to establish a 10-member fast food council authorized to adopt a minimum wage for fast food restaurant employees not to exceed $22…
California voters decided on 45 local ballot measures in 2023. These local ballot measures included county measures, city or town measures, or measures from local school districts or special districts. In 2023, there was one less measure than in the previous odd-numbered election year in 2021, when California voters decided on 46 local ballot measures.…
The California secretary of state reported on Dec. 13 that two California ballot initiatives campaigns had collected at least 25% of the required number of signatures needed to qualify for the ballot in 2024. Protect Patients Now, sponsored by the California Apartment Association, is gathering signatures for an initiated state statute to require healthcare providers…
Voters in Huntington Beach, California, will decide on three charter amendments on March 5, 2024, which the Huntington Beach City Council referred to the ballot on Oct. 5, 2023. Measure 1 would make various changes to the election procedures of Huntington Beach, including requiring voter identification for elections and requiring ballot drop boxes to be…
California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) on September 30 vetoed a bill that would increase labor protections for striking workers. The California State Assembly and Senate on September 11 and 14, 2023, respectively, passed SB 799, which would have allowed workers who were on strike for at least two weeks to receive unemployment insurance benefits of…
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) vetoed a bill Sept. 30 that proposed allowing workers to claim unemployment insurance benefits after striking for two weeks. Senate Bill 799 previously passed the state Senate 27-12 on Sept. 14 and passed the state House 59-18 on Sept. 11. California lawmakers advanced similar legislation in 2019, but the measure…
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed Assembly Bill 1228 (AB 1228) on Sept. 28. AB 1228 is a legislative compromise reached with proponents of a veto referendum on a different bill (Assembly Bill 257) that qualified for the 2024 ballot. AB 1228 will repeal AB 257, which was passed during the 2022 legislative session. AB…
The California State Legislature passed a bill Sept. 14 that would allow workers to claim unemployment insurance benefits after striking for two weeks. The bill now heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) desk for his approval or veto. If Newsom signs the bill, it would take effect starting in January 2024. California lawmakers previously advanced…
The California State Legislature passed two constitutional amendments on Sept. 14, 2023, that would change voter approval thresholds for certain ballot measures. Both of the constitutional amendments will appear on the ballot in Nov. 2024. The first constitutional amendment, ACA 1, would lower the voter approval threshold from two-thirds (66.67%) to 55% for local special…