Sarabjit Kaur Cheema
Elect Sarabjit Kaur Cheema to push Union City in the right direction.
About the Position
Incorporated cities in California are generally governed by a five-person city council.
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The President of the United States is the head of the Executive branch of the federal government, and the Commander-in-Chief for all branches of the armed forces. A president has the power to make diplomatic, executive, and judicial appointments, and can sign into law or veto legislation. Presidential administrations are responsible for both foreign and domestic policy priorities. Presidents are limited to serving two four-year terms in office.
As of October 12th, Democratic challenger Vice President Joe Biden is leading Republican incumbent President Donald Trump in the polls by an average national margin of 9.2% (as of 10/24/20). Ten days before Election Day in 2016, Secretary Hillary Clinton held an average 4.9% polling lead over Donald Trump. Vice President Biden’s campaign has raised $952 million (as of 10/14/20) and is not funded by fossil fuel money. While his platform commits to establishing meaningful campaign finance reform, his 2020 campaign has received donations from special interest, corporate PAC, and lobbyist organizations. President Donald Trump has raised $601 million (as of 10/14/20) and has not taken any fundraising pledges. President Trump is endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police, Citizens United, Proud Boys, and a variety of law enforcement organizations.
Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. is from Scranton, PA, and moved to Claymont, DE with his family when he was 10 years old. He has been a resident of Wilmington, DE, for most of his adult life. Vice President Biden came of age during the 1960s Civil Rights movement, which he cites as his inspiration for majoring in political science at the University of Delaware before earning his law degree at Syracuse University. His political career began in 1970 when he was elected to the New Castle County Council. Just two years later, at age 29, Vice President Biden ran for the Delaware Senate seat, and became one of the youngest people ever elected to the United States Senate. A few weeks after his election, his wife and infant daughter were killed in a car accident, and his two sons were badly injured. This personal tragedy shaped Vice President Biden’s public image as an empathetic leader and committed family man.
Vice President Biden spent 36 years representing Delaware in the Senate. He is often critiqued as being an unremarkable, status quo Democrat, and mid-career votes in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act, anti-drug legislation, and the Iraq War reaffirm that characterization. In 1991, Vice President Biden was the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and presided over the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Justice Clarence Thomas, who had been credibly accused of sexual harassment by a former colleague, Anita Hill. Vice President Biden’s mismanagement of the hearing resulted in a targeted and unfair character assassination of Anita Hill, and remains a reminder of his complicity in the patriarchal and racist systems on which American government is built.
Vice President Biden has also been directly accused of unwanted contact by several women over the course of his career. Most of the accusations came to light as part of the #MeToo movement, and related to invasions of personal space that included the touching of shoulders, caressing of hair, and close whispering. He has apologized publicly for this behavior, and stated an understanding of his responsibility to conform to more modern social norms in his interactions with women.
Vice President Biden launched two unsuccessful campaigns for President during his time in the Senate, in 1988 and 2008. After ending his 2008 campaign, he was chosen by President Barack Obama to join his ticket as Vice President, and they served together for two terms. As Vice President, he was responsible for managing the 2009 economic recovery, helping to expand health care through the Affordable Care Act, and acting as the administration’s liaison to the Senate. In 2015, his oldest son, Beau Biden, lost his battle with brain cancer at the age of 46. Since leaving office in 2016, Vice President Biden has dedicated substantial resources to cancer research.
Although he was rarely a trailblazer, Vice President Biden’s record does demonstrate a consistent liberal evolution on many issues throughout his career. After voting in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, he was the first member of the Obama Administration to advocate for marriage equality in 2012. After presiding over the Anita Hill hearings in 1991, he was the architect of the Violence Against Women Act in 1994, and led the Obama Administration’s effort to reduce campus sexual assault through the It’s On Us campaign. After supporting the 1994 Crime Bill and aligning with the racist ‘tough on crime’ approach of that era, his current platform supports criminal justice reform, abolishing private prisons, and decriminalizing marijuana.
