Advancement Project California’s Endorsements for Propositions on the 2020 November Ballot
Across California, two overlapping public health crises are the backdrop for what may be the most consequential set of ballot measures the state has ever seen. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that one of the deadliest underlying conditions in the United States is systemic racism, as communities of color are most vulnerable to the disease. And activists taking to the streets calling for justice have demanded our state’s attention to the ongoing plague of police violence disproportionately targeting Black Californians and other people of color.
In the last several months, community members and advocates have secured victories that have lessened police funding, kept police out of schools, stopped school closures in communities of color, and shifted budgets to prioritize those most impacted by the pandemic.
This November, California’s voters have the opportunity to keep that momentum up as they consider a set of ballot measures that could reshape our state into a more just and equitable society for generations to come. Here are our endorsements, offered to help move California into that better tomorrow:
Supporting Proposition 15 (Schools and Communities First)
Proposition 15 will close unjust commercial property tax loopholes that benefit corporations and wealthy investors and create a fairer tax system that brings $12B in new funding to our schools, cities, and counties. Passing Prop 15 will help us come out of the COVID-19 pandemic stronger and fairer than we were when we entered it, while protecting homeowners and small business owners with local control and accountability for the new funding. We are proud to join the broad coalition of racial justice advocates, teachers, parents, faith organizations, community groups, and ordinary Californians working to pass this generational change.
Contact Mike Russo, Managing Director, for more information.
It’s Time to Put Schools and Communities First by Voting Yes on Prop 15
Supporting Proposition 16 (Repeal Proposition 209 Affirmative Action Amendment)
Proposition 16 would reverse the nearly 24-year-old ban on equal opportunity policies like affirmative action, allowing us to implement programs and policies that provide opportunities for all Californians, not just the privileged few. Passage of Proposition 16 is an important step towards racial equity and fairness and doing right by California’s growth, its diversity, and its people.
Support Prop 16 and Reverse the Ban on Equal Opportunity Policies
Supporting Proposition 17 (Voting Rights Restoration for Persons on Parole Amendment)
Proposition 17 will amend the California Constitution and restore voting rights to Californians on parole. With its passage, nearly 50,000 Californians on parole who have completed their prison terms, returned home, raised families, held jobs, paid taxes, and contributed to society will have a say when it comes to the representatives and policies impacting their communities.
Contact Chauncee Smith, Research and Policy Analyst, for more information.
Support Proposition 17 to Free the Vote in California
Supporting Proposition 18 (Primary Voting for 17-Year-Olds Amendment)
More must be done to diversify the population of likely voters and reduce disparities in voting. Proposition 18 would do this by allowing a person who is 17 years old to vote in a primary or special election immediately preceding a general election if they will turn 18 by the general election. If passed, Proposition 18 would provide an opportunity to bring young Californians, particularly Latinx youth (52% of the child and teenager population) and Asian Americans (12% of the child and teenager population), into the elections process earlier and increase the number of life-long voters.
Contact John Dobard, Director of Political Voice, for more information.
Support Prop 18 to Erase Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Voting
Opposing Proposition 20 (Criminal Sentencing, Parole, and DNA Collection Initiative)
In recent years, important reforms have begun to dismantle the injustices in our criminal justice system. These reforms have reduced jail and prison populations while helping more Californians stay employed and connected with their families. Unfortunately, opponents of reform are once more using scare tactics to move our state backward. Proposition 20 would undo many of the crucial changes won through Propositions 47 and 57. The measure is out of step with the tens of thousands of people who have taken to the streets to demand an end to police violence, defunding of police and incarceration systems, and investment in Black communities.
We are proud to join with the coalition of civil rights organizations and crime survivors to help defeat Proposition 20 in November.
Contact Mike Russo, Managing Director, for more information.
Proposition 20 Would Undo Crucial Criminal Justice Reforms. We Must Defeat It In November!
Supporting Proposition 21 (Local Rent Control Initiative)
In a renter-majority state like ours, Prop 21 would give localities the ability to implement rent control policies on residential properties over 15 years old, providing a lifeline to stabilize historic communities of color. This effort would slow the trend of Black, Native American, and Latino communities becoming houseless or being forced out of Los Angeles County and the Bay Area, and into often under-resourced communities in the Central Valley and Inland Empire. Rent control, paired with tenant protection policies such as just-cause evictions, affordable housing preservation, and production, enhances low-income tenants’ ability to weather housing instability.
Contact Anisha Hingorani, Manager of Equity in Community Investments, for more information.
Support Prop. 21 to Stop Evictions and Protect Historic Communities of Color
Supporting Proposition 25 ( Replace Cash Bail with Risk Assessments Referendum)
A piece of state legislation from 2018, SB 10, ended California’s cash bail system, though it had significant flaws. In particular, it endorsed a “risk assessment” model that often relies on algorithms that use racially-biased methods that do not truly reflect a person’s likelihood of not showing up for their trial.
The bail bond industry put Proposition 25 on the ballot to try to take advantage of SB 10’s shortcomings – the measure is a referendum, meaning that a yes vote would uphold the law, while a no vote would reinstate cash bail. While the law must be reformed, this referendum would take California back to an unsustainable system that unjustly incarcerates people simply because they cannot pay for bail, while lining the pockets of the bail-bond industry with money siphoned off from those who can least afford it. The best way to make change is to reject this attempt to go backwards by voting Yes on Prop 25, and then work to ensure that our new bail system is free of racial bias.
Contact Mike Russo, Managing Director, for more information.
Vote Yes on 25 to End Money Bail
Supporting L.A. County Measure J (Reimagine L.A.)
Los Angeles County operates the world’s largest jail system, with the 11th-highest level of racial disparities in the state. The Reimagine L.A. ballot measure would answer the call of activists to defund policing and incarceration by requiring that at least 10% of the county’s local revenues are invested in supporting communities – including housing and renter supports, access to capital for Black-owned businesses, youth development programs, and alternatives to incarceration. This would catalyze almost a billion dollars in new investments for these critical approaches, with the funding primarily coming from an incarceration system that has shrunk by roughly a third in the wake of the pandemic. Budgets are statements of values, but for too long L.A. County’s budget has not reflected Angelenos’ values – Reimagine L.A. offers a critical chance to change that.
Contact Mike Russo, Managing Director, for more information.
Vote for People, Not Prisons. Support Measure J This November.