Ballotpedia:Analysis of the 2022 local ballot measures in California
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December 20, 2022
By The Ballot Measures Team
California voters decided 572 local ballot measures on six different election dates in 2022.
Measures by outcome
Of the 572 local ballot measures in California in 2022, voters approved 396 and defeated 176.
- 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 2022, there were 572 local ballot measures in 54 counties in California. The numbers ranged from zero in four counties (of 58 counties) to 97 in Los Angeles County. In 2020, there were 719 local measures in every county except for Modoc County.
Measures by topic
Of the 572 local ballot measures, 249 measures were related to taxes; 142 were related to bonds and budgets; 103 were related to government and elections; 40 were related to housing and zoning; eight were related to marijuana; three were related to business; three were related to wages; and there were 24 other measures.
Taxes
Taxes made up 44% of the measures on local ballots in California in 2022. There were 249 measures concerning taxes on the ballot, including:
- Sales taxes (70 measures)
- Parcel taxes (67 measures)
- Hotel taxes (36 measures)
- Marijuana taxes (28 measures)
- Miscellaneous taxes (12 measures)
- Business taxes (11 measures)
- Property taxes (10 measures)
- Utility taxes (8 measures)
- Real estate transfer tax (3 measures)
- Vehicle abatement taxes (3 measures)
- Advisory vote (1 measure)
Parcel taxes
- See also: Parcel tax elections in California
Sixty-seven (67) of the 249 tax measures on the local California ballots in 2022 were parcel taxes. Thirty eight (38) were approved and 29 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 2022, there were 70 sales tax measures on the local ballot in California. Forty-four (44) were approved and 26 were defeated.
In 2022, 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 2022, there were 36 hotel tax measures on the local ballot in California. Twenty-nine (29) were approved and seven were defeated.
Marijuana taxes
In 2022, there were 28 marijuana tax measures on the local ballot in California. Twenty-four (24) were approved and four were defeated.
Local school bonds
In 2022, there were 123 local school bond measures on the ballot in California. Eighty-seven (87) were approved and 36 were defeated.
Housing and zoning
In 2022, there were 40 local measures related to housing and zoning on the 2022 ballot in California. Twenty-five (25) of these measures related to zoning and land use, 12 related to local housing, and three related to local rent control. Of the 40 measures, 22 were approved and 18 were defeated.
There were eight marijuana-related local ballot measures in California in 2022. These measures dealt with the regulation or prohibition of marijuana in local jurisdictions. Two (2) of these measures were approved and six of these measures were defeated. In addition to these measures, there were 28 marijuana tax measures on the local ballot in California. Twenty-four (24) were approved and four were defeated.
Measures by election date
There were six separate dates in 2022 on which voters in California decided 571 local ballot measures. On November 8, 2022, 470 of the measures were on the ballot.
April
- April 12 - Two were approved.
May
- May 3 - Two were approved.
June
- June 7 - 63 were approved and 33 were defeated
August
- August 30 - One was defeated.
October
- October 19 - One was defeated.
November
- November 8 - 329 were approved and 141 were defeated.
Comparing 2022 to prior even-numbered years
With 572 measures, 2022 featured a 25% decrease in the average number of measures during the last three even-year election cycles. In 2020, there were 719 local measures in California. This was a drop of 147 measures.
See also
- 2022 ballot measures
- California 2022 local ballot measures
- Ballot measure readability scores, 2022
- Ballot measure signature costs, 2022
- Ballot measure campaign finance, 2022
- Ballot Measure Scorecard, 2022
- Ballotpedia's Tuesday Count for 2022
- List of ballot measure lawsuits in 2022
- 2022 ballot measure polls
- 2022 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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