Vice President Biden has long been committed to building relationships with colleagues across the aisle, and bridging intra-party policy differences to establish compromise legislation for the American people. This commitment to civility resulted in Vice President Biden maintaining problematic working relationships with segregationist Senators James Eastland and Herman Talmadge during his time in the Senate. During the 2020 primary, Sen. Cory Booker and Sen. Kamala Harris, both Black candidates running for President, were outward in their critique of what they viewed as Vice President Biden’s defense of the reputations and decency of these segregationists. However, Vice President Biden has not apologized for his continued defense of collaborating with these segregationist colleagues, and maintains broad support in the Black community.
Vice President Biden’s commitment to compromise has extended to the left in recent months, and updates to his campaign platform are reflective of his interest in connecting with progressive voters. While he was a more moderate candidate in the larger 2020 field, he has been conscientious about including the popular perspectives of his progressive rivals, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders, in his platform. He has recently issued proposals that include middle-class tax cuts, lowering Medicare eligibility to age 60, new benchmarks for greenhouse gas emission limits, free college tuition for families making less than $125,000 annually, and clean energy investments. While these proposals do not embrace the full scope of progressive ideals, they are an important indicator of his capacity for collaboration.
The Biden/Harris campaign is endorsed by many progressive groups in the country. While the Biden/Harris platform is the most progressive platform ever adopted by a major party ticket, we encourage progressive advocates to continue to hold their administration accountable, and work to encourage progressive legislation throughout the country. With consideration to their records in public service, we unequivocally recommend Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the strongest choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
The Vice President is the second-highest office in the Executive branch of the federal government. The officeholder is the first in the line of succession to the presidency and holds legislative authority as the president of the Senate. In this role, the Vice President presides over Senate deliberations and can cast a tie-breaking vote in close decisions. A Vice Presidential candidate is selected directly by a Presidential nominee who has won the democratic primary process. Vice Presidential candidates are elected indirectly as a part of the Presidential ticket in the general election. A Vice President serves four year terms, and there is no term limit for this position.
As of October 12th, Democratic challenger Vice President Joe Biden is leading Republican incumbent President Donald Trump in the polls by an average national margin of 9.2% (as of 10/24/20). Ten days before Election Day in 2016, Secretary Hillary Clinton held an average 4.9% polling lead over Donald Trump. Vice President Biden’s campaign has raised $952 million (as of 10/14/20) and is not funded by fossil fuel money. While his platform commits to establishing meaningful campaign finance reform, his 2020 campaign has received donations from special interest, corporate PAC, and lobbyist organizations. President Donald Trump has raised $601 million (as of 10/14/20) and has not taken any fundraising pledges. President Trump is endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police, Citizens United, Proud Boys, and a variety of law enforcement organizations.
Senator Kamala Harris grew up in Berkeley, CA, and now resides in Los Angeles. She is the daughter of a Jamiacan father and an Indian mother who both emigrated to the Bay Area in the 1960s, and established themselves as activists in the Civil Rights movement in Oakland. Sen. Harris’ interest in justice and equal rights was instilled at a young age when she participated in civil rights protests in Oakland alongside her activist parents, and was further shaped when she was included in the second class of students to be bussed as part of Berkley’s efforts toward school integration. She attended Howard University, one of America’s HBCU institutions, for undergraduate studies, and completed her law degree at the University of California, Hastings.
After working for the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office for 8 years, Sen. Harris transitioned to a role as a prosecutor in the San Francisco District Attorney’s office. Sen. Harris’ political career began in 2003 when she won her bid to become District Attorney of the City and County of San Francisco. She served two terms in San Francisco before being elected as the Attorney General for the state of California in 2010. She was the first woman and the first person of color to hold this seat. In representing the needs and interests of Californians in each of these roles, Sen. Harris’ record was both progressive for the time and complicated by her moderate approach to policing and criminal justice. She has been criticized for failing to institute comprehensive police accountability measures, for not establishing meaningful prison reform, and for taking a hands-off approach to cases related to police misconduct. However, her lenient approach to policing was often punctuated by decidedly progressive support for social justice issues, including the establishment of an education and workforce reentry program designed to diminish recidivism. Similarly, as Attorney General, she declined to defend Proposition 8, a proposition to make same-sex marriage illegal in California, in court and officiated the first wedding in the state when marriage equality was restored in 2013.
