SACRAMENTO, Oct. 26, 2026 — California has 14 statewide propositions on the November 3, 2026 ballot, according to the Secretary of State. Their numbers are 1–5 and 37–45; the gap is real and does not mean proposals 6–36 were omitted from this article. Five of the measures were placed on the ballot by the Legislature and nine qualified through the initiative process.

The questions cover state borrowing, housing, taxes, elections, scientific research, health clinics and environmental review. The descriptions below paraphrase official titles; the full text, fiscal analyses and arguments are available in the state’s official voter information guide.

Housing and state finances

  • Proposition 1: Would authorize bonds for housing affordability programs.
  • Proposition 2: Would increase the state’s rainy-day fund.
  • Proposition 3: Would extend an existing tax on high incomes to provide ongoing funding for schools and health care.
  • Proposition 37: Would create a loan program for eligible middle-income purchasers of qualified new homes.
  • Proposition 40: Would impose a one-time tax on certain taxpayers.
  • Proposition 41: Would restrict new state taxes that exclude revenue from the state spending limit and require certain audits.
  • Proposition 42: Would prohibit new state personal property taxes and certain retroactive state taxes.
  • Proposition 43: Would limit voters’ ability to raise revenue for local government services.

Government and election rules

  • Proposition 4: Would repeal a prohibition on public funding of election campaigns.
  • Proposition 5: Would change the recall election process for statewide officers.
  • Proposition 39: Would establish a government-issued identification requirement for citizens voting, as described in the official ballot title.

Research, clinics and environmental review

  • Proposition 38: Would authorize bonds for immunology medical research.
  • Proposition 44: Would require community health clinics to spend 90% of revenue on program services.
  • Proposition 45: Would change environmental review rules for certain projects.

Why local communities should read closely

The possible effects of housing finance, public revenues, local services and environmental review differ from one county to another. A short summary cannot substitute for evaluating the measure’s actual legal language, implementation details and official fiscal analysis. California58 will link original statewide coverage to relevant local reporting rather than reproduce identical versions as separate town stories. Explore the local newspaper directory for community-specific reporting.

Read the primary documents

Editorial standards: This is an informational, nonpartisan overview of statewide measures; it does not endorse a position on any proposition. Updated October 26, 2026.

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