California › Proposition 41

Proposition 41

California · November 3, 2026

What this measure does

Require state laws or ballot initiatives levying a new special tax enacted after January 1, 2026 to require the government entities or departments receiving revenue from the new tax to eliminate their lowest-performing programs and reinvest those savings in higher-performing programs

A yes vote means Any new taxes passed after 2026 would require the government to eliminate their worst-performing programs and reinvest those savings into better-performing ones.
A no vote means New taxes after 2026 can be passed without any requirement to eliminate low-performing programs or reinvest savings.
Simple explanation
Imagine you're managing a budget for a club and you get permission to add a new fundraising fee. This measure says that before you can keep all that new money, you first have to figure out which of your club's activities aren't working well and shut them down, then use the money you save to boost the activities that actually work. It's basically saying: if you want to add new taxes after 2026, you have to prove you're cutting waste first.

Who's for it, who's against it

Support

Source: Ballotpedia

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