In 2016, Sen. Harris became the first woman of color elected to represent California in the United States Senate. Sen. Harris has sponsored legislation on climate and environmental protections, rental and housing protections, women’s health, and pandemic relief. She was also an original cosponsor of the progressive Green New Deal authored by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey. Sen. Harris sits on four committees: Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Budget, Judiciary, and Select Committee on Intelligence. She has been an outspoken opponent of the Trump Administration, and has deftly used her position on the Senate Judiciary Committee to question judicial nominees and interrogate the hypocrisy of her Republican colleagues.
Sen. Harris formally launched her campaign for President in January 2019 at an Oakland rally with an estimated attendance of 20,000 supporters. As a candidate, she pushed forward a platform that opposed Medicare for All, supported expansion of the Affordable Care Act, sought to expand tax benefits for middle and low-income families, supported citizenship for Dreamers, and favored a ban on assault weapons. She ended her campaign in December 2019, and was tapped to join Vice President Joe Biden’s ticket ahead of the Democratic National Convention in August 2020.
The Biden/Harris campaign is endorsed by many progressive groups in the country. While the Biden/Harris platform is the most progressive platform ever adopted by a major party ticket, we encourage progressive advocates to continue to hold their administration accountable, and work to encourage progressive legislation throughout the country. With consideration to their records in public service, we unequivocally recommend Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the strongest choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
Villalobos, a paralegal, is from Hayward, CA. Prior to running for election, he worked as an organizer for SEIU Local 87 and as a paralegal at several civil rights law firms in the Bay Area. He is a longtime supporter of unions and workers’ rights. According to campaign materials, Villalobos is running for office to reinvest in public schools, close tax loopholes, and expand rent control.
Villalobos’s priorities for AD-20 this year include establishing a universal health-care system for all California residents, expanding accountability for law-enforcement officials, and moving to a 100 percent clean energy future.
Villalobos is endorsed by a large number of progressive groups, such as Evolve California, California Progressive Alliance, Our Revolution - East Bay, and FUN Progressives. At this time, he does not have any problematic endorsements. While Villalobos has less name recognition and political power than the incumbent, he would bring a more progressive platform to the seat and has made principled funding pledges during his campaign. According to our analysis, Villalobos is a strong choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
Villalobos, a paralegal, is from Hayward, CA. Prior to running for election, he worked as an organizer for SEIU Local 87 and as a paralegal at several civil rights law firms in the Bay Area. He is a longtime supporter of unions and workers’ rights. According to campaign materials, Villalobos is running for office to reinvest in public schools, close tax loopholes, and expand rent control.
Villalobos’s priorities for AD-20 this year include establishing a universal health-care system for all California residents, expanding accountability for law-enforcement officials, and moving to a 100 percent clean energy future.
Villalobos is endorsed by a large number of progressive groups, such as Evolve California, California Progressive Alliance, Our Revolution - East Bay, and FUN Progressives. At this time, he does not have any problematic endorsements. While Villalobos has less name recognition and political power than the incumbent, he would bring a more progressive platform to the seat and has made principled funding pledges during his campaign. According to our analysis, Villalobos is a strong choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
Assemblymember Quirk, a former NASA climate scientist, has lived in Hayward since 1978. Prior to his election to the State Assembly, he was elected to the Hayward City Council, where he worked to apply a scientific perspective to issues of local safety, economic revitalization, and transit-oriented housing projects. He is a longtime supporter of improving environmental protections. According to campaign materials, Assemblymember Quirk is running for re-election to build on his experiences combining his understanding of scientific research with public and community service.
