California Environmental Education in Public Schools Initiative (2026)
| California Environmental Education in Public Schools Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 3, 2026 | |
| Topic Environment | |
| Status Cleared for signature gathering | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
The California Environmental Education in Public Schools Initiative (#25-0001) may appear on the ballot in California as an initiated state statute on November 3, 2026.
The initiative would require certain environmental education requirements to be added to public schools.[1]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title is as follows:[2]
| “ | Requires earth sustainability education in public schools. Initiative statute.[3] | ” |
Petition summary
The summary provided for inclusion on signature petition sheets is as follows:[2]
| “ | Requires all K-12 public schools, including charter schools, to provide students with thirty hours of education, training, and hands-on learning relating to sustainability or care of the Earth, every two years.[3] | ” |
Full text
The full text of the measure can be read here.
Path to the ballot
An initiated state statute is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends state statute. There are 21 states that allow citizens to initiate state statutes, including 14 that provide for direct initiatives and nine (9) that provide for indirect initiatives (two provide for both). An indirect initiated state statute goes to the legislature after a successful signature drive. The legislatures in these states have the option of approving the initiative itself, rather than the initiative appearing on the ballot.
In California, the number of signatures required for an initiated state statute is equal to 5% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. A simple majority vote is required for voter approval.
The requirements to get initiated state statutes certified for the 2026 ballot:
- Signatures: 546,651 valid signatures are required.
- Deadline: The deadline for signature verification is June 25, 2026. However, the secretary of state suggested deadlines for turning in signatures of January 12, 2026, for initiatives needing a full check of signatures and April 17, 2026, for initiatives needing a random sample of signatures verified.
Initiative #25-0001
The following is the timeline of the initiative:
- January 15, 2025: Dale McClure filed the initiative.[4]
- April 9, 2025: The initiative was cleared for signature gathering.[4]
See also
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ California Attorney General, "Full text #25-0001," accessed February 4, 2024
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 California Secretary of State, "Initiatives and Referenda Cleared for Circulation," accessed January 24, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 California Attorney General, "Initiatives Pending Review," accessed November 26, 2024
