Citizen's guide to passed propositions

In 2016, 18 propositions were on the ballot for California—12 were approved, and four were declined. One appeared on the June 7, 2016 ballot and was approved, and the other 17 propositions were on the Nov. 8, 2016 ballot. “The Los Angeles Times” estimated that more than $452 million would be spent directly on ballot measures in California in 2016. But as of November 3, 2016, support and opposition campaigns had amassed a record breaking amount of $489 million, making this election one of the most expensive to date.Out of the many important propositions that were passed and one of the most talked about by Californians was Prop. 64, which legalized marijuana for recreational use for adults over the age of 21 starting on Jan. 1, 2018. The proposition also established certain sales and cultivation taxes, which will be enacted on the same day.Along with this, both Prop. 51 and Prop. 58 were approved by voters. Prop. 51 gave California school districts a total of $9 billion in bonds to be used to improve and construct K-12 schools and community colleges. Prop. 58 effectively allows non-English languages to be used in public educational instruction. This was previously banned in the 1987 proposition, Measure 227, which eliminated most bilingual classes from public education and required most classes to be taught solely in English.Propositions 55 and 56 dealt with taxes and were both passed. Prop. 55 enacted an extension of the one percent personal income tax raise on anyone with an income over $250,000 which was approved in 2012 for 12 years to fund education and healthcare. Prop. 56 enacted a $2 sales tax on any purchase of cigarettes in hopes of discouraging a younger audience as well as those already smoking and 25 cents of the tax will immediately go to tobacco prevention services.Propositions 57, 62 and 66 all dealt with criminal justice. Prop. 57 will increase parole and good behavior opportunities for felons convicted of nonviolent crimes and allow judges, not prosecutors, to decide whether to try certain juveniles as adults in court. Prop. 62 attempted to repeal the death penalty but failed in doing so by a margin of about eight percent. Prop. 66 dealt with changing the death penalty to make appeal procedures quicker as well as require those on death row to work to pay restitution to the victims families, however preliminary results are too close to call and it has not been established whether or not the proposition has been passed as of now.Propositions 52 and 61 both dealt with Health Care. Prop. 52 will require voter approval to change the dedicated use of certain fees from hospitals used to draw matching federal money and fund Medi-Cal services. Prop. 61 attempted to regulate drug prices by requiring state agencies to pay no more than the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pays for prescription drugs, but was not approved and lost by a voter margin of about 7 percent.Lastly, Propositions 65 and 67 dealt with plastic bags. Prop. 65 attempted to make it a requirement for the money collected from the sale of carry-out bags by grocery or other retail stores to go to a special fund administered by the Wildlife Conservation Board, but was not passed. However, Prop. 67 was passed and supported upholding the contested legislation banning certain plastic bags that was enacted by the California State Legislature as Senate Bill 270.With the beginning of the outcry of the events that took place on Nov. 8, California can take a breath and soak in the light of hope as a major shift in government takes place. Although many of the propositions were passed, the fight for a better place won’t stop quite yet.