Assemblymember Quirk’s priorities for AD-20 this year include building upon environmental protections and focusing on maintaining communication during disasters. He currently sits on five standing committees: Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials (chair), Appropriations, Public Safety, Revenue and Taxation, and Utilities and Energy. Assemblymember Quirk has sponsored 50 bills about environmental protections, cannabis, and water quality this year, of which 11 have been successfully chaptered. He scores a lifetime score of 85 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Assemblymember Quirk has supported the most progressive bills that made it to a vote. That said, he has not supported such legislation as AB 749, which prohibits “no rehire” provisions that bar victims of mistreatment from employment with the offending company, and AB 1279, which encourages affordable housing production in “high-resource” areas that show patterns of exclusion.
Assemblymember Quirk is endorsed by several progressive groups, such as the California Labor Federation, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 21, and AFSCME 3299. At this time, he does not have any problematic endorsements. According to our analysis, Quirk is a strong choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
Assemblymember Quirk, a former NASA climate scientist, has lived in Hayward since 1978. Prior to his election to the State Assembly, he was elected to the Hayward City Council, where he worked to apply a scientific perspective to issues of local safety, economic revitalization, and transit-oriented housing projects. He is a longtime supporter of improving environmental protections. According to campaign materials, Assemblymember Quirk is running for re-election to build on his experiences combining his understanding of scientific research with public and community service.
Assemblymember Quirk’s priorities for AD-20 this year include building upon environmental protections and focusing on maintaining communication during disasters. He currently sits on five standing committees: Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials (chair), Appropriations, Public Safety, Revenue and Taxation, and Utilities and Energy. Assemblymember Quirk has sponsored 50 bills about environmental protections, cannabis, and water quality this year, of which 11 have been successfully chaptered. He scores a lifetime score of 85 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Assemblymember Quirk has supported the most progressive bills that made it to a vote. That said, he has not supported such legislation as AB 749, which prohibits “no rehire” provisions that bar victims of mistreatment from employment with the offending company, and AB 1279, which encourages affordable housing production in “high-resource” areas that show patterns of exclusion.
Assemblymember Quirk is endorsed by several progressive groups, such as the California Labor Federation, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 21, and AFSCME 3299. At this time, he does not have any problematic endorsements. According to our analysis, Quirk is a strong choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
Judges of the California Superior Courts are elected in nonpartisan, county-wide elections to six-year terms. Once voted in, a judge can run for retention at the expiration of their term. A retention election is a process by which voters decide whether an incumbent judge should remain for another term. If the judge, when not facing an opponent, does not obtain a certain percentage of voters (often 50 percent), they are removed from the position. Many judges join the court through a gubernatorial appointment. If a judge is appointed, they compete in the next general election following the appointment.
California has 58 trial courts, or superior courts, one in each county. In the more than 450 courthouses of the superior courts, a judge and sometimes a jury hears witness testimony and other evidence. These courts hear civil, criminal, family, probate, small claims, traffic, and juvenile cases. The judge decides cases through the application of relevant law to the relevant facts.
The Superior Court of Alameda County comprises civil, small claims, family law, probate, juvenile, criminal, and traffic courts. The County’s public defenders see 50,000 cases per year. As of 2016, Alameda County’s incarceration rate was 305 per 100,000 adults aged 18–69, slightly lower than California’s overall 486 per 100,000 average.
In the primary, Elena Condes led challenger Mark Fickes by a margin of 3 percent. Condes’s campaign has raised $147,196.68 and is primarily funded by individual donors, with about 10 percent from labor unions and 7 percent self-funded. Condes’s campaign has not signed on to any pledges to avoid money from fossil fuels or police unions, but has not taken funding from either source, or from corporate PACs. Fickes’s campaign has raised $131,476 and is 57 percent self-funded. Fickes’s campaign also has not committed to sign on to any pledges to avoid money from fossil fuels or police unions, but has also not taken any funding from either source or from corporate PACs.
Elena Condes, a criminal defense attorney with more than 25 years of courtroom experience, has lived in the East Bay for her entire professional career. According to campaign materials, Condes is running for election to increase access to the justice system, expand and support alternatives to incarceration, and support and mentor youth to increase diversity. If elected, Condes would become the third Latina on the Alameda County bench in a county that is 22.4 percent Latinx or Hispanic.
