Dear AFT Guild Members,
In case you missed it, nationally the Democrats took back both the House and the Senate in historic fashion, putting an end to the unchecked tyrannical fascism of the Trump regime. This is not to say that the threat to our democracy and to the civil society that the majority of Americans desire has disappeared, but it does now place some serious obstacles in Trump’s megalomaniacal quest to recast the America that we know in his own image. Congratulations to us all on this collective victory!
Locally, we also had nearly a clean sweep in our targeted races! Although the Registrar of Voters still has many ballots to count, all of our endorsed candidates in the GCCCD, SDCCD, and SD County Board of Education are winning handily:
• Grossmont Cuyamaca Community College District Trustee Area 5 – Mary Gwin (AFT Guild Member) 70.52%
• San Diego Community College District A – Maria Nieto Senour 79.06%
• San Diego Community College District C – Craig Milgrim (AFT Guild Member) 71.48%
• San Diego County Board of Education District 3 – Alicia Muñoz (AFT Guild Member) 61.00%
• San Diego County Board of Education District 5 – Rick Shea 67.21%
Other races where we endorsed and/or contributed to the campaigns are faring well also:
• San Diego City Council, District 8 – Antonio Martinez 56.85%
• Mayor of National City – José Rodriguez (former AFT Guild Student Intern) 55.64%
• Palomar Community College District 1 – Judy Patacsil (AFT Guild Member) 54.99% (winning in a field of three)
• Palomar Community College District 5 – Jennifer Jeffries 45.61% (winning in a field of three)
• Grossmont Union High School District 3 – Jeneé Littrell 50.91%
• Grossmont Union High School District 4 – Steve Mull 48.49% (winning in a field of three)
• San Marcos City Council District 2 – Justin Matsushita (AFT Guild Member) 50.06%
• County of San Diego Measure B – YES 51.62%
• City of San Diego Measure M – YES 64.86%
Unfortunately, the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District Bond Measure G is currently falling short of the 55% needed to pass at only 52.69%. With so many ballots left to count there is still an outside chance this passes, but it’s not looking good. ☹️
Below is how we fared on the Statewide Ballot Propositions. Our endorsed position is listed first, followed by the voting percentage outcome for each measure.
Proposition 1: The Veterans and Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2026 — YES 59.4% Yes
Authorize $11.25 billion in general obligation bonds: $10 billion to fund affordable rental housing and homeownership programs, and $1.25 billion for farm, home, and mobile home purchase assistance for veterans.
Proposition 2: Save for California’s Future Act — Neutral 59.6% Yes
Change how much the state must deposit into the Budget Stabilization Account (rainy-day fund), raise the cap on the account’s balance from 10% to 20% of General Fund tax proceeds, and exclude reserve deposits from the state spending limit.
Proposition 3: Provides Permanent Funding for Schools and Healthcare by Extending Existing Tax on High Incomes — YES 58.7% Yes
Make permanent the existing 2012 voter-approved tax rates on high incomes, currently set to expire in 2031.
Proposition 4: California Fair Elections Act of 2026 (Public Campaign Financing) — YES 52.0% No
Allow public funds to be used for campaign financing when candidates abide by expenditure limits and strict qualifying criteria, and increase penalties for prohibited foreign contributions in connection with ballot measures and elections.
Proposition 5: Elections: Recall of State Officers — YES 50.3% Yes
Eliminate the successor election when a state officer is recalled, leaving the office vacant until filled under the Constitution and state law; if the Governor is recalled, the Lieutenant Governor becomes Governor for the remainder of the term.
Proposition 37: Creates Loan Program for Middle-Income Buyers of Qualified New Homes — YES 61.0% Yes
Authorize up to $25 billion in bonds to offer eligible buyers fixed-rate second mortgages for up to 17% of the purchase price of a qualified new home.
Proposition 38: Authorizes Bonds for Immunology Research — NEUTRAL 55.7% Yes
Authorize $8.4 billion in state general obligation bonds for immunology and immunotherapy research, split between a University of California-affiliated nonprofit research institute and a grant program for public or nonprofit universities and institutions.
Proposition 39: Establishes Additional Voter Identification and Citizenship Verification Requirements — NO 58.6% No
Require voters to present government-issued identification at the polls (or the last four digits of a government-issued ID number when voting by mail), require the State to provide voter ID cards on request, and require officials to annually report citizenship-verification rates.
Proposition 40: Imposes One-Time Tax on Certain Individuals and Trusts — YES 55.6% No
Impose a one-time tax of up to 5% on taxpayers and trusts with covered assets valued over $1 billion, allocating 90% of the revenues to health care and 10% to food assistance or education-related programs.
Proposition 41: Prohibits New State Taxes That Exclude Revenues from State Spending Limit; Requires Audits for New State Special Taxes — NO 52.4% No
Require pre-election and recurring audits of programs funded by new statewide special taxes, and prohibit new state taxes enacted after January 1, 2026 that exclude their revenues from the existing voter-approved state spending limit.
Proposition 42: Prohibits New State Personal Property Taxes and Certain Retroactive State Taxes — NO 54.3% Yes
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.
Proposition 43: Local Taxes: Limitation — NO 54.9% No
Beginning January 1, 2027, require two-thirds voter approval for local special taxes, including those proposed by citizen initiative, and prohibit local ad valorem property taxes except as provided under existing constitutional provisions.
Proposition 44: Requires Community Health Clinics Spend 90% of Revenue on Program Services — NEUTRAL 81.8% No
Require nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Centers to spend at least 90% of their revenue on program services advancing their charitable purpose rather than management and overhead, with monetary penalties for noncompliance.
Proposition 45: Modifies Environmental Review for Certain Projects — NO 54.1% No
Amend the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to expedite environmental review of specified project categories (including most housing, transportation, water, health, and clean energy projects), setting deadlines for review and limiting court review of project approvals.
CFT Endorsed Statewide Races:
Governor: Xavier Becerra 63.9%
Lt. Governor: Fiona Ma 63.8%
Superintendent of Public Instruction: Richard Barrera 57.1%
Attorney General: Rob Bonta 63.8%
Treasurer: Eleni Kounalakis 64.0%
Secretary of State: Shirley Weber 64.7%
Controller: Malia Cohen 63.8%
Insurance Commissioner: Ben Allen 48.0% / Jane Kim 52.0% (Dual Endorsement)
Board of Equalization – District 1 Nelson Esparza 53.8%
Board of Equalization – District 2 Sally Lieber 59.7%
Board of Equalization – District 3 Mike Gipson 59.5% / Sam Sukaton 40.5% (Dual Endorsement)
Board of Equalization – District 4: Tom Umberg 56.4%
All in all, while not a perfect record, a pretty darn good one! Thank you all for your support and activism that made these results a reality!
In Solidarity,
Jim
Jim Mahler, President
AFT Guild, Local 1931
