By Shawn Raymundo
Proposition 1, the state ballot measure that looks to enshrine in California’s constitution that women have the right to an abortion and contraception, is on track to pass with 65% of voters approving it, according to the latest results from the Secretary of State’s office.
The measure followed the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision this past June to overturn Roe v. Wade—the long-standing SCOTUS ruling that found the U.S. Constitutional protection to privacy included the right to an abortion.
By amending the state’s constitution under the measure, proponents have stated, it would unquestionably protect a person’s right to an abortion without leaving the law and court rulings up to interpretation.
According to the same results, Californians voted to pass Propositions 28 and 31 with a 61.5% and 62.3% majority, respectively.
Under Prop 28, the measure to provide additional funding for public schools’ arts and music education, K-12 public school arts education programs would receive an established amount of funding from the pool of funds previously created through Proposition 98 in 1988.
That original proposition guaranteed either a minimum of 40% of the General Fund on K-14 education, or a minimum guarantee based on student attendance and change in cost of living.
Prop 28 would guarantee a minimum of 1% of that funding would go specifically toward arts education programs. Proposition 28 would reportedly increase state costs by $800 million to $1 billion annually.
With the Prop 31 expected to pass, the State Senate bill that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in 2020 to ban the sale of most flavored tobacco products would officially become law. After Senate Bill 793 was signed, opponents pushed for the referendum, allowing Californians to decide whether the ban should go into effect or to overturn the policy.
Also on the ballot this year were two measures, Propositions 26 and 27, related to sports gambling. Neither measure is likely to pass, based on the unofficial results from Wednesday morning, with Prop 27 in particular being rejected by an overwhelming 83.3% of voters.
Prop 26 proposed allowing in-person sports wagering at Native American casinos on professional, college or amateur athletic events. It also proposed to enact a 10% tax on the profits received from sports betting at racetracks to fund problem gambling prevention and mental health initiatives enforcement, as well as the General Fund.
Prop 27 looked to make California the latest state to allow online or mobile betting on sporting events. Under the measure, it would have authorized gaming tribes and online sports betting or qualified gaming companies with agreements with gaming tribes to operate online sports betting outside Native American lands.
In what was now the third attempt in as many General Elections to add more oversight at dialysis clinics in California, Proposition 29 again failed to get enough support from voters, with a majority of them, nearly 70%, rejecting it, the latest results showed.
California’s voters also rejected, with 59% of the vote, Proposition 30, which looked to increase the income tax on millionaires to fund a clean air trust that would be divided into sub-funds.
Portions of the coffers would have gone into an investment plan for zero-emission vehicle infrastructure, the Zero-Emission Vehicle and Clean Mobility Sub-Fund, and the Wildfire Green House Gas Emissions Reduction Sub-Funds.
Opponents of Prop 30 had argued that the taxes raised would only benefit special interests, including those of supporting corporation Lyft.
Shawn Raymundo
Shawn Raymundo is the managing editor for Picket Fence Media. He graduated from Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree in Global Studies. Before joining Picket Fence Media, he worked as the government accountability reporter for the Pacific Daily News in the U.S. territory of Guam. Shawn previously held the position of city editor for the San Clemente Times, and for The Capistrano Dispatch before that. Shawn can be reached at sraymundo@picketfencemedia.com or 949.388.7700 ext. 113. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnzyTsunami and follow all of PFM’s publications including the San Clemente Times @SCTimesNews; The Capistrano Dispatch @CapoDispatch; and Dana Point Times @DanaPointTimes.
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