The Attorney General prepares a circulating title and summary of the chief purpose and points of a proposed initiative measure. Proposed initiative measures are cleared for circulation on the day the circulating title and summary is sent to the initiative proponent(s). No petition may be circulated for signatures before it has been cleared to do so by the Attorney General.

Please note: Counties have 8 working days after a proposed initiative measure's circulation deadline (Elections Code section 9030(b)) to notify the Secretary of State's Office if any petition signatures were received. If no signatures are submitted, a proposed initiative measure will fail on the 9th working day after its circulation deadline.

 

1897. (21-0003)
PROHIBITS INVOLUNTARY SERVITUDE AS A PUNISHMENT FOR CRIME. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.

Summary Date: 06/24/21 | Circulation Deadline: 12/21/21 | Signatures Required: 997,139
Proponent(s): Kelsey Wehsels

Amends California Constitution to prohibit involuntary servitude in all instances, by removing the current exception that allows involuntary servitude to punish crime. For example, requiring inmates to work without pay would not be permitted. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Fiscal effects on state and local government could range from no effect to a significant increase in state and local costs, depending on how the measure is interpreted and implemented. (21-0003.)

1898. (21-0004A1)
AMENDS CHILD DEPENDENCY AND CUSTODY HEARING PROCEDURES. INITIATIVE STATUTE.

Summary Date: 07/02/21 | Circulation Deadline: 12/29/21 | Signatures Required: 623,212
Proponent(s): Karena A. Feng

Amends certain laws regarding child dependency and custody proceedings to provide a right to jury trial, including in hearings to terminate parental rights, establish guardianship, or make permanent prior temporary custody placements, and increase burden of proof for allegations against parents in hearings to terminate parental rights. Authorizes specified parties to reopen closed dependency court proceedings where a jury trial was not provided, in order to seek modification of prior orders regarding the permanent placement of children. Provides children a right to counsel of their own choice in dependency court. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Unknown fiscal impact on state courts that would depend significantly on how the measure is interpreted and implemented by the courts and the number of individuals who choose to reopen closed juvenile dependency cases. Potential unknown increase in county costs – some or all of which could be shifted to the state – that would depend on various factors including the number of individuals who choose to reopen closed juvenile dependency cases. (21-0004A1.)

1899. (21-0005)
DECRIMINALIZES PSILOCYBIN MUSHROOMS. INITIATIVE STATUTE.

Summary Date: 09/16/21 | Circulation Deadline: 03/15/22 | Signatures Required: 623,212
Proponent(s): Ryan Munevar

For individuals 21 and over, decriminalizes under state law the cultivation, manufacture, processing, distribution, transportation, possession, storage, consumption, and retail sale of psilocybin mushrooms, the hallucinogenic chemical compounds contained in them, and edible products and extracts derived from psilocybin mushrooms. Authorizes research and use of psilocybin mushrooms for treatment by qualified healthcare practitioners. Requires an “independent professional certifying body” to establish qualifications for healthcare practitioners who provide psilocybin mushroom-assisted therapy and to create protocols for such therapy. Requires state agencies to adopt and implement these qualification requirements and protocols. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Reduced costs, not likely to exceed a few million dollars annually, to state and local governments related to enforcing psilocybin-related offenses, handling the related criminal cases in the court system, and incarcerating and supervising psilocybin offenders. Annual state costs to regulate psilocybin businesses and treatment providers, ranging from minimal to the tens of millions of dollars. These costs could eventually be partially or fully offset by fee revenue. Potential increase in state and local tax revenues, not likely to exceed a few million dollars annually. (21-0005.)

1900. (21-0006A1)
REQUIRES STATE FUNDING OF RELIGIOUS AND OTHER PRIVATE SCHOOL EDUCATION. INITIATIVE CONSITUTIONAL AMENDMENT AND STATUTE.

Summary Date: 10/12/21 | Circulation Deadline: 04/11/22 | Signatures Required: 997,139
Proponent(s): Michael Alexander, Marc Ang, Dale R. Broome, Brian Hawkins, Stephen Smith

Requires state to provide yearly voucher payments ($14,000 initially, adjusted annually) into Education Savings Accounts for K-12 students attending religious and other private schools. Funds payments through General Fund and local property tax revenues currently allocated to public (including charter) schools. Eliminates constitutional prohibition on public funding of religious and other private schools. Prevents state from requiring these schools to meet certain requirements (concerning teacher credentialing, curriculum, or disciplinary policies) as condition of funding. Any excess funds in Education Savings Accounts could be used at eligible higher education/vocational schools. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Increased annual state costs, probably in the range of $4.7 billion to $7 billion, to provide state funding for students currently enrolled in private school or homeschool. Depending on how the state implements the measure, these costs could be paid with reductions to funding for public schools and/or reductions to other programs in the state budget. Increased annual state costs, probably at least several billion dollars, to the extent students move from public to private schools. Lower spending on public schools roughly would offset these costs. Likely reduced state costs for school bonds, potentially reaching a couple hundred million dollars annually within the next few decades. (21-0006A1.)

