Measures on the November 3, 2026 California Ballot

Definitive source

Qualified Statewide Ballot Measures: Opens in a new tab and contain access to the official text of the propositions. Post for each will be linked below. Summaries on this page contains what the State is placing on ballot, we know those can be misleading.

As I read through the Bills a post will be written on my thought and reasonings for the planned vote.

The Yes or Nowithin each proposition will be a link to the posting of my thoughts.

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Quick table: What is on the California November 2026 Ballot

Links to the Bills Text in a new tab (Ballots and Measures Page Links to all)

Prop (My Vote Links to Why)	Name / topic	Text location (source)	One‑line summary
1 (SB 417) NO	Veterans and Affordable Housing Bond Act	SB 417 PDF via CA Secretary of State PDF of the Bill	$11.25B bonds for affordable housing and veterans’ home purchases.
2 (ACA 20) NO	Save for California’s Future Act	ACA 20 PDF via CA Secretary of State PDF of the Bill	Lets state deposit up to 20% of revenues into rainy‑day fund.
3 (Initiative 25-0016) NO	Permanent high‑earner tax for schools/health	Prop 3 text PDF via CA Secretary of State PDF of the Bill	Makes existing high‑income tax rates permanent to fund schools and healthcare.
4 (SB 42) ABSOLUTELY NOT	California Fair Elections Act (public financing)	SB 42 PDF via CA Secretary of State. PDF of the Bill	Allows public campaign financing programs statewide.
5 (SCA 1) NO	Recall of state officers	SCA 1 PDF via CA Secretary of State PDF of the Bill	Eliminates successor election; recalled office becomes vacant.
37 (Initiative 25-0013 Amdt. 1) NO	California Middle-Class Homeownership and Family Home Construction Act of 2026.	Prop 37 text PDF via CA Secretary of State PDF of the Bill	$25B in bonds to support loans for middle‑income buyers of new homes.
38 (Initiative 25-0026 Amdt. 1) NO	Authorizes $8.4 Billion for Immunity Research	Prop 38 text PDF via CA Secretary of State PDF of the Bill	Authorizes $8.4 billion in state general obligation bonds for immunology and immunotherapy research
39 (Initiative 25-0007 Amdt. 1) YES	California ID Initiative 2026	Prop 39 text via CA Secretary of State PDF of the Bill	Requires voters to present a government-issued photo ID for in-person voting or provide the last four digits of an ID number for mail ballots, establishing statewide voter identification rules.
40 (Initiative 25-0024 Amdt. 1) NO	Billionaire wealth tax	Prop 40 text via CA Secretary of State PDF of the Bill	One‑time 5% wealth tax on billionaire assets for healthcare and anti‑poverty programs.
41 (Initiative 25-0040A1) NO	Audit new tax spending / spending cap	Prop 41 text via CA Secretary of State PDF of the Bill	Audits new‑tax programs and counts new‑tax revenue toward spending cap.
42 (Initiative 25-0041A) YES	Ban new personal property & retroactive taxes	Prop 42 text via CA Secretary of State PDF of the Bill	Blocks new personal property taxes and some retroactive tax changes.
43 (ACA 22) YES	Raise threshold for local special taxes	Prop 43 text via CA Secretary of State PDF of the Bill	Requires two‑thirds vote for citizen‑initiated local special taxes.
44 (25-0008 Amendment 1) NO	Health centers 90% direct‑care spending rule	FQHC spending measure text via SOS PDF of the Bill	Requires FQHCs to spend 90% of revenue on direct care and related services.
45 (25-0023 Amendment 1) NO	CEQA/project permitting deadlines	CEQA reform measure text via SOS PDF of the Bill	Speeds project approvals with review deadlines and limits on court delays.

It took me a couple of weeks to go through the Propositions we are voting on November 3, 2026. I read each one, then put the text through a couple of AI tools with the prompt: “Convert this to simple English and list the pros and cons of the measure”.

From there I would hit the AI tools with questions, scenarios, concerns, and verify benefits I thought I saw in the wording. We have the technology and I have the time, so may as well use it.

Hopefully, someone will find this useful. My bigger hope is voters will actually read the bills and not go by hearsay online or the heading and summaries given by the State. For Proposition 39, I wrote this up before Rob Bonta changed the summary of the bill, in attempt to mislead voters.