The research you never had time to do.
Every California proposition and every race in San Bernardino County, looked into the way a reporter would: who's paying, who benefits, what the candidates have actually done, and how to follow the money after you vote. Every claim links to its source.
Propositions
All 14 with filters →- 1Housing bond$11.25B for housing at about $630K a unit, run by an agency flagged in five state audits. Here’s how to watch the money.Lean yes, but demand accountability
- 2Rainy day fundLets the state save more for recessions. No one is spending for or against it; the real test is whether lawmakers stop raiding the fund.Lean yes
- 3High-earner taxMakes the “temporary” top-earner tax permanent: $9–10B a year. School spending is up 75%, results are flat, and no money is tied to outcomes.Toss-up
- 4Public campaign financingLifts the 1988 ban on public campaign financing but creates no program. Any spending would be decided later.Lean yes, low stakes
- 5Recall rulesRecalls would no longer seat a replacement who won with a plurality; the lieutenant governor steps in until a new election.Lean yes
- 37Home-buyer loansUp to $25B in state-backed loans for buyers of new homes. The Realtors fund it, and no one knows how many homes it would finance.Lean no
- 38Immunology bond$8.4B bond. About $4.2B is written for one institute with three employees, chaired by the measure’s funder.Lean no
- 39Voter IDVoter ID plus an ID number on mail ballots. Texas rejected 1 in 8 mail ballots when it tried this; fraud runs about 4 per 10 million.Lean no
- 40Billionaire taxA one-time 5% tax on billionaires for health care. Revenue is “very hard to predict,” and the sponsor union offered to drop it for a deal.Lean no
- 41Special-tax auditsAudits sound good, but its key clause voids Prop 40 if it wins more votes, and it adds cost to every future citizen tax measure.Lean no
- 42Wealth-tax banBans state wealth taxes in the Constitution for good. Backed by $128M, mostly from billionaires, plus Newsom and building trades.Toss-up
- 43Local special taxesCitizen-initiated local special taxes would need two-thirds again. It’s a deal that took a broader anti-tax initiative off the ballot.Toss-up
- 44Clinic spendingClinics must spend 90% of revenue on care. The pay problem is real, but the sponsor union allegedly offered to drop it for members.Lean no
- 45CEQA fast-trackFaster CEQA review for housing, roads, utilities and more. The 2025 infill fix is already working; critics warn of a data-center loophole.Toss-up
"Our read" is this guide's take on the evidence on each page. Read it, check the sources, then decide for yourself.
Statewide offices
Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Controller, Treasurer, Attorney General, Insurance Commissioner, Superintendent of Public Instruction. Each candidate read like a job applicant: what have they actually done?
Compare candidates →Your local races
Pick your city to see your Congress and Legislature seats, county, city, school and water boards, and local measures.
Choose your city →After you vote
Passing a measure is where the work starts. Each proposition page ends with a follow-up plan: the agency and officials responsible, what to watch in their reports, and the public-records requests anyone can send. See Prop 1's plan →
How to vote in San Bernardino County
Dates, drop-offs and registration, from the Registrar of Voters
Key dates
- Oct 5: Mail ballots went out to every active registered voter. Early voting opened at the Registrar of Voters office.
- Oct 19: Regular registration deadline (passed). You can still register and vote the same day; see below.
- Oct 27: Last day to request a replacement mail ballot (passed). If you lost yours, vote in person.
- Sat, Oct 31: Registrar of Voters office open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Tue, Nov 3, Election Day: Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Drop boxes close at 8 p.m.
- Nov 25: Last day to fix a mail ballot flagged for a missing or mismatched signature.
Three ways to vote
- Mail it back. No stamp needed. It must be postmarked by Nov 3 and arrive within seven days. If you mail it close to Election Day, ask a post office clerk to hand-postmark it.
- Drop it off. Any county drop box, polling place, or early voting location, by 8 p.m. on Nov 3.
- Vote in person. At your assigned polling place on Election Day, or early at the Registrar of Voters office in San Bernardino or an early voting location. Bring your mail ballot if you have it.
Not registered, or moved?
You can still register and vote the same day (conditional voter registration) at the Registrar's office, an early voting location, or a polling place, through Election Day.
Useful links
Small numbers like [1] are footnotes to the source. Want to dig further? Hand the research to an AI agent, or read the method and every source.