1901. (21-0007)
AUTHORIZES ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE GATHERING FOR INITIATIVE, REFERENDUM, AND RECALL PETITIONS. INITIATIVE STATUTE.

Summary Date: 10/12/21 | Circulation Deadline: 04/11/22 | Signatures Required: 623,212
Proponent(s): Michael Freeman Liddell

Requires Secretary of State to develop a system that allows voters to view state and local initiative, referendum, and recall petitions on Secretary of State’s website and to sign them electronically directly on the website, or to download, print, and sign the printed petitions. Requires Secretary of State or local elections official to verify these signatures. Requires Secretary of State to invite arguments for and against petitions, and to post submitted arguments on website. Requires Secretary of State’s website to include ongoing tally of each measure’s signatures received electronically or on downloaded petitions. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: One-time state and local government costs in the tens of millions of dollars or more to develop an online system for electronic petition signature gathering. Ongoing annual costs of millions of dollars or more to maintain the new system. Potential net costs or savings due to changed state and local government processes for verifying petition signatures. (21-0007.)

1902. (21-0008A2)
ELIMINATES COLLECTIVE BARGAINING FOR TEACHERS, POLICE OFFICERS, NURSES, FIREFIGHTERS, AND OTHER PUBLIC EMPLOYEES. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.

Summary Date: 10/13/21 | Circulation Deadline: 04/11/22 | Signatures Required: 997,139
Proponent(s): Timothy Draper

Eliminates collective bargaining between state/local governments and labor organizations (including unions) representing teachers, police officers, nurses, firefighters, and other public employees about wages, benefits, hours, labor disputes, or other work conditions. Requires the Governor-appointed State Personnel Board to establish wages and benefits for state employees. Prohibits new or amended public-employee labor agreements, including extensions, but does not impact existing agreements. Authorizes state/local governments to provide up to 12 months of severance pay to employees who resign within three months of measure’s enactment. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: One-time costs, potentially in the range of hundreds of millions to low billions of dollars, across state and local governments. Long-term fiscal effect depends on future actions by state and local policy makers. (21-0008A2.)

1903. (21-0009A1)
ALLOWS NEW TYPES OF GAMBLING, INCLUDING SPORTS WAGERING. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.

Summary Date: 10/18/21 | Circulation Deadline: 04/18/22 | Signatures Required: 997,139
Proponent(s): Helen Fisicaro, Raul Peralez, Tasha Cerda

Allows licensed gambling establishments, such as card rooms, to conduct additional games that are played with cards or tiles. Legalizes in-person, online, and mobile sports wagering, which currently is prohibited, for persons 21 years or older. Imposes 15% tax and other fees on sports-wagering revenues; directs revenues first to enforcement and problem-gambling programs, and any remaining funds to public education, homelessness, affordable housing, and mental health programs. Prohibits marketing of sports wagering to persons under 21. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Increased state revenues, potentially reaching the mid-hundreds of millions of dollars annually, from sports wagering taxes and payments (such as licensing fees). Some portion of these revenues would reflect a shift from other existing state and local revenues. Increased state regulatory costs, potentially reaching the high tens of millions of dollars annually, that would be fully or partially offset by the increased revenue or payments required by gaming agreements between tribes and the state. (21-0009A1.)

 

*Elections Code section 9034 requires that once proponent(s) of a proposed initiative measure have gathered 25% of the number of signatures required (currently 155,803 for an initiative statute and 249,352 for a constitutional amendment) proponent(s) must immediately certify that they have done so under penalty of perjury to the Secretary of State.

Upon receipt of the certification, the Secretary of State must provide copies of the proposed initiative measure and the circulating title and summary to the Senate and the Assembly. Each house is required to assign the proposed initiative measure to its appropriate committees and hold joint public hearings, at least 131 days before the date of the election at which the measure is to be voted on. However, the Legislature cannot amend the proposed initiative measure or prevent it from appearing on the ballot.