Some propositions have not yet been called by the Associated Press. We will continue to update our coverage as races are called.
Results from Tuesday’s election reveal California voters’ opinions on crime, housing, educational funding, and more.
District Elects New Board Trustees
Summit Prep Principal Mary Beth Thompson and San Jose State professor María Cruz won their elections for the District Board of Trustees. Current trustee Richard Ginn won re-election unopposed.
Neither Trustee-elect supports restoring advanced freshman and sophomore classes and supports current detracking measures. Thompson has taken a stronger position, while Cruz remains eager to look at more data. Neither candidate has expressed interest in detracking more courses.
Californians Crack Down on Crime
Voters decided on two propositions addressing crime: Prop 36, which would recategorize many crimes from misdemeanors to felonies, thereby increasing sentences, and Prop 6*, which would outlaw involuntary servitude. In both instances, Californians took a harsher stance on crime than in the past, mirroring the country’s conservative shift.
Prop 36 proposed increased sentencing for some drug and theft crimes, specifically drug trafficking and “smash-and-grab” burglaries. It also mandates that defendants with at least two prior drug or theft convictions face felony charges. The proposition passed with 70.4% of voters’ support.
Prop 6 would have amended the state Constitution to prohibit jails and prisons from using involuntary servitude as criminal punishment. Although no politicians or organizations openly opposed it, the proposition failed to resonate with Californians, 55% of whom voted against it. The proposition’s narrow margin of failure shows a population divided on prison reform.
Low vs. Liccardo
In a highly anticipated race for District 16’s congressional seat, former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo defeated State Assemblymember Evan Low. Though Low earned the California Democratic Party’s endorsement, Liccardo was elected with 59.9% of the vote.
After a tie in the primaries and an ensuing recount, both candidates’ campaigns were plagued by claims of fraudulent donations. The campaigns that followed were riddled with accusations and verbal attacks from both sides.
Despite many last-ditch efforts by the Democratic Party to bolster Low’s campaign, including an endorsement from Gov. Gavin Newsom, Low failed to secure necessary votes. Support from billionaire Michael Bloomberg and Silicon Valley tech moguls helped Liccardo outraise Low by $2 million, giving him an edge in the race.
Support for Low-Income Californians? It’s Complicated
Amidst ongoing housing and homelessness crises in California, both Prop 5* and Prop 33* addressed affordable housing and rent control.
Rejected by just over 56% of voters, Prop 5 would have made bonds for affordable housing and infrastructure easier to pass by lowering the threshold from a two-thirds majority to 55%.
63% of voters opposed Prop 33, which bans state-wide restrictions on rent control. Advocating for the proposition, labor union groups and nonprofit tenant advocacy groups argued that rent control is critical in addressing California’s high cost of living. Still, the proposition’s failure does not necessarily reflect a distaste among voters for affordable housing, especially given pressure from landlords and developers who speculated the proposition would worsen the housing crisis by discouraging construction and reducing property values.
Prop 32* was rejected by a narrow margin of 52% of voters, keeping California’s $16 minimum wage for all businesses. The rejection of Prop 32’s $18/hour minimum wage might stem from a fear of further price increases, but voters may also feel the raise comes too soon after the passage of laws increasing the minimum wage to $20 for fast food workers in April and an overall increase in Jan. 2024.
Education Spending Measures
Measure U was authorized with a 70% approval, steadily striding past its 55% requirement to pass. The bond authorizes $123.6 million to Menlo Park City School District elementary and middle schools for facility repairs, specifically improvements in air conditioning and security for natural disasters.
In East Palo Alto, Measure S passed with support from 78% of voters, significantly more than its two-thirds approval requirement. The measure increases an existing tax on Ravenswood City School District residents by $210.10 for the next eight years. The measure will allocate around $21.6 million to affordable early childhood education and facilities, wages for educators, and financial help with childcare.
Prop 2 passed with 56% of voters on its side. The proposition authorizes $10 billion in bonds dedicated to school repairs and construction, with $8.5 billion for public schools and $1.5 billion for community colleges. While the money for public schools will be divided by project type and distributed to school districts, the bond money for community colleges can be put towards anything from land purchases to new equipment.
