PRESS RELEASE
PR26-87
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 23, 2026
Contact: sospress@sos.ca.gov
California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., Announces New Measure Eligible for November 2026 General Election Ballot.
Requires audits of programs funded by new state special taxes. Prohibits new state taxes that are excluded from existing voter-approved state spending limit. Initiative constitutional amendment.
Sacramento, Calif. – California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D. announced that an initiative became eligible for the November 3, 2026, General Election ballot on June 23, 2026.
In order to become eligible for the ballot, the initiative needed 874,641 valid petition signatures, which is equal to eight percent of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2022 General Election.
A measure can become eligible via random sampling of petition signatures if the sampling projects that the number of valid signatures is greater than 110 percent of the required number. The initiative needed at least 962,106 projected valid signatures to become eligible by random sampling, and it has exceeded that threshold today.
On June 25, 2026, the Secretary of State will certify the initiative as qualified for the November 3, 2026, General Election ballot, unless it is withdrawn by the proponent prior to certification pursuant to Elections Code section 9604(b).
The Attorney General's official title and summary of the measure is as follows:
REQUIRES AUDITS OF PROGRAMS FUNDED BY NEW STATE SPECIAL TAXES. PROHIBITS NEW STATE TAXES THAT ARE EXCLUDED FROM EXISTING VOTER-APPROVED STATE SPENDING LIMIT. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. For statewide special taxes, requires (1) a pre-election audit of programs that would receive funding from a special tax proposed by voter initiative, and (2) recurring audits of programs funded by all special taxes enacted after January 1, 2026. Prohibits any new state taxes, enacted after January 1, 2026, that exclude their revenues from existing voter-approved state spending limit, including any new taxes that appear on the same ballot as this measure. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Unknown Fiscal Effect. Net costs or savings resulting from the measure would depend on (1) how many special tax initiatives qualify for a one-time audit but are not approved by voters, (2) the number of pages that are added to the Voter Information Guide each election cycle, and (3) the level of savings that are identified and implemented as a result of the audits. (25-0040A1.)
The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is 2017 and the Attorney General's tracking number is 25-0040A1.
The proponent of the measure is Kurt R. Oneto. The proponent may be contacted at koneto@nmgovlaw.com and (916) 446-6752.
For more information about how an initiative qualifies for the ballot in California, visit https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-measures/how-qualify-initiative/.
