Major Corporate Threats REMOVED from the 2024 November Ballot — Except for One…

August 2024

California is our home, and it is getting wrecked by billionaires and corporations who shell out millions to manipulate the rules in their favor, rather than pay their fair share to workers and communities.

Threatened by the power of our progressive movement, corporations spent at least $70 million to undo our democratically passed policy victories, by putting their own corporate-friendly initiatives on the 2024 November statewide ballot. However, some of their attempts to undermine California’s democracy failed. These are some of the harmful and deceptive initiatives that did not make it onto our ballot, as well as the corporate villains behind these efforts to wreck California

Removed Ballot Measures

Two-Thirds Legislative Vote and Voter Approval for New or Increased Taxes Initiative AKA The Taxpayer Deception Act

The California Business Roundtable (CBRT) and their wealthy donors spent over $17 million on an effort to amend the California Constitution to avoid paying their fair share. If passed, this retroactive measure would have cut off funding for the essential services provided by our local government:

• Infrastructure projects, risking road and bridge safety
• Public schools, increasing class sizes and affecting student support
• Local emergency services, homelessness prevention, parks, and more.

This measure would have made it increasingly difficult for our state and cities to improve our already diminished community services and public infrastructure.

Proponents of the initiative: According to Ballotpedia, major donors of the “Californians for Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability” Committee include:

• California Business Roundtable Issues PAC: $8,345,000
• Douglas Emmett Properties: $1,500,000 (Douglas Emmett tried to evict 600 tenants in Barrington Plaza in Los Angeles in order to renovate and re-rent the units.)
• Kilroy Realty: $1,500,000 (Kilroy Realty evicted mostly retired residents from the South San Francisco Marina to make way for a biotech campus expansion.)
• Michael K. Hayde (Western National Group): $1,400,000

Clearly funded by a handful of wealthy real-estate developers and landlords, this self-interested scheme was a response to our progressive movement’s near victory to reclaim $12 billion annually with Schools and Communities First (Prop 15, 2020).

What happened: The California Supreme Court ruled that the CBRT’s ballot measure was unconstitutional. This ruling maintains our ability to raise revenue locally and statewide in the future and end decades of divestment as a result of Proposition 13 The Tax Limitations Initiative (1978).

Oil and Gas Well Regulations Referendum

In 2022, environmental justice organizations, including Asian Pacific Environmental Network and California Environmental Justice Alliance, won Senate Bill 1137, which requires Big Oil companies to:

• Stop drilling new oil wells within 3,200 feet of homes, schools, nursing homes, and hospitals
• Adopt health, safety, and environmental requirements

The residents living near the 30,000 oil wells in the state have long endured the health and safety impacts of pollution from these wells, and SB 1137 protects more Californians from experiencing these harms at the hands of the oil industry.

After SB 1137 was signed into law, greedy oil executives attempted to undermine California’s environmental justice movement by misleading voters to repeal SB 1137. Big Oil companies spent $20 million to gather signatures to repeal this hard-fought victory. This monied corporate campaign lied to voters by saying that repealing SB 1137 would lower gas prices. Gas companies determine gas prices, not the government.

The oil industry knows how popular environmental justice solutions are. Petition gatherers even misled voters using the very language of the law, banning new oil wells near our homes and schools, to fool voters into repealing the law.

Proponents of the initiative: Big Oil companies spent over $25 million to overturn the law. According to Ballotpedia, major donors of the “Stop the Energy Shutdown” Committee include:

• Sentinel Peak Resources California, LLC: $4,500,000
• Signal Hill Petroleum, Inc.: $3,200,000
• E & B Natural Resources Management Corp: $2,950,000
• Macpherson Oil Company, LLC: $1,486,000
• California Independent Petroleum Association: $1,000,000

What happened: Big Oil withdrew the referendum! They knew that money could not defeat the Campaign for a Safe and Healthy California, the coalition of health professionals, environmental justice groups, community and faith leaders, and youth. Californians will not allow Big Oil companies to continue poisoning our environment by drilling new oil wells in people’s neighborhoods.

Employee Civil Action Law and PAGA Repeal Initiative

Corporate lobby groups tried to repeal one of the most powerful worker protection laws, the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). PAGA empowers workers to hold their employers accountable when they violate important worker protections — like the right to overtime, or the right to paid sick leave. PAGA enables workers to file lawsuits to collect monetary penalties on behalf of themselves and all co-workers whose rights have been abused by a law-breaking employer.

Greedy corporate bosses have continued to suppress workers from fighting for their rights to keep their own profits high. To shield themselves from a growing workers’ rights movement in California, corporations sought to disempower the majority of California’s non-union, private sector workers.

Proponents of the initiative: According to Ballotpedia, well-known consumer corporations under the “Californians for Fair Pay and Employer Accountability” Committee spent over $30 million to overturn the law. Major donors include:

• California New Car Dealers Association Issues PAC: $6,595,500
• California Chamber of Commerce: $5,000,000
• California Restaurant Association Issues PAC: $5,654,272.42

If this repeal took into effect, workers of color and low-income workers would be hardest hit by their employers’ wage violations, without the means to seek justice.

What happened: Labor and business groups reached an agreement on PAGA reform that would amend PAGA with the intention of stopping labor violations, rather than large payouts to workers. While not a complete victory, this deal means that Californian workers will avoid an outcome that completely strips their ability to file private lawsuits against abusive employers.

Still Remaining on the Ballot

Proposition 36–The Mass Incarceration Initiative

In 2014, voters decided to reclassify nonviolent felonies to misdemeanors and redirect funds toward schools, mental health and rehabilitation by voting Yes on Prop 47. Our allies at Californians for Safety and Justice (as well as Chinese Progressive Association, Asian Law Caucus, Chinese for Affirmative Action, and PICO California) fought for Prop 47.

Now this law is being undermined by Big Retailers that are more concerned about making profits than addressing the needs of working-class and poor communities. Corporations like Walgreens and Target claimed to be closing stores because of merchandise loss. Their financial “struggles” are due to other reasons, such as competition from online retailers and high commercial rents.

Instead of directing resources to housing and rehabilitation programs that keep us all safer, district attorneys want to lock people up–punishing people facing addiction and poverty. The Mass Incarceration Initiative has qualified to appear on our November ballot. Now known as Prop 36, this measure would roll back key wins of our progressive movement by:

• creating harsher sentences for drug possession and petty theft,
• increase mass incarceration
• reduce funding for education, mental health, and homelessness prevention.

Proponents of the initiative: According to Ballotpedia, major donors of the “Californians to Reduce Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft” Committee include:

• Walmart: $2,500,000
• Home Depot: $1,000,000
• Target: $500,000
• 7-Eleven: $300,000
• California Correctional Peace Officers Association: $300,000

What’s happening: Governor Newsom and progressive California legislators oppose Prop 36. The Legislature is pushing forward an alternative package of “tough-on-crime” bills around retail theft. Proponents, like the California Retailers Association are spending millions to mislead voters and to spread harmful narratives that criminalize our communities. Sign up to receive updates from the Stop on Prop 36 Coalition.