As a criminal defense attorney, Elena Condes started her own practice based on the premise that every person deserves respect and justice. She has worked as a judge pro tem for Alameda County and on the executive committee for the Court Appointed Attorneys Program. Condes is a recipient of the Minority Bar Coalition Unity Award for her dedication to working to advance the cause of diversity in the legal profession. Elena Condes has also served as president and treasurer of the East Bay La Raza Lawyers Association for 20 years with the aim to support Latinx law students in the Bay Area. Condes has also served on the board of Women Defenders, a professional association of criminal defense attorneys. Committed to education and the importance of ensuring that youth have access to the resources they need, Elena Condes served on the PTA of Washington Elementary School in Berkeley and helped create the Educational Equality Alliance, raising money for one-on-one tutoring for those not proficient in English, and purchasing bilingual books for students and families.
Elena Condes is endorsed by a strong majority of local progressive groups in the district. Her opponent, Mark Fickes, is endorsed by more moderate Democatic Party members or party-aligned groups. According to our analysis, Elena Condes is the strongest choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
Proposition 14 asks voters to authorize a total of $5.5 billion in state general obligation bonds to continue the California stem cell agency that funds research, therapy, and grants to educational, nonprofit, and private entities for Alzheimer’s, Parkison’s, epilepsy, strokes, and other central nervous system and brain conditions and diseases. Prop 14 is an extension of Prop 71, which created the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) in 2004. The CIRM ran out of the original Prop 71 funds in 2019 and has not been funding new projects since then.
Vote YES to continue the CIRM, a state agency that has distributed a significant source of funding to scientific research programs and enterprises across the state, both nonprofit and for-profit.
Vote NO to not authorize the sale of $5.5 billion in state bonds for the CIRM and eliminate a financially burdensome stem cell research program that no longer has significant impact on medical research.
Robert N. Klein II, a Silicon Valley real estate developer and the top donor for Prop 14, was also the chief author of Proposition 71, which authorized $3 billion in bonds to create and maintain the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine in 2004. There is no registered financial opposition.
There is no notable misinformation about Proposition 14.
Proposition 15 asks California voters to raise an estimated $6.4 billion to $11.5 billion in funding for local schools and governments by increasing property taxes on commercial and industrial properties based on current market value instead of the price they were purchased for. Based on the most recent report by Blue Sky Consulting Group, 10% of the biggest corporate property owners will pay 92% of the funding and more than 75% of total revenues will come from properties that have not been reassessed since prior to 1990 -- just 2% of all commercial and industrial properties! Proposition 15 will maintain the existing commercial and industrial property tax at a 1% limit and will also maintain existing exemptions for small businesses, homeowners, agricultural lands, and renters.
Prop 15’s main opponents include realty and industrial property owners, while the California Teachers Association and SEIU California State Council are main supporters.
Proposition 15 asks California voters to raise an estimated $6.4 billion to $11.5 billion in funding for local schools and governments
Proposition 16 asks California voters to amend the Constitution of California to repeal Prop 209’s restrictions on local and state governments from considering race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public employment, education, and contracting. If passed, Prop 16 will permit governments to consider those protected categories in order to promote inclusive hiring and admissions programs in California’s public universities, government, and public agencies.
Proposition 16 asks California voters to amend the Constitution of California to repeal Prop 209’s restrictions on local and state governments from considering race, sex, color,
Proposition 17 asks California voters to amend the Constitution of California to restore voting rights to persons who have been disqualified from voting while on parole. If passed, Prop 17 will restore voting rights to approximately 50,000 Californians currently on parole.
There are no contributions recorded for support or opposition to Prop 17.
Proposition 17 asks California voters to amend the Constitution of California to restore voting rights to persons who have been disqualified from voting while on parole.
