By admin 
Propositions and House races were top of mind for voters at The Sacramento Bee’s Understanding Your Ballot event, hosted in partnership with Vanessa Richardson, director of Enlightenment Salon.
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California politics editor Lauren Chapman and Capitol Bureau reporters Ben Paviour, Stephen Hobbs and Tarini Mehta, as well as local accountability reporters Camryn Dadey, Nicole Buss and Daniel Lempres, were on hand to answer questions about the upcoming midterm election, which takes place Nov. 3.
Here’s what you need to know:
Proposition explainers
With 14 ballot measures before California voters this November, attendees wanted to know specifically the who and why behind them.
Hobbs began with Proposition 1, an $11.25 billion bond targeted at affordable housing for the state. Hobbs said that it has no registered opposition and intends to kickstart more housing projects. Interest on the bonds are expected to reach about 0.25% of the state’s overall budget.
Hobbs also spoke about Proposition 2, the state’s “rainy day” fund. He explained that because state funds are reliant on the stock market, during economic downturn there’s less money to go around. This proposition would allow California to continue funding state-run, essential services during fluctuations.
Another proposition that received questions from the crowd was Proposition 38 on immunology funding. The measure is meant to allow the state to borrow funds for immunology and immunotherapy research conducted by California research institutes and universities.
Mehta explained this proposition at length, saying it is meant to “provide stability” in light of recent federal cuts in medical research. Half of the $8.4 billion bond is earmarked for a narrowly defined institute, which has connections to the ballot measure’s author. Opponents of the measure have raised concerns about transparency.
Richardson provided context as to how McClatchy’s California Editorial Board weighed in on each of the propositions for extra context for attendees to make their own decisions up and down the ballot.
Proposition 40: The Billionaire’s Tax
Probably the most well-known ballot measure is Proposition 40, commonly referred to as the billionaires tax or wealth tax. Attendees asked several questions about how wealth is taxed and the potential for the measure to backfire.
Paviour clarified that the ballot measure was retroactive to respond as attendees asked about what would happen if billionaires left California.
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“The language says if you were a California resident as of January 1 of this year, so even if you leave it would likely still apply,” he said.
He also explained that retirement accounts were not considered part of the assets that were added up to determine billionaire status.
While Prop. 40 was a standout on the ballot, two lesser known propositions, Propositions 41 and 42, aim to act as a “poison pill” to the wealth tax.
According to Paviour, Prop. 41 and Prop. 42 make it harder for retroactive taxes to be passed. If Props. 40 and 41 or 42 pass, and 41 or 42 receive more votes than Prop. 40, the wealth tax is effectively rendered useless.
Competitive races in California’s 6th and 7th congressional districts
Chapman gave insight into the 7th Congressional District race between Rep. Doris Matsui and Mai Vang as well as the 6th Congressional District race between Rep. Kevin Kiley and former state Sen. Richard Pan.
In the 7th District, Chapman gave attendees an overview of the contentious race taking place between the two candidates and what they stand for. Matsui, 82, is considered the democratic establishment candidate, while Vang, 41, is seen as a progressive upstart candidate. When asked by an attendee how the race is shaking out, Chapman said while Matsui took less of the primary vote than Vang, the incumbent has some support from Republicans in the district.
Chapman said the 6th District has pitted two candidates who say the other just follows the party line. Kiley split from the Republican Party in March and is now running as an independent in the newly formed 6th District. Democrat Pan says Kiley is in step with President Donald Trump-aligned Republicans, while Kiley says Pan follows “extreme partisan ideology” among Democrats.
Be sure to check out The Bee’s searchable Voter Guide, which contains even more information about the upcoming midterm election, including races, propositions, endorsements and important information about key dates.
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