Find a complete summary of our 2020 Endorsements and links to priority endorsement analysis here.
YES ON PROPOSITION 14: Increase Bond Funding for Stem Cell Research
Proposition 14 is a $5.5 million bond, and ultimately the money for it would come from the state’s general fund. This funding would allow the continuation of stem cell research for treatments of a wide variety of conditions. Funding from the 2004 Proposition 71 brought many world class scientists to California to research treatments and cures for conditions including cancer, infectious diseases, and Alzheimer’s. This Proposition also includes a Treatment and Cures Accessibility and Affordability Working Group, which creates policies to address affordability concerns of cures found through this research.
YES ON Proposition 15: Put Schools & Communities First
No matter what we look like or where we come from most of us pitch in for each other and hope to leave things better off for those to come.
Because the wealthiest corporations in California refuse to contribute to the schools where our young people learn, they have dragged California schools down to the bottom 10 in the country when it comes to per-pupil spending. When we vote in Schools and Communities First, we will restore $12 billion annually in shared resources for our schools and colleges so we can have smaller classroom sizes, better teacher pay, and more shared resources for our schools.
That’s why we’re supporting the Schools and Communities First initiative (Proposition 15). When we vote it in, we will restore the resources we need for our communities by ensuring that everyone pitches in for each other in California, including the wealthiest corporations.
Note: The opposition wants you to think that this will hurt small businesses and homeowners, but the truth is that this affects only the largest, wealthiest corporations like Chevron and ensures they pay their fair share.
yes on Proposition 16: End the Ban on Affirmative Action
Proposition 16 affirms that race, gender, and ethnicity can be considered in hiring and admissions processes, and overturns the racist Proposition 209 which banned affirmative action in state institutions. (Propostion 209 was passed nearly 25 years ago in 1996.) Affirmative action accounts for systemic and systematic barriers for entry into workplaces and schools. Race, ethnicity, and gender consciousness in admissions and hiring processes promotes equality and diverse learning and work spaces.
yes on proposition 17: Free the Vote for People on Parole
Bay Rising firmly supports the right to vote, and this Proposition would restore the right to vote to Californians who are currently on parole. There are about 50,000 people on parole in California who would regain the right to vote with this Proposition . Currently, people must complete their parole sentences before they are eligible to vote.
proposition 18: Allow 17-year-olds to Vote in Primary Elections
Allows 17-year-olds to vote in primary elections if they will have turned 18 by the general election. Proposition 18 also allows for 17-year-olds to vote in special elections should they turn 18 by the next general election.
no on proposition 19: Increase Burden on First Time Home Buyers
Lets wealthy homeowners who buy a more expensive house pay lower property taxes, while disadvantaging younger or first-time homebuyers. Cuts into the public money we need for schools, health clinics, and more.
no on proposition 20: Increase the Number of People Locked Up in Prisons
Vote no to protect the progress we’ve made to undo mass incarceration. This measure reverses the progress made in moving funding towards education and prevention and away from incarceration. It increases the number of people locked up in prisons.
Specifically, this Proposition reclassifies repeated theft as a felony, enables tougher penalties for those violating parole multiple times, and limits early parole.
yes on proposition 21: Allow Local Communities to Expand Rent Control
Current law stops local governments from using more progressive rent control measures–this allows cities to implement rent control for residential properties over 15 years old.
This Proposition is set to replace the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act.
no on proposition 22: Take Away Protections Such As Minimum Wage for Gig Workers
Uber, Lyft, and other tech giants want to re-classify their employees as “independent contractors” to avoid labor protections such as minimum wage, and they’re spending over $100 million to do it. Vote no to protect gig workers and make sure drivers get a fair share.
This Proposition by the tech giants would distinguish app-based gig employers from other California employers. Although it would institute certain benefits, it would create an exemption from standard work and wage restrictions for these companies. With this Proposition , gig workers would lose state-mandated protections for employees, such as minimum wage, overtime, unemployment insurance, and workers’ compensation.
yes on proposition 23: Regulate Kidney Dialysis Clinics for Safety
Requires dialysis clinics to have licensed physicians on site and report infection data to public health officials.
no on proposition 24: Undermines the Consumer Privacy Act to Tech Corporations’ Advantage
Rewrites the Consumer Privacy Act, exempts some of the largest tech corporations from oversight, and adds burdens to people who want to protect their personal information from being sold. Vote no to protect your data from tech corporations.
Consumer groups have found many problems in the fine print of this measure, such as allowing tech companies to ignore a universal “do not sell my information” electronic signal and making consumers notify every vendor individually.
no position on proposition 25: Switch Cash Bail with System Based On “Public Safety Risk”
Cash bail, a horrific system that keeps people in jail only because they are poor and keeps many Black and brown people locked up, needs to end. However, this initiative puts forward a solution that would replace the cash bail system with one that applies a “risk assessment,” an algorithm that attempts to forecast whether someone is likely to end up back in jail and which is likely to reinforce the racial disparities in our jails. The “risk assessment” also puts more power in judges’ hands to keep people locked up away from their families while awaiting trial. Bay Rising Action has allies and partners on both sides of this issue: those who think that ending cash bail is the highest priority, and those who think the new system will have damaging consequences that will be harder to undo. Bay Rising Action is neutral on Proposition 25.
