Ballotpedia:Analysis of the 2020 local ballot measures in California
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January 14, 2020
By The Ballot Measures Team
California voters decided 719 local ballot measures on seven different election dates in 2020.
- California voters also decide 13 statewide ballot measures. Click here to read more about the 2020 statewide measures.
Measures by outcome
Of the 719 local ballot measures in California in 2020, voters approved 449 (62.4%) and defeated 270 (37.6%).
- In 2018, there were 726 local measures on the ballot in California, of which 563 (77.5%) were approved and 163 (22.5%) were defeated.
- In 2016, there were 832 local measures on the ballot in California, of which 634 (76.2%) were approved and 198 (23.8%) were defeated.
Measures by county
The total number of local ballot measures in each county throughout 2020 ranged from zero in Modoc County to 109 in Los Angeles County. The median number was nine. In 2018, the range was zero to 80, and the median was also nine.
Measures by topic
Of the 719 local measures on the ballot, 70% were bond and tax measures. Fifty-three measures (7%) were related to elections and campaigns. There were 36 measures (5%) that concerned zoning and development. Seventeen measures (2.4%) contained provisions related to housing and rent control.
Certain topics addressed by local ballot measures received statewide or national attention in 2020. Notable topics decided through local ballot measures in California in 2020 included:
- Law enforcement and police oversight
- Ranked-choice voting
- Voting age requirements
- Tax and bond issues
Law enforcement and police oversight
In 2020, there were eight local measures concerning law enforcement policies, police oversight, police practices, or budgeting. This does not include the tax measures designed to provide funding for law enforcement services. All eight measures were approved.
- Los Angeles County, California, Measure R, Civilian Police Oversight Commission and Jail Plan Initiative (March 2020)
- Berkeley, California, Measure II, Police Accountability Charter Amendment (November 2020)
- Los Angeles County, California, Measure J, Budget Allocation for Alternatives to Incarceration Charter Amendment (November 2020)
- Oakland, California, Measure S1, Police Oversight and Inspector General Charter Amendment (November 2020)
- San Diego, California, Measure B, Commission on Police Practices Amendment (November 2020)
- San Francisco, California, Proposition D, Sheriff's Department Oversight Board Charter Amendment (November 2020)
- San Francisco, California, Proposition E, Police Staffing Charter Amendment (November 2020)
- San Jose, California, Measure G, Police Auditor Powers, Redistricting Procedures, and Planning Commission Charter Amendment (November 2020)
Including six of the measures listed above, Ballotpedia identified 20 notable local police-related ballot measures on the November 3 ballot that qualified following the death of George Floyd. All 20 measures were approved. The measures were on the ballot in 10 cities and four counties within eight states. Click here to read more.
Ranked-choice voting
- See also: Ranked-choice voting
Voters in two cities in California decided measures to enact ranked-choice voting for city elections. Both measures were approved:
- Albany, California, Measure BB, Ranked Choice Voting Ordinance (November 2020)
- Eureka, California, Measure C, Ranked Choice Voting Charter Amendment (November 2020)
Ranked-choice voting received national attention in the 2020 elections. Two states—Alaska and Massachusetts—decided ranked-choice voting initiatives. Alaska voters approved Ballot Measure 2, making Alaska the second state after Maine to enact ranked-choice voting for state-level elections. Massachusetts voters rejected Question 2.
Voters in four other cities outside of California also approved ranked-choice voting measures:
- Boulder, Colorado, Measure 2E, Ranked Choice Voting for Mayor Charter Amendment (November 2020)
- Bloomington, Minnesota, Question 3, Ranked Choice Voting Charter Amendment (November 2020)
- Minnetonka, Minnesota, Question 1, Ranked Choice Voting Charter Amendment (November 2020)
- Portland, Maine, Ranked-Choice Voting for City Council and School Board Measure (March 2020)
Voting age requirements
San Francisco voters defeated Proposition G by a vote of 50.8% to 49.2%. The measure would have lowered the voting age to 16 for local candidates and ballot measures.
Statewide, California voters also rejected Proposition 18, which would have allowed 17-year-olds who would be 18 at the time of the next general election to vote in primary elections and special elections.
Taxes and bond issues
In 2020, 70% of the local ballot measures in California addressed taxes or bond issues.
Taxes
There were 309 local tax measures on ballots across California in 2020, including:
- 130 sales tax measures
- 103 parcel tax measures
- 29 hotel tax measures
- 23 business tax measures
- 15 marijuana tax measures
- 9 utility tax measures
Sales taxes
- See also: Sales tax in California
Of the 309 tax measures in California in 2020, 130 were sales tax measures.
In 2020, the state sales tax rate in California was 7.25%. Local jurisdictions in the state are permitted to implement additional sales taxes for either general purposes or specific uses. While general sales tax measures require a simple majority vote, sales tax measures proposed by local governments for specific uses require a two-thirds (66.67%) vote. In 2020, 20 of the local sales tax measures were for special uses, and 110 were for general uses, requiring a simple majority vote.
Voters approved 93 sales tax measures (71.5%) in 2020 and rejected 37 (28.5%). In 2018, voters approved 84% of sales tax measures. In 2016, voters approved 69% of sales tax measures.
- Click here to read about court rulings in 2020 determining that special tax measures proposed through citizen initiative signature petitions require a simple majority, not a two-thirds (66.67%) vote, for approval.
Parcel taxes
- See also: Parcel tax elections in California
Of the 309 tax measures in California in 2020, 103 were parcel tax measures. Voters approved 46 (45%) and rejected 57 (55%). In 2018, voters approved 65% of parcel tax measures. In 2016, voters approved 64% of parcel tax measures.
