Find out which propositions will help UDW members—and which ones will harm us and our communities.
Proposition 14: Stem-Cell Research Bond
UDW Recommends you vote YES
Stem cell research may hold the key to promising treatments for many diseases such as Alzheimer’s, HIV/AIDS, stroke, diabetes and cancer. This proposition would raise money for the California institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and dedicate $1.5 billion toward research and therapy for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, epilepsy and other brain and central nervous system conditions that impact many of IHSS clients.
Proposition 15: Schools and Communities First
UDW Recommends you vote YES
Our union has endorsed Proposition 15 and is actively campaigning for it because it would inject much-needed money into our local communities and schools. Proposition 15 closes a loophole that has been allowing big corporate landowners from avoiding the taxes they should owe. Properties valued less than $3 million dollars, homeowners, renters, small businesses and agricultural land would not be affected.
Proposition 16: Affirmative Action
UDW Recommends you vote YES
Systemic discrimination is real, and UDW has joined other people who oppose discrimination in endorsing Proposition 16. This proposition would reverse the ban on equal opportunity policies, such as affirmative action, so that elected leaders can provide good jobs, better wages and access to better schools for all Californians.
Proposition 17: Voting Rights for Parolees
UDW Recommends you vote YES
Everyone deserves the right to a second chance and every American deserves the right to participate in our democracy. Proposition 17 would act on our core constitutional values by restoring voting rights to nearly 50,000 Californians who have completed their time in prison but are still on parole. California would become the 18th state to allow individuals on parole to participate in elections if passed.
Proposition 18: Voting Age Change
UDW Recommends you vote YES
Younger Californians are emerging as important voices shaping our future and should be supported as they participate in our democracy. Proposition 18 would allow 17-year-olds who will be 18 years old by the next general election to vote in the primary election and in any special elections preceding the general. This will help emerging voters advocate for themselves and their generation as well as instill the habit of regular voting.
Proposition 19: Property Tax Transfers
UDW Recommends you vote YES
Many of our members and clients would benefit from this proposition that would help shift the property tax burden from seniors and people with disabilities to people who use their land for commercial purposes. If this measure passes, homeowners over the age of 55 years old would be eligible for property tax savings if they move. At the same time, it would lessen the property tax breaks for people who inherit land that they then use for rental property.
Proposition 20: Stricter Sentencing and Parole Laws
UDW Recommends you vote NO
The United States already has the highest incarceration rates in the world, and people of color are disproportionately represented in our prison and jail populations. Mass incarceration is breaking our state budgets and keeping us from building stronger communities. We need to be looking for alternatives to prison for low-level crimes and expanding parole for people who have served their time. This proposition wants to take us backward by increasing sentences and making parole harder to qualify for and complete.
Proposition 21: Rent Control Expansion
UDW Recommends you vote YES
California renters already pay 50 percent more for housing than renters in other states. In some parts of the state, rent is more than double the nation average. The high cost of housing is making it harder and harder for working families to find safe, affordable housing will, at the same time, pushing lower-income Californians into homelessness. Proposition 21 would give local governments tools to enact common-sense rent control measures if they are appropriate for their region.
Proposition 22: Employee Classification
UDW Recommends you vote NO
Wealthy “gig” economy companies like Uber, Lyft, Instacart and DoorDash have made billions by repackaging a very old business strategy: not paying workers a fair wage. Now, even after multiple court rulings have ordered them to pay their workers minimum wage and provide the protections that any other worker would get, these businesses have shown they would rather spend hundreds of millions of dollars than pay minimum wage like any other business. If Proposition 22 succeeds, it will open the gates for various other companies to follow this type of business model which is incredibly dangerous for our low to middle class workers.