Proposition 18 asks California voters to amend the Constitution of California to allow 17-year-olds to vote in the primary election if they will turn 18 by the following general election. At the age of 18, Californians are technically given the right to vote in all elections. However, those who are not 18 by the time of the primary are not able to have input on who would or would not appear on their ballot in the general election. A YES vote on Prop 18 solves this problem.
There are no recorded contributions in support of or opposition to Prop 18.
There is no prominent misinformation about Prop 18.
Proposition 18 asks California voters to amend the Constitution of California to allow 17-year-olds to vote in the primary election if they
Proposition 19 asks voters to amend sections of 1978’s Proposition 13 to increase the number of times a property tax base can be transferred to three times for longtime homeowners. Prop 19 is almost exactly the same as Proposition 5, which was on the 2018 California ballot and overwhelmingly defeated by voters, with 60 percent having voted against the proposition. The main difference in the proposition this year is that Prop 19 includes an additional amendment to Prop 13 that narrows an existing inheritance property tax break and promises to distribute any revenue generated from that amendment toward fire protection agencies and schools.
Realtor associations have contributed $36,270,000 in support of Prop 19. There is no registered financial opposition.
There is no prominent misinformation about Proposition 19.
Proposition 19 asks voters to amend sections of 1978’s Proposition 13 to increase the number of times a property tax base can be transferred to three times for long
If passed, Prop 20 increases penalties for low-level offenses and would create a state database that collects DNA samples from persons convicted of specified misdemeanors for use in cold cases by repealing parts of Props 47 and 57. Prop 20 would expand the list of offenses that disqualify inmates from a parole program, consider an individual’s collective criminal history and not just their most recent offense, and impose stronger restrictions for a nonviolent offender’s parole program. Additionally, Prop 20 would reclassify theft between $250 and $950 as a felony.
If passed, Prop 20 increases penalties for low-level offenses and would create a state database that collects DNA samples from persons convicted of specified misdemeanors for us
Proposition 21 asks voters to amend state law in order to allow (not require) local governments at the city and county levels to establish and regulate rent control on residential properties. This proposition would affect residential properties over 15 years old and exempts individuals who own up to two residential properties. Additionally, Prop 21 would allow rent in rent-controlled properties to increase up to 15 percent over a period of three years with the start of a new tenancy. Prop 21 is more or less the same proposition voters rejected in 2018.
California has the highest rate of homelessness in the nation, which can be attributed to the overwhelmingly high median rates for rent throughout the state forcing residents to pay 50 percent of their income just toward rent.
The Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act prohibits rent control on residential properties built after February 1, 1995. Since then, housing built in California has become accessible only to those who can afford uncontrolled rent increases, and low-income families have largely been shut out from newer housing developments.
According to a Stanford study, those who lived in rent-controlled properties when Costa-Hawkins passed ended up saving a cumulative total of $7 billion over 18 years, which confirms that rent control is an effective way to prevent displacement from the city.
Proposition 21 asks voters to amend state law in order to allow (not require) local governments at the city and county levels to establish and regulate rent control on residential p
Proposition 22 asks voters to exempt companies like Lyft, Postmates, Uber, DoorDash, and others from a recently implemented state worker protection law, Assembly Bill 5 (AB5), so they can classify gig economy drivers from ride-share and delivery companies as independent contractors, not as employees. Additionally, Prop 22 would restrict local regulation of app-based drivers and would criminalize the impersonation of drivers.
By classifying workers as contractors and not employees, companies like Lyft, Uber, and DoorDash are exempted by state employment laws from ensuring basic protections to their workforce including minimum wage, overtime, unemployment insurance, and workers’ compensation.
Currently, rideshare and delivery workers are entitled under AB 5 to labor rights that every other employee in California receives, such as the right to organize, health insurance, and Social Security benefits. Prop 22 would take those rights away.
AB 5 also guarantees paid family leave, paid sick days, and unemployment insurance to those classified as gig employees. Proposition 22 asks voters to make gig-economy employees exempt from this law and replaces their rights with fewer benefits of much less value to their workers.
More than 2,000 drivers have filed claims against Uber and Lyft for over $630 million in damages, expenses, and lost wages. Prop 22 will codify Uber and Lyft’s abilities to systematically steal wages from drivers.
