Analysis of the 2024 local ballot measures in California
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December 17, 2024
By The Ballot Measures Team
California voters decided 842 local ballot measures on five different election dates in 2024.
Measures by outcome
Of the 842 local ballot measures in California in 2024, voters approved 625 (74.2%) and defeated 217 (25.7%).
- In 2022, there were 572 local measures on the ballot in California, of which 396 (69.2%) were approved and 176 (30.7%) were defeated.
- In 2020, there were 719 local measures on the ballot in California, of which 449 (62.4%) were approved and 270 (37.6%) were defeated.
- 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
In 2024, there were 842 local ballot measures in 57 counties in California. The numbers ranged from 0 in 1 county (of 58 counties) to 108 in Los Angeles County. In 2022, there were 572 local measures in 54 counties.
Measures by topic
Of the 842 local ballot measures, 336 were related to bonds and budgets, 296 were related to taxes, 123 were related to government and elections, 46 were related to housing and zoning, six were related to labor and unions, six were related to marijuana, and 29 were related to other topics.
Taxes
Taxes made up 35% of the measures on local ballots in California in 2024. There were 296 measures concerning taxes on the ballot, including:
- Parcel taxes (85 measures)
- Sales taxes (78 measure)
- City taxes (62 measures)
- Hotel taxes (25 measures)
- Special district taxes (14 measures)
- County taxes (10 measures)
- Business taxes (9 measures)
- School taxes (8 measures)
- Utility taxes (2 measures)
- Property taxes (1 measure)
- Advisory vote (1 measure)
- Marijuana tax (1 measure)
Parcel taxes
- See also: Parcel tax elections in California
Eighty-five (85) of the 296 tax measures on the local California ballots in 2023 were parcel taxes. Sixty (60) were approved and 25 were defeated.
Parcel taxes are a form of special property tax, which must be paid by the owners of parcels, or units, of real estate. However, unlike standard property taxes, which are based on the value of the property, a parcel tax is an assessment based on the characteristics of the parcel. These assessments can include taxing a parcel based on square footage or by dwelling unit, or the tax may be a flat rate per parcel. 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.
Sales taxes
In 2024, there were 82 sales tax measures on the local ballot in California. Sixty-one (61) were approved and 21 were defeated.
In 2024, 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%) supermajority vote.
Hotel taxes
In 2024, there were 21 hotel tax measures on the local ballot in California. Eighteen (18) were approved and three were defeated.
Local school bonds
In 2024, there were 309 local school bond measures on the ballot in California. Out of these measures, 232 were approved and 77 were defeated.
Housing and zoning
In 2024, there were 46 local measures related to housing and zoning. Of these 46 measures, 31 were approved and 15 were defeated.
Measures by election date
There were five separate dates in 2024 on which voters in California decided 842 local ballot measures. On November 5, 2024, 697 of the measures were on the ballot.
Dates
- March 5 - Ninety-five measures (95) were approved, 42 were defeated
- April 9 - One measure was approved
- May 7 - Two measures were approved, four were defeated
- July 30 - One measure was defeated
- November 5 - Five-hundred and twenty-seven measures (527) were approved, 170 were defeated
Comparing 2024 to prior even-numbered years
In 2022, there were 572 local measures in California. There was an increase of 270 measures in 2024.
See also
- 2024 ballot measures
- California 2024 local ballot measures
- Ballot measure readability scores, 2024
- Ballot measure signature costs, 2024
- Ballot measure campaign finance, 2024
- Ballot Measure Scorecard, 2024
- Ballotpedia's Tuesday Count for 2024
- List of ballot measure lawsuits in 2024
- 2024 ballot measure polls
- 2024 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
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