OPINION

PDC Board Member
on 2026 Ballot Propositions

Proposition 39

NO on Proposition 39

by Claire Noonan 

Three weeks until Election Day, November 3. California election officials are working to prepare for the midterms, and they do not need a major change to voting rules.

So, remember that of the 14 propositions on the ballot you will receive the week of October 5, be prepared to vote NO on Proposition 39.

Based on the SAVE ACT that is still on the table in Congress, Prop 39 would require government-issued ID every time someone votes in person and make mail voters put the last four digits of a designated ID number on the ballot envelope. The measure would add barriers to voting and expose sensitive information to identity theft. Every registered voter in the state has already verified their right to vote.

California Democratic Party urges a NO vote. Check Ballotpedia for others, including the League of Women Voters, Planned Parenthood of California, California Teachers Association, and SEIU of California. Vote NO on Proposition 39.

Proposition 40

Is Prop 40 Good or No Good? 

by Claire Noonan and Ollivette Smith

Despite California Democratic Party’s narrow endorsement of Yes on Proposition 40, the measure has triggered controversy from the moment it was certified for the November 2026 ballot.

If the initiative passes, an amendment will be added to the state constitution allowing a 5% tax on the accumulated wealth of taxpayers with assets over $1 billion revenue. The so-called “Billionaire’s Tax” will be generated from approximately 200 Californians.

Supporters say the revenue produced will backfill cuts to Medi-Cal, public education K-12, and food assistance programs that had been part of President Trump’s budget bill and tax cuts to benefit the wealthiest Americans. 

However, voters must remember that any fiscal initiative, like Proposition 40, if passed, becomes an amendment added to the state constitution. It damages the state budget process that is the responsibility of the legislature. SJSU Economics Professor Matthew Holian notes that “changing the tax laws can cause a host of unforeseen reactions.”

It is perplexing that leaders you trust support this proposition—the measure’s sponsor SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West and well-known politicians, unions, and organizations. Other trusted leaders are opponents—prominent politicians, unions, and organizations, including the state council of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and Planned Parenthood, but also wealthy entrepreneurs. See Ballotpedia for an extensive list.

Voters must decide – a one-time jolt of money or repercussions from changing tax laws. Also vote NO on Proposition 41 and 42—two badly written measures adding fiscal constitutional amendments that reject Proposition 40 depending on which measure gets the most votes.

An alternative is to vote YES on CA DEM endorsed Proposition 3 which, even though extending a 2012 fiscal amendment to the state constitution, would make permanent the existing top income tax rates on California’s highest earners.