FRESNO FACT CHECK: The Truth About Proposition 43

A growing coalition of elected officials, firefighters, teachers, labor groups, housing advocates, and healthcare workers warn that Prop 43 will impact local services, undermine democratic norms

Fresno, CA – The No on Prop 43 campaign released the following fact check today as proponents of the ballot measure campaign in Fresno.

WHAT’S AT STAKE:

• Slower 911 response. Prop 43 makes it harder to fund local fire departments, meaning fewer firefighters and longer waits in an emergency.

• Worse wildfire protection. Communities could lose the ability to staff and equip fire stations before the next major fire hits.

• $3 billion each year:  If Prop 43 had been the law, California communities would have lost nearly $3 billion a year in funding for firefighters, 911 response, childcare, homelessness solutions, street repair, parks, and libraries. 

• A minority gets the final say. One-third of voters could block what two-thirds of their community wants.

WHAT PROP 43 DOES:

• Make it harder to fund critical, lifesaving services. Prop 43 makes it harder for communities to come together to provide critical funding to support fire departments and wildfire prevention, fix local roads, staff our local schools, or backfill federal health care cuts.

• Gives corporations more power. Corporations already have too much power in our elections. Prop 43 gives them even more. When voters try to pass local ballot measures to make corporations pay their fair share, the corporations would only need one-third of the vote to block it. Prop 43 protects the powerful few at everyone else’s expense.

WHAT PROP 43 DOES NOT DO:

• Prop 43 doesn't cut taxes. Californians need relief from the cost of living. Prop 43 will not bring costs down. It doesn't lower a single tax rate. It doesn't repeal a single tax. It doesn't put one dollar back in anyone's pocket. Anyone selling this as cost-of-living relief is selling you something that isn't in the measure.

WHAT CALIFORNIA LEADERS ARE SAYING:

• Governor Gavin Newsom: “This dangerous corporate power grab would let big corporations avoid paying their fair share and threaten billions in funding for critical services like 911 response and wildfire prevention.”

• Former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra: “Prop 43 would hand special interests the power to block the resources our communities count on most: fire protection, safe roads, good schools. MAGA Republicans are behind this measure to give corporate interests even more power.”

• "Prop 43 makes it harder for voters to fund the critical local services their community counts on: staffing fire stations and 911 response, preparing neighborhoods for wildfire, repairing crumbling roads, keeping schools, parks, and libraries open, and protecting local hospitals and clinics as Washington cuts healthcare funding." 

• Carolyn Coleman, Executive Director and CEO, League of California Cities: "Prop 43 makes it harder for voters to fund the critical local services their community counts on: staffing fire stations and 911 response, preparing neighborhoods for wildfire, repairing crumbling roads, keeping schools, parks, and libraries open, and protecting local hospitals and clinics as Washington cuts healthcare funding." 

• Ben Grieff, Executive Director, Evolve California: “California public schools depend on local revenue to ensure our students and teachers have the resources they deserve. Prop. 43 would make California the most difficult place in the country to raise this type of revenue. Protect our schools by voting no on Prop. 43.”

• Darrell Roberts, President, California Professional Firefighters: “Firefighters are sounding the alarm about the dangers of Prop 43 because voters’ ability to fund life-saving local emergency services is on the line.”

• Complete list of coalition members opposing Prop 43.