You can’t go to a supermarket or a farmer’s market or any public space in San Francisco these days without running into people with clipboards asking you to sign petitions to put something on the local or statewide ballot.
It’s confusing: The titles of the measures can be misleading; the signature gatherers can say almost anything (and they get paid by the signature, so they have an incentive to sign you up). Sometimes, they have multiple petitions from various interests who might be opposed.
What follows is some advice and direction on what’s out there right now.
For starters, almost every statewide ballot measure has at least one deep-pocketed sponsor. It takes between 550,000 and 850,000 valid signatures to get a measure on the statewide ballot, and even the most motivated volunteer-based groups can’t gather that many in roughly six months. So if you see someone gathering signatures, you can assume someone is paying at least $1 million to get that measure on the ballot.
Under state law, the petitions have to list the name of the individual or organization who is the “Official Top Funder,” and you can find a list here for state measures and here for local ones.
You can also just ask the person with the clipboard: Who is funding this measure? Is it billionaires, anti-tax groups, the Chamber of Commerce, or labor unions? (Those are the folks who typically have the money to finance signature-gathering campaigns). It’s often easier to decide what to sign based on who is funding it than taking the time to read and digest the often-incomprehensible ballot language or to just believe what the person with the clipboard tells you.
To make life easier, here’s a guide to the measures that have been approved for signature gathering but are not yet qualified for the ballot—the ones you will see on clipboards all over town.
STATE MEASURES
Title: LIMITS ABILITY OF VOTERS TO RAISE REVENUES FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES
In reality: This would overturn a state Supreme Court decision that allows local tax measures put on the ballot by signatures (as opposed to an act of the local Board of Supervisors or City Council) to pass with a simple majority instead of two-thirds. It’s an anti-tax measure that would undermine the ability of local government to raise revenue from taxes like SF’s Prop. C.
Funders: The California Business Roundtable, which is a statewide Chamber of Commerce group.
Title: ESTABLISHES ADDITIONAL VOTER IDENTIFICATION AND CITIZENSHIP VERIFICATION REQUIREMENTS.
In reality: A Trump-style attempt to suppress voting, particularly people of color.
Funders: A group called Reform California, led by Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, a right-wing Trump supporter
Title: LIMITS COMPENSATION FOR HEALTH CARE EXECUTIVES, MANAGERS, AND ADMINISTRATORS
In reality: One of several initiatives sponsored by Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare West, this would limit to $450,000 annual pay for healthcare executives, who often make massive salaries while workers struggle.
Funders: SEIU-UHWW
Title: REQUIRES COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINICS SPEND 90% OF REVENUE ON PROGRAM SERVICES. INITIATIVE STATUTE.
In reality: Again, part of SEIU-UHWW’s attempt to push more money to the front-line workers. Limits overhead and management pay for community clinics.
Funder: SEIU-UHWW
Title: CREATES LOAN PROGRAM FOR MIDDLE-INCOME BUYERS OF QUALIFIED NEW HOMES.
In reality: Provides a $25 billion revolving loan fund with state bond money to help defray downpayments for middle-class people looking to buy newly constructed houses.
Funder: The California Association of Realtors and the Carpenters Union
Title: REQUIRES STATE PROVIDE ANNUAL PAYMENTS TO STUDENTS ATTENDING RELIGIOUS AND OTHER PRIVATE SCHOOLS.
Reality: An attack on public education that would require the state to divert $17,000 a year in existing educational funds as tax-free vouchers for students who attend religious or private schools anywhere in the country.
Funder: Dr. Kevin McNamee
Title: PROVIDES PERMANENT FUNDING FOR SCHOOLS AND HEALTHCARE BY EXTENDING EXISTING TAX ON HIGH INCOMES
In reality: Would prevent a tax on the very rich that funds education and healthcare from expiring.
Funders: California Teachers Association, California Federation of Teachers
Title: REPEALS VOTER-ENACTED CHANGES TO PROPERTY TAX RULES FOR TRANSFERS BETWEEN FAMILY MEMBERS.
In reality: Lets people who inherit property worth more than $1 million avoid property taxes under Prop. 13. California has no estate tax; the law this would repeal at least does a little to limit untaxed wealth transfers between generation.
Funder: Nobody has put up more than $50,000, which means you won’t see paid signature gatherers with this one.
Title: REQUIRES UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA TO PROVIDE DOWNPAYMENT HOME LOANS TO CERTAIN STAFF
In reality: UC offers benefits to some administrators and professors that include downpayment loans for housing. This would mandate that some rank-and-file workers get the same benefits.
Funder: American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, which represents some UC workers
Title: REPEALS STATE LAW THAT PROHIBITS BALLOT INITIATIVES AND REFERENDA FROM BEING SUBMITTED TO VOTERS AT PRIMARY ELECTIONS.
In reality: State law currently limits ballot measures to general elections. This would allow measures to be on primary ballots.
Funding: Nobody has put up more than $50,000, which again means you won’t see anyone getting paid to put this on the ballot.
Title: RESTRICTS POLITICAL SPENDING BY HEALTH CARE UNIONS.
In reality: This is a radical anti-labor measure that would make it almost impossible for unions representing health-care workers to get involved in politics (and would block future measures like the ones SEIU-UHWW has placed on the ballot).
Funder: California Association of Hospitals and Health Systems
Title: LIMITS AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT VICTIMS’ RECOVERY OF MEDICAL EXPENSES AND FEES THEIR ATTORNEYS MAY RECEIVE.
In reality: Undermines the ability of people to sue corporations that might run you over with a robocar
Funder: Uber
Title: MODIFIES ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW FOR CERTAIN PROJECTS.
In reality: Yet another attack on the California Environmental Quality Act
Funder: the CA Chamber of Commerce
Title: IMPOSES ONE-TIME TAX ON CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS AND TRUSTS
In reality: This is a billionaire tax to fund health care and replace the money Trump has taken from the state
Funder: SEIU-UHWW
LOCAL MEASURES
Title: CHANGES TO BUSINESS TAX BASED ON COMPARISON OF TOP EXECUTIVES PAY TO EMPLOYEES PAY
In reality: This is an overpaid executive tax that would expand the city’s existing tax to make businesses with CEOs who make far more than the average worker pay a higher gross receipts tax.
Funders: Nobody has filed more than $50,000 in payments
Title: CHANGES TO BUSINESS TAXES
In reality: There are two measures sponsored by big business and the tech industry that are selling themselves as protecting small business when they’re actually trying to undermine progressive taxes on big corporations.
Funder: Hasn’t filed the forms yet. But I think we can all guess the folks that will be paying for this.
Remember: Before you sign anything, you have a right to know who is paying for it. If they person with the clipboard won’t tell you, you have every right to say: No thanks.
