Ballot Measure Endorsements

The following are Evolve California’s endorsed ballot measures for California, San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley. We have chosen to endorse these measures because they are the most relevant to our work and our organizational values.

Statewide Measures

Prop 2 “School Facilities Bond”: VOTE YES

Prop. 2 is a $10 Billion bond to fund the construction and modernization of public education facilities.

Evolve California endorses this measure because ALL students, regardless of their background, deserve quality public education in safe, updated, and high quality facilities!

However, we have reservations: this bond measure is just a band-aid solution to the chronic underfunding that has plagued our public school system since the passage of Prop. 13 in 1978. The funding system in itself is also inequitable and favors districts who are able to raise more money for their students to begin with. Our students deserve long term, stable funding that comes from equitably taxing the rich and corporations: not one time funding on the backs of everyday Californians.

Prop 3 “Removing the Ban on Same Sex Marriage from CA Constitution”: VOTE YES

This measure would cut Prop. 8 (the ban on same-sex marriage) from our state’s constitution.

We endorse this measure because anyone should be able to marry who they want. Period. Pretty basic stuff. And in times when even our most basic rights are being threatened nationally, we must do what we can to make sure queer and other marginalized people in California are safe and supported.

Prop 4 “Climate Bond”: VOTE YES

Prop. 4 is a a $10 Billion bond to fund state and local parks, environmental protection projects, water infrastructure projects, energy projects, flood protection projects, and more.

California loses billions every year because of Prop. 13, including lost funding for climate programs. Climate change is accelerating by the minute, and impacts low-income communities of color most severely. We need to act now and fully-fund climate programs to make sure future Californians have a safe and habitable place to live.

Prop 5 “Lowering the Threshold for Local Bonds”: VOTE YES

Prop. 5 lowers the amount of votes needed to pass a local government bond from 67% to 55%.

Evolve California strongly endorses this measure because it rectifies one of the major attacks on our democratic process created by Prop. 13 in 1978. While this measure fails to address other very harmful aspects of Prop. 13, it does empower voters and local governments to easier pass bond measures which can partially backfill the revenue lost because of Prop. 13.

Prop 6 “End Forced Prison Labor”: VOTE YES

Prop. 6 prohibits the state agency which oversees prisons from disciplining incarcerated individuals who refuse a work assignment.

For far too long, loopholes in our Constitution have allowed for slavery to continue during incarceration as a form of punishment. Evolve California strongly supports this measure as a basic requirement for human rights and dignity regardless of carceral status.

Prop 32 “Raise the Minimum Wage”: VOTE YES

Prop. 32 would raise California’s minimum wage to $18 by 2026, and adjust annually thereafter based on the cost of living.

Evolve California endorses this measure with reservations; everyone deserves a living wage, but we do not feel that this wage is high enough — Californians need more.

Prop 33 “Expand Rent Control”: VOTE YES

Prop. 33 would eliminate California’s ban on rent control. This will help put an end to corporate landlords raising rents to unfair and unaffordable prices for average Californians.

Evolve California endorses this measure because we believe safe, stable, and deeply affordable housing is a human right, and is foundational to the well-being of Californians (especially students) everywhere. As housing continues to become more and more unaffordable throughout California, eliminating the ban on rent control is the first step to providing housing for all.

Prop 36 “Increase Punishments for Drugs and Theft”: VOTE HELL NO!!!

Prop. 36 would roll back the common sense criminal justice reform passed by Californians in 2014. The 2014 reform classified theft under $950 as a misdemeanor, and not grounds for incarceration (saving Californians over $816 MILLION in reduced incarceration costs). Prop. 36 will roll back this progressive reform, and dole out a “strike” to someone who steals any item (regardless of its value), and charge them with a felony after three strikes. This measure also increases jail time for retail theft and 3rd strike drug possession charges, and creates new “treatment-mandated” felonies. According to the Legislative Analysts Office, Prop. 36 will cost Californians tens of millions to hundreds of millions of dollars every year due to increased incarceration rates.

Evolve California STRONGLY opposes this regressive and harmful proposition. Reverting back to the “tough on crime” policies of the 80s and 90s have proven unsuccessful at curtailing theft. In addition, despite highly publicized retail theft, crime rates are well below the peaks of the last five decades. The truth is that the unprecedented increase in poverty triggered by the pandemic is the reason for the increase in theft we are experiencing today. Throwing people in jail, instead of addressing the root of the problem, will not make theft decrease: it will increase the costs of incarceration and deliver no positive results.

San Francisco Measures

Prop A “SFUSD School Improvement Bond”: VOTE YES!!!

Prop. A is a $790 Million bond for the construction, rehabilitation, and upgrade of school facilities.

