The Signal presents The 2020 California Voter’s Guide Voter Bill of Rights 1. The right to vote if you are a registered voter. 2. The right to vote if you are a registered voter even if your name is not on the list. 3. The right to vote if you are still in linewhen the polls close. 4. The right to cast a secret ballot. 5. The right to get a new ballot if you have made a mistake. 6. The right to get help casting your ballot. 7. The right to drop off your completed vote-by-mail ballot at any polling place. 8. The right to get election materials in a language other than English. 9. The right to ask questions to elections offcials about election procedures. 10. The right to report any illegal or fraudulent election activity: Online: www.sos.ca.gov By phone: (800) 345-VOTE (8683) By email: [email protected] If you believe any of these rights have been violated, please call the Secretary of State’s confidential toll-free hotline (800) 345-VOTE (8683) 2 Table of Contents CONTENT PAGE 14 - Authorizes Bonds Continuing Stem Cell Research ............................................................ 5 15 - Increases Funding Sources for Public Schools, Community Colleges, and Local .............................. 5 Government Services 16 - Allows Diversity as a Factor in Public Employment, Education, and Contracting ............................ 6 Decisions 17 - Restores Right to Vote After Completion of Prison Term ......................................................... 6 18 - Permit 17-Year-Olds to Vote in Primary and Special Elections If They Will Turn 18 .......................... 7 by the Next General Election 19 - Changes Certain Property Tax Rules ................................................................................. 7 20 - Restricts Parole for Certain Offenses Considered Non-Violent. Authorizes Felony ........................... 8 Sentences for Certain Offenses Treated as Misdemeanors 21 - Expands Local Governments’ Authority to Enact Rent Control on .............................................. 8 Residential Property 22 - Exempts App-Based Transportation and Delivery Companies From Providing ................................. 9 Employee Benefts to Certain Drivers 23 - Establishes State Requirements for Kidney Dialysis Clinics. Requires On-Site ................................ 9 Medical Professional 24 - Amends Consumer Privacy Laws .................................................................................... 10 25 - Referendum on Law That Replaced Money Bail With System Based on Public ............................... 10 Safety and Flight Risk Democratic Party Presidential Candidate ............................................................................. 11 Republican Party Presidential Candidate ............................................................................. 12 3 Table of Contents CONTENT PAGE District 9 Representative Candidates .................................................................................. 13 District 10 Representative Candidates ................................................................................ 14 District 16 Representative Candidates ................................................................................ 15 District 21 Representative Candidates ................................................................................ 16 District 22 Representative Candidates ................................................................................ 17 District 5 Senate Candidates ............................................................................................. 18 District 12 Assembly Candidates ........................................................................................ 19 District 13 Assembly Candidates ........................................................................................ 20 Turlock City Election ...................................................................................................... 21 4 Propositions 14 & 15 Proposition 14: Authorizes bonds to continue funding stem cell and other medical research. YES: Would authorize the state to sell $5.5 billion in general obligation bonds for stem cell research and other medical research, as well as fund medical training, research facility construction, and administrative costs. State will be required to pledge to use all available resources, including tax revenues, to repay bondholders. The cost for the state to repay the bonds acquired estimates at $260 Million annually over the next thirty years. NO: Would not authorize the state to sell $5.5 Billion in general obligation bonds for the funding of stem cell research, which would cost $260 million annually over the next thirty years to repay. The state would be required to seek other methods of funding in order to fund the research. Proposition 15: Increases funding for public schools, community colleges, and local government services by changing tax assessment of commercial and indus- trial property. YES: If passed, home owners won’t change but commercial properties will have to pay more, and large companies will be paying for schools and local government. They would be paying the most to fund schools, cities, and governments. NO: Those opposed believe it is one of the largest taxes increase, and while it cuts tax on small businesses, it increases heavily on larger industries, raising their property taxes based on their current market value. If voted no, property taxes will remain the same. 5 Propositions 16 & 17 Proposition 16: Would fully repeal Proposition 209 which currently prohibits against affirmative action, which has been illegal since 1996. Works to increase diversity in business, higher education, and government and is meant to provide more opportunities for all. YES: Reinstatement of affirmative action, taking into account all parts (race, gender, ethnicity) of a person’s identity. Supporters say it will encourage more diversity in the work place, in government offices, and in higher education. A yes vote will work to fight the uneven acceptance rates between those who are Black, Latinx, and Native American and those who are white and Asian American. NO: Those opposed to this measure believe that saying America is systematically racist “fuels racial division and paranoia. Supporters also say that this proposition does not promote inclusion, but prejudice, as it will cause even more discrimination as people will only get awarded jobs, positions, and school admittance because of their race and not their qualifications. Proposition 17: Restores right to vote to prisoners after completion of prison term. Would also let parolees run for office so long as they’re both registered to vote and haven’t been convicted of perjury or bribery. YES: A yes vote encourages civic engagement, which supporters believe is a crucial part of reintegrating inmates back into society. Down the road, they believe it will prevent parolees from committing other crimes while also fighting the stigma surrounding those who have served. NO: A no vote will keep things as they are, taking the vote away from parolees. The opposition believes that “voting is a right that offenders should receive once they demonstrate they have been rehabilitated, not before.” 6 Propositions 18 & 19 Proposition 18: Would authorize a U.S citizen, who is 17 years of age, is a resident of the state, and will be at least 18 years of age at the time of the next general election, to vote in any primary or special election that occurs before the next general election in which the citizen would be eligible to vote if at least 18 years of age. YES: A yes vote would allow first-time eligible 17-year-olds who will become 18 years old by the next general election to vote in the primary election and any other special elections following the general election. Emphasizes the importance of youth civic engagement in our country’s elections. Supporters include California Association of Student Councils, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Secretary of State Alex Padilla, California League of Conservation Voters, and California School Board Associa- tion. NO: Voting no means no one who is younger than 18 years of age should be allowed to vote in any elections. Opponents say 17-year-olds are not fully developed by this age, which is why they are not able to make legal contracts and still need their parent’s permission to participate in certain activities. Opposers also say that individuals under 18 have no real world experience with paying bills, renting, purchasing a home, or maintaining a job to be making decisions regarding those issues. It is also claimed that a vote could potentially be influenced by teachers or school positions on issues, and. Supporters include Election Integrity Project California and Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. Proposition 19: An amendment that would change certain property tax rules. YES: A vote yes would mean that senior homeowners (over 55), disabled individuals, and natural disaster victims would be able to keep a lower property tax rate when they buy a new home. Prop 19 would also grant eligible homeowners more freedom to move without relinquishing tax benefits and removes tax benefits for those who inherit properties that do not serve as a primary residence. Any revenue that is created by this proposition will be allocated to wildfire agencies and local governments. NO: A no vote would mean that when the homeowners decide or are forced to sell or move out of their house and buy a new one, they would not be allowed to keep their lower