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March 3, 2020 ballot measures in California

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2019

California voters decided one statewide measure on March 3, 2020. Ballotpedia also identified 293 local ballot measures that were on the ballot on March 3, 2020. Voters rejected the statewide measure. Of the 293 local measures, 128 were approved, and 165 were defeated.

In 2020, Ballotpedia covered local measures that appeared on the ballot for voters within the top 100 largest cities in the U.S. and a selection of notable police-related and election-related measures outside of the top 100 largest cities. Ballotpedia also covered all local measures in California and all statewide ballot measures. Click here to see the scope of Ballotpedia local ballot measure coverage by year.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • California voters rejected Proposition 13, a $15 billion education bond and the first statewide education-related bond issue that voters rejected since 1994.
  • California voters decided 293 local ballot measures, more than double the average of 139 decided at even-year June primaries from 2010 through 2018.
  • The approval rate for local school bond measures at the March 2020 election was 36.1%, while the average approval rate for local school bond measures from 2008 through 2019 was 75% in California.
  • Overview

    By topic

    Of the 293 total local measures, 237 (81%) were bond or tax measures.

    School bonds:

    • Voters decided 122 local school bond measures, which required a 55 percent supermajority vote to pass.[1]
      • 44 measures (36.1%) were approved, and 78 measures (63.9%) were defeated.
      • In total, $17.29 billion in local school bonds was proposed.[2]
      • $6.5 billion (37.9%) was approved, and $10.7 billion (62.14%) was defeated.
      • From 2008 through 2019, the average approval rate for local school bond measures in California was 75%.
      • In all of 2018—including the November election—there were 151 total school bond measures proposing a total of $15.2 billion and $14.3 billion (94%) was approved.
      • In 2016, there were 231 local school bonds proposing a total of $31.8 billion, and $28.9 billion (91%) was approved.

    Parcel taxes:

    Sales taxes:

    • There were 45 sales tax measures.
      • 24 (53.3%) were approved, and 21 (46.7%) were defeated.
      • From 2014 through 2019, 76% of local sales tax measures were approved.

    Other tax measures:

    • There were seven hotel tax measures and one advisory vote about hotel tax revenue allocation.
      • Five were approved, and two were defeated.
    • There were five city or county marijuana tax measures.
      • One was approved, and four were defeated.
    • There were four city, county, or district bond measures.
      • One was approved, and three were defeated.

    Other topics included the following:

    • 10 measures on housing, zoning, land use, and development,
    • nine measures on local elections and campaigns, and
    • five measures on the regulation of marijuana.

    Comparison to previous primaries

    The 293 local measures on the ballot were the largest number of local measures at a primary election since at least 2010. From 2010 through 2018, primary elections were held in June rather than March. There were an average of 139 local measures on primary ballots from 2010 through 2018.

    • 2020: 293
    • 2018: 158
    • 2016: 149
    • 2014: 145
    • 2012: 134
    • 2010: 108

    Highlighted measures

    • Los Angeles County voters approved Measure R, a citizen initiative designed to authorize the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission to develop a plan designed to reduce jail population and incarceration and grant the Commission subpoena power to investigate complaints.
    • San Francisco voters approved five measures, including one citizen initiative—Proposition E—designed to limit city office development if the city does not meet housing production goals. It was designed to reduce allowed office development by the percentage the city falls short of the housing goal. It was also designed to set the minimum annual housing production goal for the city at 2,042 units.

    Statewide measures

    See also: California 2020 ballot propositions
    Type Title Subject Description Result
    BI Proposition 13 Bonds Issues $15 billion in bonds for school and college facilities
    Defeatedd


    Local ballot measures, by county

    Alameda

    See also: Alameda County, California ballot measures

    Butte

    See also: Butte County, California ballot measures

    Colusa

    See also: Colusa County, California ballot measures

    Contra Costa

    See also: Contra Costa County, California ballot measures

    El Dorado

    See also: El Dorado County, California ballot measures

    Fresno

    See also: Fresno County, California ballot measures

    Humboldt

    See also: Humboldt County, California ballot measures

    Imperial

    See also: Imperial County, California ballot measures

    Inyo

    See also: Inyo County, California ballot measures

    Kern

    See also: Kern County, California ballot measures

    Kings

    See also: Kings County, California ballot measures

    Lake

    See also: Lake County, California ballot measures

    Lassen

    See also: Lassen County, California ballot measures

    Los Angeles

    See also: Los Angeles County, California ballot measures

    Madera

    See also: Madera County, California ballot measures

    Marin

    See also: Marin County, California ballot measures

    Mendocino

    See also: Mendocino County, California ballot measures

    Merced

    See also: Merced County, California ballot measures

    Mono

    See also: Mono County, California ballot measures

    Monterey

    See also: Monterey County, California ballot measures

    Napa

    See also: Napa County, California ballot measures

    Nevada

    See also: Nevada County, California ballot measures

    Orange

    See also: Orange County, California ballot measures

    Placer

    See also: Placer County, California ballot measures

    Riverside

    See also: Riverside County, California ballot measures

    Sacramento

    See also: Sacramento County, California ballot measures

    San Benito

    See also: San Benito County, California ballot measures

    San Bernardino

    See also: San Bernardino County, California ballot measures

    San Diego

    See also: San Diego County, California ballot measures

    San Francisco

    See also: San Francisco County, California ballot measures

    San Joaquin

    See also: San Joaquin County, California ballot measures

    San Luis Obispo

    See also: San Luis Obispo County, California ballot measures

    San Mateo

    See also: San Mateo County, California ballot measures

    Santa Barbara

    See also: Santa Barbara County, California ballot measures

    Santa Clara

    See also: Santa Clara County, California ballot measures

    Santa Cruz

    See also: Santa Cruz County, California ballot measures

    Shasta

    See also: Shasta County, California ballot measures

    Siskiyou

    See also: Siskiyou County, California ballot measures

    Solano

    See also: Solano County, California ballot measures

    Sonoma

    See also: Sonoma County, California ballot measures

    Stanislaus

    See also: Stanislaus County, California ballot measures

    Sutter

    See also: Sutter County, California ballot measures

    Tehama

    See also: Tehama County, California ballot measures

    Trinity

    See also: Trinity County, California ballot measures

    Tulare

    See also: Tulare County, California ballot measures

    Tuolumne

    See also: Tuolumne County, California ballot measures

    Ventura

    See also: Ventura County, California ballot measures

    Yolo

    See also: Yolo County, California ballot measures

    Yuba

    See also: Yuba County, California ballot measures

    Other races on the ballot

    Click here for information about other local, state, and federal elections in California on March 3, 2020.

    See also

    Footnotes

    1. One measure required a two-thirds (66.67%) vote to pass.
    2. The exact figure was $17,293,828,000.
    3. Whether this requirement applies to citizen-initiated special tax measures or only to those referred by local lawmakers was brought into question and multiple lawsuits concerning this question were filed.