A parcel tax is a kind of property tax based on units of property rather than assessed value. About 40% of the parcel tax measures were put on the ballot by school districts, while the rest were put on the ballot by various jurisdictions throughout the state. Parcel taxes are all special taxes, meaning that they are designed to fund specific purposes. Special taxes proposed by local governments require a two-thirds (66.67%) vote for approval in California.
Bonds
There were 190 local bond issues on ballots across California in 2020. Of that total, 182 (95.8%) were school bond issues. Most bond issues require a 55 percent supermajority vote, though some bonds require a two-thirds (66.67%) vote under certain conditions. See below for a breakdown of the approval rate and the total amounts approved and defeated.
School bonds
- See also: School bond elections in California
Voters approved 92 local school bond measures in 2020 and defeated 90. The approval rate for school bond measures in 2020 of 50.5% was the lowest in any even-numbered year since at least 2008. The average approval rate for school bond measures in even-numbered years from 2008 through 2018 was 83%. In 2018, 84% of school bond measures were approved. In 2016, 93% were approved.
At the primary election on March 3, 2020, voters decided 122 local school bond measures. They approved 44 measures (36.1%) and rejected 78 measures (63.9%). At the general election on November 3, 2020, voters decided on 60 local school bond measures. The approved 48 measures (80%) and rejected 12 measures (20%).
In addition to the local bond measures, California voters decided a statewide $15 billion school and college facilities bond measure—Proposition 13—on March 3, 2020. Voters rejected Proposition 13, making it the first statewide education-related bond issue that voters rejected since 1994.
Voters in Los Angeles Unified School District approved Measure RR, a $7 billion bond issue, by 71% to 29%. The measure made up 22.8% of proposed bond money and 37.4% of approved bond money.
Local school bond measures proposed $30.7 billion in new debt. Voters approved $18.7 billion and rejected $12.0 billion. In 2018, there was a total of $15.2 billion proposed in 151 school bond measures. Voters approved $14.3 billion (94%). In 2016, there was a total of $31.8 billion proposed in 231 school bond measures. Voters approved $28.9 billion (91%)
| 2020 local school bond measures | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Number | Win/Loss % | Dollars | Dollar % |
| Approved
|
92 | 50.5% | $18,749,976,000 | 61.06% |
 Defeated
|
90 | 49.5% | $11,956,353,000 | 38.94% |
| Totals: | 182 | 100% | $30,706,329,000 | 100% |
City, county, and special district bonds
Voters in three cities and three special districts decided on nine bond measures in 2020. They approved five and defeated four.
| 2020 city, county, and special district bond measures | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Number | Win/Loss % | Dollars | Dollar % |
| Approved
|
5 | 55.56% | $1,650,500,000 | 54.04% |
| Defeated
|
4 | 44.44% | $1,403,500,000 | 45.96% |
| Totals: | 9 | 100% | $3,054,000,000 | 100% |
Court rulings on the majority requirement for citizen-initiated special tax measures
The California First District Court of Appeal on June 30 and the California Fifth District Court of Appeal in December ruled that special purpose tax measures proposed through citizen signature petition drives, rather than referred to the ballot by local governments, require a simple majority vote for approval rather than a two-thirds (66.67%) vote. The rulings were in lawsuits over San Francisco Proposition C (2018) and Fresno Measure P (2018), respectively.[1]
On September 9, 2020, the California Supreme Court denied a request to review the ruling in the First District Court of Appeal over San Francisco Proposition C.
An August 2017 California Supreme Court decision raised questions about how to interpret the state constitution’s voting requirements for special taxes proposed through citizen initiatives.
California voters approved Proposition 218 in 1996, adding Article XII C Voter Approval For Local Tax Levies to the California Constitution. The article includes the requirement that local governments may only enact, extend, or increase a special tax with a two-thirds (66.67%) vote of the electorate.[2][3] Following the passage of Proposition 218, the two-thirds supermajority vote requirement was applied to legislative referrals, referendums, and citizen initiatives.
Click here to read more about these court cases and measures.
Measures by election date
There were seven separate dates in 2020 on which voters in California decided local ballot measures in one or more counties.
Most of the measures (413 of 719) were on the ballot during the general election in November.
Effective at the beginning of 2019, California moved its primary election date from June to March. Voters decided 293 local ballot measures at the primary election on March 3, 2020. It was more than double the average of 139 decided on even-year June primaries from 2010 through 2018.
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See also
- 2020 ballot measures
- California 2020 ballot measures
- Local ballot measure elections in 2020
- Ballot measure readability scores, 2020
- Ballot measure signature costs, 2020
- Ballot measure campaign finance, 2020
- Ballot Measure Scorecard, 2020
- Ballotpedia's Tuesday Count for 2020
- List of ballot measure lawsuits in 2020
- 2020 ballot measure polls
- 2020 ballot measure media endorsements
- Hotel taxes in California
- Business taxes in California
- Utility taxes in California
- Sales tax in California
- Parcel tax elections in California
Foot notes
- ↑ Mission Local, "Court of Appeal sides with San Francisco on Prop. C — City on the cusp of unlocking hundreds of millions of dollars for homeless services," June 30, 2020
- ↑ Article XII C of the California Constitution defines a special tax as “any tax imposed for specific purposes, including a tax imposed for specific purposes, which is placed into a general fund.”
- ↑ California State Board of Equalization, “California Constitution, Article XIII C, Voter Approval For Local Tax Levies,” accessed November 29, 2018
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