Uber and Lyft currently owe California $413 million in unemployment insurance contributions due to misclassifying drivers as independent contractors under AB 5. If Prop 22 passes, Uber and Lyft would get away with not paying what they owe.
"Prop 22 will guarantee 120% of minimum wage to all drivers." -- FALSE. The UC Berkeley Labor Center released a report that estimates Prop 22’s “pay guarantee” for their Uber and Lyft drivers would only end up being $5.64 per hour after accounting for all the expenses that drivers are responsible for themselves. At that rate, even if an individual worked 10 hour days, 7 days a week under Prop 22, they would be living below the California poverty line.
"Prop 22 will give health insurance to all drivers." -- FALSE. Under Prop 22, companies do not pay for health insurance, but instead provide a stipend to drivers. This stipend is valued at only 82% of the minimum coverage provided by state law, and is actually worth even less because workers would owe state and federal income taxes on the stipend. Prop 22 forces drivers to work more than 39 hours a week to qualify for the health stipend, so many workers would never even qualify for the stipend. For drivers who do qualify, Health Access California estimates that the health stipend would be just a couple hundred dollars—and could be just tens of dollars for younger workers—not enough for drivers to cover the purchase of their own health insurance.
If Prop 22 is passed, all future labor legislation surrounding Uber and Lyft would have to be approved by 7/8 of the total California State Legislature. Making this happen is virtually impossible considering Uber and Lyft have donated $2 million to the California Republican Party campaign committee. This is why Uber and Lyft are spending millions of dollars: to make their operations virtually untouchable in terms of regulation.
Proposition 22 asks voters to exempt companies like Lyft, Postmates, Uber, DoorDash, and others from a recently implemented state worker protection law, Assembly Bil
Prop 23 would add sections to the California Health and Safety Code about how dialysis facilities can operate, requiring a physician to be on-site at every dialysis clinic to oversee operations, and mandating that each chronic dialysis clinic submit quarterly reports on dialysis-related infections to the California Department of Health. The on-site physician would assume a non-caregiving role, as they would not be required to be specially trained in nephrology or interact with patients at all. Additionally, Prop 23 would prohibit discrimination against patients based on their coverage or care.
Prop 23 would add sections to the California Health and Safety Code about how dialysis facilities can operate, requiring a physician to be on-site at every di
Proposition 24 asks voters to amend the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) to include pay-for-privacy schemes, which provide better services and internet connection to those who pay more in order to protect their personal information while providing suboptimal services for Californians who cannot or do not want to pay more. Additionally, Prop 24 caters to tech companies by allowing them to upload a California resident’s personal information as soon as that resident’s device, computer, or phone leaves the state’s borders, and permits tech companies to completely ignore a programmable universal electronic “do not sell my information” signal. Under current law, privacy follows a Californian wherever they go, and businesses must honor the electronic signal.
Proposition 24 asks voters to amend the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) to include pay-for-privacy schemes, which provide better services and internet connection to those who pay more in order
Vote YES on Prop 25 to eliminate the use of cash bail in pretrial incarceration.
Proposition 25 is a referendum, which asks voters to directly weigh in on whether to keep or reject SB 10, a bill originally passed in 2018. Voting YES on Prop 25 will keep SB 10 in place and eliminate the cash bail system of pretrial incarceration in California, which is directly responsible for the disproportionate incarceration of Californians who cannot afford bail. The bail bond industry is directly responsible for placing Prop 25 on the ballot and calling SB 10 into question.
There are three major components to grassroots groups' objections to Prop 25. Here we provide our assessment of these concerns and how they can be addressed in the future if Prop 25 passes.
The bail bond industry has invested heavily in a No on the Prop 25 campaign in an attempt to spread misinformation and save the industry.
Vote YES on Prop 25 to eliminate the use of cash bail in pretrial incarceration.
