ACLU SoCal 2020 Ballot Guide

Vote to put schools and communities first.

Prop 15 will reclaim $12 billion every year for California’s K-12 schools, community colleges, and critical local services by closing corporate property tax loopholes — all while exempting homeowners and renters, small businesses, agricultural land, and commercial properties with a combined value of $3 million or less. The wealthiest and largest 10% of corporations would generate 92% of Prop 15’s reclaimed revenue. Vote YES on Prop 15 to advance racial justice and reverse decades of disinvestment so we can all have healthy and thriving communities.

Vote to reinstate affirmative action in California.

Prop 16 would restore affirmative action in public education, public employment and public contracting after a nearly 25-year ban. Today in California, many people are currently discriminated against in getting state contracts, employment, pay, and education based on who they are or where they come from. Vote YES on Prop 16 to directly address systemic racism and gender discrimination and ensure everyone in California has equal access to good jobs, good wages, and quality schools.

Vote to restore voting rights for people reentering.

Prop 17 will restore voting rights to 50,000 people in California who are returning home after finishing their prison term. It allows them to reintegrate into society and have a say in our democracy. Vote YES on Prop 17 to help reverse a racist form of voter suppression that disproportionately locks Black and brown voters out of the ballot box. It’s time to free the vote.

Vote to give 17-year-olds a say on important issues affecting their lives.

Prop 18 will expand voting rights to 17-year-olds by allowing them to vote in a primary or special election if they will be 18 by the time of the next general election and are otherwise eligible to vote. Vote YES on Prop 18 to give 17-year-olds a say on important issues affecting their everyday lives. Let’s make our democracy more inclusive.

Vote to prevent another tax break that benefits only the wealthy.

Prop 19 creates another tax break for already wealthy property owners by allowing homeowners over age 55, living with disabilities or displaced by wildfires to carry their existing property tax rates to new homes anywhere in the state up to three times. Prop 19 does nothing to address California’s unaffordable housing crisis and may threaten funding for schools and essential services in some counties. Voters rejected a similar proposition in 2018. Vote NO on Prop 19 to stop a tax break that would increase inequity and widen the wealth gap.

Vote to protect criminal justice reforms.

Prop 20 will dramatically increase the number of people incarcerated in our prisons and jails by restricting parole release and enacting one of the nation’s strictest laws for theft. Vote NO on Prop 20 to stop police associations from ratcheting up the criminalization and oppression of Black and brown communities in California.

Vote for rent control and affordable housing.

Prop 21 allows local communities to institute or expand rent control, which would limit rent increases and preserve affordable housing. California’s housing crisis impacts renters, homeowners, middle-income families, and low-income families alike. With increasing rent and stagnant wages, a raging pandemic, and evictions and homelessness on the rise, it’s never been more vital to protect renters. Vote YES on Prop 21 to prevent displacement and keep families housed.

Vote for fair wages and protections for rideshare and delivery drivers.

Prop 22 is a measure written for and by rideshare and delivery app companies. Instead of increasing worker protections, it preserves an exploitive model and denies drivers — the majority of whom are people of color and in most need of these protections — their rights to a minimum wage, paid sick leave, unemployment insurance, and a path to organizing worker unions. Vote NO on Prop 22 to ensure these workers can receive the benefits they deserve.

Vote to reject a fake privacy law that benefits big companies and harms the privacy of vulnerable communities.

Prop 24 is a fake privacy law. Instead of protections, it requires people to jump through more hoops and adds anti privacy loopholes: exceptions for big business, less protection for workers, and more power for police. Prop 24 benefits big tech and corporate interests but leaves vulnerable communities the least protected. Vote NO on Prop 24 to make protecting consumer information the default. Privacy is a right, not a privilege.

Vote to reject pretrial discrimination and make sure we end cash bail the right way.

Prop 25 gets rid of money bail across the state — but it does this by using a discriminatory risk assessment system in its place. These risk assessment tools are not scientific and objective; instead, they are racially and socioeconomically biased. Prop 25 also expands funding to law enforcement agencies and increases the power of judges to incarcerate people without a conviction. Vote NO on Prop 25 to prevent the use of racist algorithms that do not improve pretrial justice.

Vote for health, housing, and jobs in L.A. County.

Measure J will amend L.A. County’s charter to permanently allocate at least 10% of existing locally-controlled revenues to be directed to community investment and alternatives to incarceration. Vote YES on Measure J to invest in the holistic health of our communities, give people the housing they need, and create jobs for L.A. County.