Friend –

On Tuesday, November 5, we, the people, get to choose the future of California.

Will we provide affordable housing and tenant protection to keep people in their homes? Will we end forced labor – i.e., slavery – in prison and instead invest in rehabilitation that reduces crime? Will we, at long last, enshrine marriage equality into California's constitution?

We've put together a voter guide for the state ballot measures. You can read more about our positions and reasoning below, but here's a cheat sheet:

• Yes on Proposition 3.
• Yes on Proposition 4.
• Yes on Proposition 5.
• Yes on Proposition 6.
• Yes on Proposition 32.
• Yes on Proposition 33.
• NO on Proposition 36.

Our California Ballot Measure Endorsements

Yes on Proposition 3: Protect the fundamental right to marry, regardless of gender or race

The California Constitution still says that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid." While past US Supreme Court decisions have rendered this language unenforceable, with today's court, nothing is certain.

Vote Yes on Prop 3 to enshrine the freedom to marry in the California Constitution.

Join the campaign and sign up to text bank (virtual) on Wednesday, October 9, 5:30 – 8 p.m. Please note: This link will take you to a third-party website, ngpvan.com.

Yes on Proposition 4: $10 billion in bonds to help California meet the challenges of the climate crisis

Proposition 4 would generate $10 billion to pay for climate and environmental initiatives including wildfire protection, water conservation projects, sea level rise mitigation, wildlife protection, sustainable agriculture, and defense against extreme heat events.

Forty percent of the funding would be invested in projects that safeguard lower-income communities, which are disproportionately affected by climate change. Vote Yes.

Yes on Proposition 5: Cut red tape, build more affordable housing

Current California law requires two-thirds of voters to approve affordable housing bonds. This requirement is undemocratic, unfair, and a major obstacle to solving our homelessness crisis.

Prop 5 would lower the threshold for affordable housing to 55%, a key step to empowering cities and counties to build more homes and keep rents down.

Yes on Proposition 6: Reduce crime, increase rehabilitation, and end slavery in California prisons

California's constitution has a loophole that allows forced labor for the punishment of crimes. This undermines rehabilitation by preventing thousands of incarcerated people from taking full advantage of education, counseling, and other programs that make them less likely to re-offend when they return to their communities.

Vote Yes on Proposition 6 to reduce crime, enhance public safety, and end modern-day slavery in California prisons.

Yes on Proposition 32: Raise California's minimum wage

All people deserve a decent standard of living and access to food, housing, and healthcare. But for years, working people in California have not been paid what they're owed. The state's minimum wage has stayed depressed even as economic productivity has grown.

Vote Yes on Prop 32 to raise the state minimum wage to $18 (from the current $16 per hour) for employers with 26 or more employees.

Yes on Proposition 33: Expand rent control

Housing affordability and homelessness are a nationwide crisis, and California is at the epicenter. Rent control is a crucial tool to keep people in their homes by stopping soaring and unfair rent increases.

Voting Yes on Prop 33 would change outdated and restrictive laws so that local communities can decide to limit rent increases, prevent displacement, and keep Californians housed.

No on Proposition 36: Stop the prison spending scam. Support crime victims and recovery

Proposition 36 is an extreme measure that will cut hundreds of millions of dollars from programs that provide trauma recovery services for crime victims, K-12 education, and mental health and substance abuse treatment. That money would instead be redirected to California prisons.

Disguised as a way to curb retail theft, Prop 36 would return California to the War on Drugs era, making crime and the opioid crisis worse.

Vote No.

We're hosting phone banks twice a week, virtual and in person, in San Francisco, Fresno, and Sacramento. Join us! Please note: This link will take you to a third-party website, ngpvan.com.

We have from now until election day to get the word out. Share this voter guide, talk to your friends and family, and let's make the California we believe in real.

Thanks for sticking with us,

ACLU of Northern California