Article Source: CA Secretary of State

California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., Announces that a Proposed Initiative has Entered Circulation

Requires Audits of Programs Funded by New State Special Taxes. Prohibits New State Taxes That are Excluded from Existing Voter-approved State Spending Limit. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.

Sacramento, Calif. – California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., announced that the proponent of a new initiative was cleared to begin collecting petition signatures on February 11, 2026.

The Attorney General prepares the legal title and summary that is required to appear on initiative petitions. When the official language is complete, the Attorney General forwards it to the proponent(s) and to the Secretary of State, and the initiative may be circulated for signatures. The Secretary of State then provides a calendar of deadlines to the proponent(s) and to county elections officials. The Attorney General’s official title and summary for the measure is as follows:

REQUIRES AUDITS OF PROGRAMS FUNDED BY NEW STATE SPECIAL TAXES. PROHIBITS NEW STATE TAXES THAT ARE EXCLUDED FROM EXISTING VOTER-APPROVED STATE SPENDING LIMIT. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. For statewide special taxes, requires (1) a pre-election audit of programs that would receive funding from a special tax proposed by voter initiative, and (2) recurring audits of programs funded by all special taxes enacted after January 1, 2026. Prohibits any new state taxes, enacted after January 1, 2026, that exclude their revenues from existing voter-approved state spending limit, including any new taxes that appear on the same ballot as this measure. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Unknown Fiscal Effect. Net costs or savings resulting from the measure would depend on (1) how many special tax initiatives qualify for a one-time audit but are not approved by voters, (2) the number of pages that are added to the Voter Information Guide each election cycle, and (3) the level of savings that are identified and implemented as a result of the audits. (25-0040A1.)

The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is 2017 and the Attorney General's tracking number is 25-0040A1.

The proponent of the measure, Kurt R. Oneto, must collect signatures of 874,641 registered voters (eight percent of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2022 general election) in order for the measure to become eligible for the ballot. The proponent has 180 days to circulate petitions for the measure, meaning the signatures must be submitted to county elections officials no later than August 10, 2026. The proponent may be contacted at koneto@nmgovlaw.com and (916) 446-6752.

 

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