There are ten propositions on the November 5, 2024 General Election ballot for voters to decide. DRC has taken positions on four of these initiatives that could have significant impacts on the disability community.

 

Proposition 6: Support

Remove involuntary servitude as punishment for a crime from the state constitution

Proposition 6 would repeal language in the California Constitution that allows involuntary servitude to punish crime and replace it with language prohibiting slavery and involuntary servitude absolutely. This Proposition would prevent labor exploitation of people with disabilities, who are overrepresented in prisons and jails.

Proposition 33: Support

Repeals Costa Hawkins Rental Housing Act 

Proposition 33 would allow cities and counties to enact rent control policies by repealing the 1995 Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act. The Costa-Hawkins Act prohibits rent control on single-family homes and houses completed after February 1, 1995. Since most accessible housing units are in newer developments, this Proposition would allow more disabled people to benefit from rent control.  

Proposition 35: Oppose

Managed Care Organization (MCO) Tax Authorization Initiative

The spending proposal in Prop 35 would decrease funding for important services to the disability community, including urgently needed rate increases for nursing services for medically fragile children, critically needed rate increases that ensure ventilator dependent adults can live in the community rather than institutions, funding for pediatric day health centers, community behavioral health, community health workers, Alzheimer’s services, and more. In addition, there would be no funding for continuous Medi-Cal eligibility for children aged zero to four. Under Proposition 35, the MCO tax dollars that help fund Medi-Cal would be locked into certain spending categories, rather than adjusted to meet the needs of the budget each year. Locking in these spending decisions for the future also gives advocates less opportunity to weigh in on how state resources should be allocated each year.

More information is available here: Billions for Medi-Cal at stake with health tax in CA 2024 election - CalMatters 

Proposition 36: Oppose

Increase drug crime and theft penalties

Proposition 36 would create longer sentences and increased punishment for minor theft and drug related offenses. This Proposition would reverse the progress of Proposition 47, which California voters passed in 2014.

Read more about Proposition 36 on our “No on Prop 36” page.