California Proposition 42 (Prohibits New State Personal Property Taxes and Certain Retroactive State Taxes) is on the November 3, 2026 ballot. Prohibit any new state tax on the ownership or control of personal property (including retirement accounts, financial assets, and business interests) or that applies retroactively, for taxes enacted or taking effect on or after January 1, 2026.
What a yes or no vote means
Read the certified ballot question
Prohibit any new state tax on the ownership or control of personal property (including retirement accounts, financial assets, and business interests) or that applies retroactively, for taxes enacted or taking effect on or after January 1, 2026.
Verify with the state: official full text and details →.
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About this measure
California allows initiated constitutional amendments, initiated statutes, and veto referendums, and the Legislature can refer amendments with a two-thirds vote of each house. Initiative signature requirements are pegged to the last governor's race: 8 percent of votes cast for constitutional amendments (874,641 signatures for the 2026 cycle) and 5 percent for statutes and referendums (546,651), gathered within a 180-day circulation window. Every measure, citizen-initiated or referred, passes with a simple majority of votes cast on it.
Wording above follows the certified ballot language; The Ballot Brief does not take positions on measures.