As a result of limited funding, the physical upkeep of public schools in San Francisco, particularly those in lower-income neighborhoods, has been neglected. Evolve California endorses Prop. A because students have the right to learn in schools which are safe, comfortable, and up to minimal acceptable standard.

Prop C “Create an Inspector General”: VOTE YES

Prop. C will establish an Inspector General position in the Controller’s office to investigate potential violations of laws or policies involving fraud, waste, or abuse. The Controllers office will be allowed to issue subpoenas and conduct search warrants.

Evolve California endorses Prop. C because our elected officials must be held accountable to our city for participating in pay-to-play political practices. We deserve transparency and an end to corrupt interests meddling in our local government.

Prop D “Slash City Commissions and Expand Mayoral Authority”: VOTE NO!!!

Prop. D would slash the number of city commissions from around 130 to 65, and would give the Mayor more power in appointing people to commissions without review by the Board of Supervisors. It would also give the Mayor sole authority to appoint most city department heads, and would give the Police Chief sole authority to adopt rules governing police officer conduct.

Evolve California strongly opposes measure D because it hinders the power of independent bodies to effectively conduct oversight and keep city hall accountable to our communities. Our city has faced countless corruption scandals in the past few years, slashing commissions would only exacerbate this problem.

Prop F “Increase Police Staffing and Defer Retirement”: VOTE NO!!!

Prop. F establishes a Deferred Retirement Option Program where officers can defer retirement by 5 years and more than double their salaries in exchange for doing so. No other City employee receives this benefit, and a previous version of this program was deemed a significant and expensive failure both by the Controller and Board of Supervisors in 2011.

Evolve California strongly opposes this measure. The city continues to dramatically increase our police budget annually — approving a $166M increase for higher salaries and hiring bonuses AND a general $200M increase over the last few years — despite our current deep budget deficit. We reject increased investment in ineffective policing as the solution to the complex issues our city is facing.

Prop G “Affordable Housing Opportunity Fund for Seniors, Families, and Persons with Disabilities”: VOTE YES

Prop. G establishes a fund for affordable housing for seniors, families, and persons with disabilities. It also requires the city to appropriate at least $8.25 million to this fund annually.

Evolve California endorses this measure because San Francisco NEEDS deeply affordable housing. Our city should prioritize building housing for EVERYONE, not just market rate housing for the wealthy. Establishing this fund is a vital step to ensuring those who are most vulnerable have a chance to live and thrive in San Francisco.

Prop I “Retirement Benefits for Nurses and 911 Operators”: VOTE YES

Prop. I will empower registered nurses to receive retirement benefits, and purchase three years of retirement credit.

Evolve California endorses Prop. I because nurses and other public safety employees are vital parts of making our communities safe and healthy, and they deserve retirement benefits just as much as any other city employee. These professionals are continually on the front lines caring for our community. Let's give them the recognition and resources they deserve.

Prop L “Tax on Transportation Network Companies and Autonomous Vehicles”: VOTE YES!!!

Prop L will increase taxes on private transportation network companies and autonomous vehicles to fund Muni, improve and preserve Muni services to public schools, libraries, and parks. This revenue will also help maintain and expand discount fare and fare free programs!

Evolve California endorses this measure because everyday San Franciscans deserve reliable and quality public transit! Wealthy transportation and autonomous vehicle companies profit off our city every day. It's high time they pay to support actual forms of public transit accessible to the average San Franciscan.

Prop M “Business Tax Cut Ordinance”: VOTE NO

Prop M slashes our business taxes, including increasing the threshold for tax exemption from $2 million to $5 million, and slashing the overpaid executive tax by 80% (which we just passed in 2020!).

Evolve California opposes this measure because it would result in a $50-$60 million dollar loss by fiscal year 2026/27 at a time when our city is already facing a deficit. Businesses with revenue under $2M are already exempt from business taxes — now is not the time to cave to wealthy business interests and give up tens of millions of dollars in desperately needed revenue.

Prop O “Reproductive Rights”: VOTE YES!!!

Prop O will make it San Francisco city policy to safeguard reproductive freedom, including the creation of a fund for reproductive rights and health services, and abortions and emergency contraceptives, as well as placing information about abortions and other reproductive services on government sites. It would also restrict city officers and employees from cooperations with state or federal prosecution.

Evolve California endorses Prop. O because all people deserve bodily autonomy and free and easy access to any resources they need to make informed and safe decisions about their own bodies.

Oakland Measures

Prop OO “Public Ethics Measure”: VOTE YES

Prop. OO makes administrative changes to Oakland’s public ethics commission, including changing the qualifications for participation, in order to expand their capacity to meet the need of hundreds of backlogged cases.

