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What the #$%^ Is California Voting On?! (Ep 0014)
Episode 0014
Friday, 16 October, 2026
California Props 40, 41 and 42 explained: how two measures can cancel the billionaire tax even if it wins a majority. Plus Prop 5 recall reform, voter ID, CEQA, the bonds, and the 1988 ballot fight that set the precedent.Summary:Mail ballots are out and election day is Tuesday, 3 November. This episode walks through the state propositions in order: what each one does, the mechanism underneath, and where the host lands. The big one is how Props 40, 41 and 42 interact. When measures conflict, the one with the most yes votes wins, so a voter can support two things they like and end up with neither. The episode ends on the 1988 campaign-finance fight (Props 68 and 73) that Prop 4 is still trying to undo.Chapters:* 0:00 What’s on a California ballot, and what’s in the voter guide* 3:40 Prop 1 (housing bond), Prop 2 (rainy-day fund), Prop 3 (top-earner tax made permanent)* 6:24 Prop 5: recall reform, and why the host has a stake in it* 14:00 Prop 37 (housing loan bond) and Prop 38 (immunology bonds)* 16:30 Prop 39: voter ID* 18:16 Prop 40: the billionaire tax* 21:30 Props 41 and 42: the measures written to cancel it* 25:10 Prop 4 and the 1988 precedent: Props 68 vs 73* 27:46 Reading the conflicting-measures clause* 30:16 Prop 43: two-thirds vote for citizen-initiated special taxes* 33:30 Prop 44: clinics and the union behind it* 34:30 The money in the Prop 40 fight* 38:44 Prop 45: CEQA* 42:40 Governor’s race, and wrap-upMy Calls:* Prop 1, 37, 38 (bonds): no* Prop 2 (rainy-day fund): fine with it* Prop 3: no* Prop 5: no* Prop 43: yes* Prop 45: no* Props 40, 41, 42: skeptical of new taxes and of the new government inventory the wealth tax would create, and he thinks 42 is worth backing* Prop 39: expects it to failWhat to read before you vote:Find the “Conflicting Measures” section in the text of each proposition, in the back of the official voter guide. If you want Prop 40 to survive, it has to get more yes votes than whichever counter-measure passes.Links* Prop 42 full text (Secretary of State), including the conflicting-measures clause* Prop 41 text and Prop 40 text* LAO analysis of Prop 40* Taxpayers to Limit Campaign Spending v. FPPC (1990), the 68 vs 73 ruling* 2018 SD-29 recall results (Secretary of State)* PPIC September 2026 survey* CalMatters on Prop 44 and on Prop 45Note: Spending figures change with every filing, so check the Secretary of State’s ballot measure contribution pages for current totals. The claims about the Prop 44 union are allegations in a federal suit, and the union denies them.Subscribe, hit the bell and set it to All, and send in the issues you want covered from your own state or town. Get full access to The Hourly Struggle at hourlystruggle.substack.com/subscribe
