What’s with all the taxes on the California ballot?

With the election less than a month away, California county elections officials are beginning to send out mail ballots today. Five of the 14 statewide ballot measures are related to taxes, and if that sounds like a lot, you’re not imagining things: It’s the most tax measures voters have been presented with during a general election since 1994.

So what would each do?

As CalMatters’ Ben Christopher explains, the tax measures altogether have the potential to reshape the state’s finances, boost or starve some of our largest public spending programs and change taxation rules.

The one you’ve likely heard most about is Proposition 40, which, if passed, would make California the first state to introduce a wealth tax. Almost all of the tens of billions of dollars the tax is estimated to generate would be set aside for the state’s public health insurance programs, which are bracing for deep federal cuts under President Donald Trump.

Billionaires are fighting the proposal with two of their own: Prop. 41 and 42, which would effectively nullify the billionaire tax via two separate provisions if either of the two secure more votes than Prop. 40.

The other two tax measures don’t have anything to do with the wealth tax.

Prop. 3 would make permanent a higher income tax rate for the state’s top earners that voters approved on a temporary basis twice in the past decade-plus. The tax — which expires in 2030 unless Prop. 3 passes — typically raises $5 billion to $15 billion annually, with most of the money going to schools.

Finally, Prop. 43 would make it harder to pass citizen-driven local tax proposals by raising the voting threshold from a simple majority to two-thirds. Business groups and anti-tax advocates have been wanting to put some version of Prop. 43 on the ballot for nearly a decade.

Public polling is tight on some of the ballots. 

Read more about the tax measures and dive into our voter guide to learn about the other propositions.

We at CalMatters believe journalism is a force for good. That’s what motivates us to bring our stories to you day after day, and it’s exciting when we see the work lead to change. 

Gov. Gavin Newsom last month signed 10 laws that legislators developed in response to CalMatters investigations. They touch on DUIs, mental health courts, overburdened public defenders, hazardous chemicals and conditions in county jails and immigrant detention centers.

Of course, CalMatters will also be following up on whether the laws work as intended, because as we’ve reported before, laws aren’t always followed.

Please give now to join us in bringing Californians together, holding all levels of government accountable, and inspiring change that works toward a better California.

Newsom last week touted that his signature mental health program, CARE Court, has helped more than 10,000 Californians “get the lifesaving support and care they need and deserve.” 

But critics say Newsom’s number-crunching appears to be a bit off, write CalMatters’ Jocelyn Wiener and Marisa Kendall.

According to Rodger Butler, a spokesperson for the state’s Health and Human Services Agency, the administration arrived at the figure by adding together the 5,484 CARE Court petitions filed as of June, plus the 4,887 people who first engaged with the program but ended up getting services elsewhere. 

But that approach could risk some double dipping, Butler acknowledged, counting some individuals who may have been the subject of a petition, and then counting them again when they received services elsewhere.

Meanwhile, critics of the program say that CARE Court is a poor use of state funds and that families are giving up on the program. 

Read more.

California families are leaving nearly $106 million of federally funded food assistance on the table — and they have only a few weeks left to take advantage. Throughout the summer, California mailed electronic benefits cards preloaded with $120 per child in food benefits to low-income families enrolled in its SUN Bucks program. Funds for the latest batch of cards expire mid-November, and the state is urging families to use them. Read more from CalMatters’ Jeanne Kuang.