PROP. 1 — AFFORDABLE HOUSING BONDS
California’s housing crisis demands public investment, not reliance on the private market alone. The $11.25 billion bond would expand affordable housing, preserve existing units and provide assistance to veterans, low-income families and people experiencing homelessness. The long-term borrowing costs are justified by the need for stable, affordable homes.
RLN: YES
PROP. 2 — STATE RAINY DAY FUND
Building reserves can help protect schools, healthcare and other essential services when revenues fall. But savings must serve the public, not become an excuse for austerity during a downturn. We support safeguards that preserve essential services and prevent working families from bearing the cost of budget shortfalls.
RLN: YES
PROP. 3 — PERMANENT TAX ON HIGH-INCOME EARNERS
California should not allow a vital revenue source for public education to expire while schools and families face mounting financial pressures. Making the existing tax on high-income earners permanent protects school funding and frees resources for other essential services. Those most able to contribute should help sustain the public institutions on which everyone depends.
RLN: YES
PROP. 4 — PUBLIC FINANCING OF ELECTIONS
Democracy should not be reserved for candidates with wealthy donors and corporate backing. Allowing public financing of campaigns gives governments another tool to broaden participation and reduce the influence of big money in politics. Public funds must be administered transparently and protected from misuse.
RLN: YES
PROP. 5 — CHANGES TO RECALL ELECTIONS
Changing how vacancies are filled after a recall could reduce election costs in some circumstances, but replacing a simultaneous vote with an appointment or later special election could also limit voters’ immediate say. The measure needs closer examination of its effects on democratic accountability before RLN takes a position.
RLN: No position
PROP. 37 — MORTGAGE ASSISTANCE FOR MIDDLE-INCOME BUYERS
Helping middle-income Californians become homeowners could ease barriers to homeownership, particularly for first-time buyers priced out of the market. The proposed loan program is repaid through borrowers’ mortgage payments rather than general state revenues. However, assistance tied to newly constructed homes must be evaluated alongside the need for deeply affordable housing for low-income residents.
RLN: YES
PROP. 38 — IMMUNOLOGY RESEARCH BONDS
Medical research can lead to important advances, but borrowing $8.4 billion commits taxpayers to decades of repayment and directs a substantial share to a single UC-affiliated nonprofit institute. Public investment in research should serve broad public needs, with transparent oversight and equitable access to resulting treatments.
RLN: YES
PROP. 39 — GOVERNMENT-ISSUED VOTER IDENTIFICATION
Eligible voters should not face unnecessary barriers to exercising their constitutional rights. Requiring government identification for in-person voting and additional identifying information on mail ballots risks burdening people who lack ready access to documents, including low-income voters and people who have recently moved or changed their names. Election security should not come at the expense of access.
RLN: NO
PROP. 40 — ONE-TIME TAX ON BILLIONAIRES
Extreme concentrations of wealth exist alongside unmet needs in healthcare, education and basic social services. A one-time tax on billionaires would require some of the wealthiest people to contribute toward public needs and help offset cuts to essential programs. Working families should not be expected to absorb the consequences of reductions in public support while billionaire fortunes remain largely untouched.
RLN: YES
PROP. 41 — RESTRICTIONS ON STATE TAXES AND SPENDING LIMITS
Government accountability and independent audits are important, but this measure also restricts how certain new tax revenues can be treated under the state spending limit. California must retain the flexibility to raise and direct revenue toward public needs. Fiscal rules should not become barriers to adequately funding essential services.
RLN: NO
PROP. 42 — PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN NEW STATE TAXES
Preventing future taxes on personal property and retroactive taxation would limit the state’s options for responding to changing economic conditions and addressing inequality. California needs a fair, flexible tax system capable of asking those with the greatest resources to contribute to public services. Broad restrictions on future revenue tools work against that goal.
RLN: NO
PROP. 43 — TWO-THIRDS VOTE FOR CERTAIN LOCAL TAXES
Local governments need the ability to fund schools, emergency services, affordable housing and other community priorities. Raising the approval threshold for certain local taxes from a majority to two-thirds gives a minority of voters greater power to block public investment. Communities should be able to decide local funding questions through majority rule.
