By admin 
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California voters have approved 10 ballot measures, including one that would make some nonviolent crimes, such as shoplifting, felonies again and another that would make the state minimum wage among the highest in the nation to make.
Here’s a look at some of the most consequential proposals being put before voters:
Proposal 36
Frustrated by what they see as rampant retail crime, voters approved an initiative that would make shoplifting a crime for repeat offenders again and increase penalties for certain drug offenses, including those involving the synthetic opioid fentanyl. The tough-on-crime ballot measure also gives judges the power to order people with multiple drug offenses to seek treatment.
The measure partially reverses a progressive law passed by voters in 2014 that downgraded several non-violent crimes to misdemeanors, including theft under $950 and some drug offenses. The reversal reflects widespread anger among voters, who are increasingly placing the blame for homelessness and shoplifting on criminal justice reform and progressive prosecutors.
It is difficult to quantify California’s retail crime problem due to the lack of local data. But many point to videos of large groups of people stealing in plain sight, such as one boarded up Nike store in Los Angeles afterward the Dodgers won the World Series last week, as evidence of a crisis.
Supporters say the initiative is necessary to close legal loopholes that have made it difficult for law enforcement to punish shoplifters and drug dealers.
“This is a resounding message that Californians are ready for safer communities,” said Anne Marie Schubert, co-chair of the coalition supporting the measure.
Opponents, including Democratic state leaders and social justice groups, said it will disproportionately jail poor people and those with substance abuse problems rather than targeting the leaders who hire large groups of people to steal goods for online resale. The initiative will also eliminate drug and mental health funding that comes from the savings from incarcerating fewer people.
“Voters wanted solutions, but they were sold a false promise,” said Tinisch Hollins, executive director of the coalition that co-authored the 2014 law. “Now that this initiative is over and potentially threatens hundreds of millions of dollars to stabilize these programs , we will be a lot worse off than before.”
Proposal 32
This would increase the minimum wage to $18 per hour by 2026, up from the current rate of $16 per hour for most people. Wednesday morning it was still too early to call.
Fast food workers already received a pay increase this year at least $20 per hourand some health care professionals are now making one minimum $23 per hour.
If approved, California would have the highest minimum wage statewide. In 2016, it became the first state to adopt one $15 per hour minimum wage. About 40 cities and counties already have a minimum wage higher than the national rate, and six of them will require a minimum wage of more than $18 per hour starting this year.
Hawaii passed a law in 2022 that will increase the minimum wage to $18 per hour by 2028.
Supporters of the measure in California estimate it would benefit two million workers, including hotel and grocery store workers. Opponents say this would raise costs, lead to higher taxes and push companies to cut jobs.
Proposal 4
California voters approved a plan to borrow $10 billion for various climate programs, the state’s largest investment to date in the fight against climate change.
The bulk of the money, $3.8 billion, goes to improving drinking water systems and preparing for droughts and floods. Wildfire preparedness programs will receive $1.5 billion, while $1.2 billion will go toward combating sea level rise.
The remainder is divided between parks and outdoor recreation programs; air quality; preparedness for extreme heat; protection of biodiversity; and sustainability of farms and ranches.
Supporters of the measure say it will help the state better prepare for a changing climate and the growing threat of wildfires, water pollution and extreme heat.
“Californians are taking the lead and choosing to invest now in climate solutions to protect us from fires and floods, build a more resilient future, and preserve the iconic California resources that make our state special,” said Liz Forsburg Pardi, California policy director at the Nature Conservancy, according to a statement.
But opponents called the bond the most expensive way to pay for programs that could have been funded through the state budget.
“California voters are right to be concerned about clean water and wildfire mitigation, but these are problems because the Legislature and Governor have failed to adequately fund these important priorities in the budget while spending taxpayer dollars on other things ( or waste),” says Susan Shelley. , spokesman for Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association said in a statement.
It will cost taxpayers about $16 billion to pay it off, in annual installments of $400 million.
Proposal 6
This would change the state constitution to prohibit forced labor in any form. The constitution currently prohibits it, except as punishment for crime. It was still too early to make a call Wednesday morning, but neighboring Nevada passed a similar measure.
That exemption has become a target of criminal justice advocates concerned about prison working conditions. Incarcerated people are often paid less than a dollar an hour to fight fires, clean cells and landscape cemeteries.
The initiative is included in a reparations package introduced by lawmakers as part of an effort to reconcile and provide redress for a history of racism and discrimination against Black Californians.
Several other states, including Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont, have passed constitutional amendments in recent years that eliminate exceptions to slavery and involuntary servitude.
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