Incorporated cities in California are generally governed by a five-person city council. A city council is responsible for establishing policy, passing local laws (called ordinances), voting on budget appropriations, and developing an overall vision for the city. These bodies are often augmented by two additional seats held by a mayor and vice mayor. In most municipalities that use the mayor-council structured government, a mayor is elected at large and acts as the chair of the city council and the city’s chief executive. Typically, a mayor does not hold any special legislative power. In Union City, the mayor is elected to a four-year term, with a limit of three consecutive terms.
Union City is Alameda County’s 9th most populous city, and has a population that is 54 percent Asian and 20 percent Latinx. Union City City Council oversees the needs of 69,516 people and manages an estimated budget of $119 million annually. Union City is managed by a mayor-council structured government. The mayor is elected to represent the city at large.
There are three candidates running for this office, including the incumbent Carol Dutra-Vernaci and challenger Sarabjit Kaur Cheema. Challenger Cheema’s campaign has not taken any fundraising pledges and has not recorded any fundraising to date. On the most recent fundraising disclosure, her campaign’s only inclusion is a loan in the amount of $21,540. Dutra-Vernaci’s campaign has also not committed to any fundraising pledges and has recorded a total of just over $27,000 during this campaign cycle.
Sarabjit Kaur Cheema, a New Haven Unified School District trustee and former transportation engineer, is from India and has lived in Union City since 1992. According to campaign materials, Cheema is running for election to establish Union City as more than a pass-through to other communities by building sustainability in transportation, housing, and economic policy.
Cheema’s priorities for Union City this term include expanding protected public lands, improving the local response to climate change, improving public safety, and involving young people in the political system through school-based partnerships. Cheema is particularly interested in improving the public transportation system in Union City, investing in bike and pedestrian thoroughfares, and avoiding further bisection of the city through highway development. Cheema is also committed to boosting the local economy to fund the city budget without increasing taxation for residents.
Cheema worked as a transportation engineer for 19 years, but began her career as an educator, working as a public school substitute teacher, college instructor, and in-school program facilitator. She has also served on school site councils and Parent Teacher Associations. She has been an elected New Haven Unified School District trustee since 2010. In that role, she works to balance the district budget and contribute to the development of responsible citizens. She is a longtime supporter of education initiatives, and has shown a consistent commitment to youth development in the Bay Area over the last 30 years.
Cheema is endorsed by some progressive groups in the district, including Our Revolution East Bay and the South Alameda County Young Democrats. According to our analysis, Cheema is the strongest choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
Incorporated cities in California are generally governed by a five-person city council.
The two candidates for this position have distinct visions for Assembly District 20.
About the Position
State Assembly Members form part of the California State Legislature, and work alongside the governor to establish laws and a state budget. They hold the power to pass bills that affect public policy, set state spending levels, raise and lower taxes, and uphold or override the governor’s vetoes. The California State Assembly has 80 districts. Each represents a population of at least 465,000 Californians. Representatives are elected to the Assembly for a two-year term. Every two years, all 80 seats are subject to election. Members elected before 2012 are restricted to three two-year terms (six years) in the Assembly. Those elected in or after 2012 are allowed to serve 12 years total across both the State Senate and Assembly. This term, Democrats currently hold a two-thirds supermajority of 61 seats in the California State Assembly, while Republicans hold 17 seats. One seat is held by an Independent, and one seat is currently vacant.
About the District
California's 20th Assembly District includes a third of Alameda County. Democrats typically hold this district. Democrat incumbent Assemblymember Bill Quirk has held this position since being elected in 2012. The most recent election results show 75.5 percent of AD-20 voted for Hillary Clinton for president in 2016, and 74.8 percent voted for Gavin Newsom for governor in 2018.
About the Race
In the primary, Democrat incumbent Assemblymember Bill Quirk led Democratic challenger Alexis Villalobos by a margin of 25.1 percent. Quirk’s campaign has raised $608,734 and is funded by fossil fuels, corporate PACs, and police money. Villalobos’s campaign has raised $3,492. He has committed to being free of corporate money and has pledged to refuse police money. Villalobos is funded entirely by individuals.