California 2004 ballot propositions
From Ballotpedia
| 2003 State Ballot Measures |
|---|
2004 » « 2002 |
 |
| Part 1: Overview |
| Current measures |
| Measure Monthly |
Twenty (20) statewide ballot propositions were on the California ballot in 2004. Four were on the March 2 primary ballot and 16 were on the November 2 general election ballot. Of the four measures on the March 2 ballot, three were approved and one was defeated. Of the 16 measures on the November 2 ballot, nine measures were approved and seven were defeated.
Of the 20 measures, seven were legislative referrals, 12 were initiatives, and one was a veto referendum. Of the 12 initiatives, seven were amendments to the California Constitution and five were initiated state statutes.
On the ballot
March 2
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BI | Proposition 55 | Bonds | Issues $12.3 billion in bonds for school and college facilities | 
|
| CICA/SS | Proposition 56 | State spending | Decreases legislative vote needed to pass state budget from 2/3 to 55% | 
|
| BI | Proposition 57 | Bonds | Issues $15 billion in bonds for the state government's deficit |
|
| LRCA | Proposition 58 | State spending | Requires the passage of balanced budgets |
|
November 2
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LRCA | Proposition 1A | State budget | Adds language to constitution stating that local property and sales tax revenue is to remain with local governments |
|
| LRCA | Proposition 59 | Admin of gov't | Creates a state constitutional right to public information and access to public meetings |
|
| LRCA | Proposition 60 | Elections | Creates a state constitutional right for political parties that participated in primaries to participate in general elections |
|
| LRCA | Proposition 60A | Admin of gov't | Dedicates revenue from government property surplus sales to paying for Proposition 57 |
|
| CISS | Proposition 61 | Bonds | Issues $750 million bonds for children's hospitals |
|
| CICA/SS | Proposition 62 | Elections | Adopts a top-two primary systems |
|
| CISS | Proposition 63 | Tax increase | Adopts a 1% tax on income above $1 million for mental healthcare services |
|
| CISS | Proposition 64 | Business regulation | Changes the rules governing California's Unfair Competition Law |
|
| CICA | Proposition 65 | State budget | Requires voter approval of legislation that decreases local governments' revenues from the state from specific taxes |
|
| CISS | Proposition 66 | Law enforcement | Amends the state's three-strikes criminal sentencing law to reduce the number of crimes for which someone can be sentenced for lifes |
|
| CICA/SS | Proposition 67 | Taxes | Creates a 3% surcharge on telephone calls to provide emergency medical services funding |
|
| CICA/SS | Proposition 68 | Gambling | Creates scenarios for tribal gaming compacts and non-tribal gaming |
|
| CISS | Proposition 69 | Law enforcement | Requires that DNA be collected from persons convicted of felonies and submitted to a state database |
|
| CICA/SS | Proposition 70 | Gambling | Requires governor to execute American Indian tribe gaming compacts |
|
| CICA/SS | Proposition 71 | Stem cells | Establishes a constitutional right to conduct stem cell research, creates the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), and issues a $3.00 billion bond to fund CIRM |
|
| VR | Proposition 72 | Healthcare | Requires employer contributions to healthcare insurance |
|
Getting measures on the ballot
Legislative referrals
The California State Legislature may refer constitutional amendments to the ballot with a two-thirds (66.67%) vote in each chamber.
The legislature can refer statutes and bond issues with a simple majority vote, but the governor's signature is also required.
In California, changes to voter-approved ballot initiatives need to be referred to voters for approval or rejection unless the changes further the initiative's purpose.
Initiatives
The number of valid signatures for citizen-initiated measures in California are based on the votes cast for governor in the last gubernatorial election, which are held every four years. Initiated constitutional amendments require 8% of that total while initiated state statutes and veto referendums require 5%. The requirements for each type in 2004 were as follows:
- Initiated constitutional amendment (ICA): 598,105
- Initiated state statute (ISS): 373,816
- Veto referendum (VR): 373,816
Historical facts
As of the end of 2004, a cumulative total of 293 citizen initiatives (counting citizen-initiated constitutional amendments and citizen-initiated state statutes and not counting veto referenda) had appeared on California ballots since the first initiatives in 1912.
See also
- 2004 ballot measures
- List of California ballot propositions
- History of Initiative and Referendum in California
- Laws governing I&R in California
- List of California ballot propositions
- Laws governing ballot measures in California
External links
- California Secretary of State
- California State Legislature
- Official declaration of March 2, 2004 vote
- Detailed vote results for the March 2004 propositions Broken down by county
- Official declaration of the November 2, 2004 ballot proposition votes
- Detailed vote results for the November 2004 ballot propositions
- November 2004 election results from the California Secretary of State
- Spending on 2004 California ballot measures
- PDF of the mailed March 2, 2004 voter guide for Propositions 55 and 56
- PDF of the mailed March 2, 2004 voter guide for Propositions 57 and 58
- PDF of the mailed November 2, 2004 voter guide for Propositions 1A and 65
- PDF of the mailed November 2, 2004 voter guide for Propositions 59, 60, 60A, 61-64, 66-72