Evolve California endorses this measure because increasing transparency and accountability among elected officials is vital in our reality of dark money and corporate meddling in our elections. The public ethics commission in Oakland is severely understaffed, and their capacity must be expanded to empower them to address ethics violations and fulfill the duties we require of them.

“Recall of Mayor Sheng Thao”: VOTE NO

After less than two years in office, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao is facing a billionaire and dark-money funded recall. This recall will cost Oakland millions of dollars at a time when the city is already facing a crippling budget deficit, and cuts are imminent.

Evolve California strongly opposes the recall of Sheng Thao. The proliferation of constant recalls as a right-wing tactic are counterproductive, expensive, and dangerous. We believe recalls should be reserved for the most egregious illegal behavior. Even though Mayor Thao’s home was searched by the FBI, there is no tangible evidence of illegal acts on her part. The recall proponents started collecting signatures over five months before this search occurred. Recall proponents blame Mayor Thao for the economic downturn and increased crime, when in fact, these issues were exacerbated by the pandemic and cannot be fully blamed on a Mayor who has only been in office for less than two years We cannot bend to the false narratives of the right-wing billionaires who want to subvert the will of voters.

Berkeley Measures

Prop AA “Increase Appropriations Limit”: VOTE YES!!!

Prop. AA will increase Berkeley’s appropriations limit (created by the co-author of Prop. 13) so that existing tax revenue can be spent on projects which have already been approved by voters.

Evolve California strongly endorses Prop. AA! We cannot allow antiquated austerity politics to hinder funding for voter approved projects, which we already have the money for. The appropriations limit is another harmful legacy of the anti-tax uprising of Howard Jarvis and Paul Gann that our state has never recovered from. This piece of it must be reversed.  

Prop CC “Slashing Renter Protections”: VOTE NO

Measure CC will exempt many more properties from Berkeley's vital eviction and rent stabilization ordinances, leaving our communities at risk of housing insecurity. This measure will also disempower tenants by stripping the Berkeley rent board of much of its authority, and change the qualifications for evictions to favor landlords.

Evolve California opposes this measure. It is deceptively named, put on by wealthy landlords, and will leave more tenants at risk of eviction at a time when housing is increasingly unaffordable for our communities across the Bay. We must protect tenants from this attack!

Prop GG “Fossil Fuel Emission Tax”: VOTE YES!!!

Prop. GG would levy an additional tax on the consumption of natural gas by buildings greater than 15,000 square feet. It would exempt government buildings, single family residences, and residential buildings which are made up of at least 50% affordable units. It would generate $26.7 million in the first year after its passage.

Evolve California endorses this measure. This tax addresses climate change while generating almost $27 MILLION in revenue in the first year alone to fund decarbonization programs, which will have a positive impact on our communities for years to come.

Prop W “Increase Property Transfer Tax”: VOTE YES!!!

Prop. W will increase the property transfer tax rate for properties valued more than $1.9 million.

Evolve California endorses Prop. W because the tax increase would only apply to high value properties, and would bring in a whopping $2-4 MILLION annually for homeless service, tenant supports, and affordable housing! We support leveraging the abundance of wealth in real estate to help support our more vulnerable communities who are heavily impacted by the housing affordability crisis.

Prop X “Library Relief Act of 2024”: VOTE YES!!!

This measure implements an additional parcel tax to fund the Berkeley Public Library. It would raise approximately $5.6 million every year.

Evolve California endorses this measure because it is the only thing protecting the Berkeley public library right now. They have a huge deficit, and in order to continue serving the community, they need the money from this parcel tax! It is a bandaid solution to the chronic underfunding of our public services caused by Prop. 13, but a solution we must approve nonetheless.

Alameda County Measures

“Recall of District Attorney Pamela Price”: VOTE NO

District Attorney Pamela Price is facing a recall funded by commercial real estate interests and wealthy hedge fund managers. They want to undermine common sense criminal justice reform and dodge accountability for law enforcement. Recall proponents are blaming Price for cases handled by her predecessor — Price has only held office since 2022.

Evolve California strongly opposes the recall of Pamela Price. This is a costly and counterproductive recall driven primarily by large commercial property owners and corporate real estate interests. These outside forces should not be allowed to subvert the will of Alameda County voters who democratically elected Pamela Price to a four year term. Recalls should only be used to remove elected officials who engage in the most egregious or illegal behavior. District Attorney Price has done nothing that meets this criteria.

Furthermore, we support DA Price’s stance on criminal justice reform, including holding police officers and jail guards accountable for their harmful and illegal actions. We should question the motives of wealthy right-wing funders that are pushing false narratives about these policies.

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