RLN: NO
PROP. 44 — 90% REVENUE REQUIREMENT FOR COMMUNITY CLINICS
Community health centers do more than provide direct medical treatment. They also need staff and resources for translation, patient transportation, enrollment assistance and quality improvement. A rigid requirement to spend 90% of revenue on narrowly defined program services could undermine those functions and make care less accessible to underserved communities.
RLN: NO
PROP. 45 — CHANGES TO ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Speeding up development should not mean weakening environmental safeguards or reducing communities’ ability to challenge harmful projects. Low-income neighborhoods and communities of color often bear disproportionate pollution burdens. Environmental review must preserve meaningful public participation and accountability, particularly when projects threaten residents’ health and local ecosystems.
RLN: NO
CITY OF LOS ANGELES MEASURES
MEASURE A— BINDING ARBITRATION FOR PUBLIC SAFETY LABOR DISPUTES
Public safety workers deserve a fair, impartial process for resolving labor disputes. By requiring good-faith negotiations and binding arbitration, the measure provides a path to resolving conflicts while maintaining essential public services. Workers deserve a meaningful voice at the bargaining table.
RLN: Yes
MEASURE LA — INFRASTRUCTURE, BUDGET, FINANCE AND CONTRACTING
Los Angeles needs long-term infrastructure planning and a budget process capable of addressing aging public facilities and neighborhood needs. But expanding administrative authority and changing contracting rules must come with strong transparency, independent oversight and protections for public assets. Infrastructure reform should improve service delivery without weakening public accountability.
RLN: Yes
MEASURE PL — CITY PLANNING DEPARTMENT
Planning reform should make decisions more consistent, transparent and responsive to neighborhood needs. Reorganizing appeals and expanding the Planning Department’s authority could improve processing, but residents must retain meaningful opportunities to challenge decisions affecting housing, land use and neighborhood character. Reforms should advance equitable development rather than simply accelerate approvals.
RLN: YES
MEASURE EE — CITY ETHICS, ELECTIONS AND GOVERNANCE
Stronger penalties for campaign finance violations and improved oversight can help restore public confidence in city government. However, reducing the City Council’s required meeting frequency and raising referendum petition signature requirements could make elected officials less accessible and direct democracy harder to exercise. Accountability reforms should expand public participation, not restrict it.
RLN: No
MEASURE PRK — RECREATION AND PARKS FUNDING
Parks, playgrounds, pools and recreation centers are essential public resources, especially for working families and neighborhoods with limited private recreational options. A guaranteed increase in parks funding over 10 years would help address deferred maintenance, restore programming and improve access to safe, welcoming public spaces. Investing in parks is an investment in public health and community life.
RLN: YES
MEASURE PRT — HARBOR, AIRPORTS, WATER AND POWER DEPARTMENTS
Publicly owned infrastructure must serve the communities that live and work alongside it. Requiring waterfront public-access funding and disclosure of workforce impacts from certain Harbor Department agreements can strengthen accountability to local residents and workers. Changes to departmental governance and lease terms should preserve public oversight and ensure that economic development benefits the broader community.
RLN: YES
MEASURE FD — HALF-CENT SALES TAX FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT
Los Angeles needs adequate staffing, functioning equipment, well-maintained fire stations and effective brush clearance, particularly as communities face increasingly serious wildfire risks. Dedicated funding and public oversight could strengthen emergency response. However, a sales tax places a proportionally greater burden on lower-income households, so the city should ensure the revenue is spent transparently and explore fairer long-term funding options.
RLN: NO
MEASURE SC — CAMPAIGN FINANCE RULES FOR SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS
School board elections should be transparent and accountable to the communities public schools serve. Clarifying campaign finance rules can help voters understand who is financing candidates and whose interests may influence education policy. Changes made by ordinance should preserve meaningful disclosure and strong safeguards against the undue influence of wealthy donors.
RLN: YES
MEASURE TE — TRANSFER TAX EXEMPTION FOR FIRE-DAMAGED HOMES
Homeowners whose properties were damaged or destroyed in the January 2025 Palisades Fire face difficult decisions about rebuilding, retaining or selling their homes. A limited exemption from the city’s transfer tax may provide relief to affected property owners. The exemption should remain narrowly targeted to disaster recovery and should not undermine the broader public purposes of Measure ULA’s affordable housing and homelessness funding.
RLN: YES