SMART | SHEET METAL WORKERS' LOCAL 104

California Proposition Recommendations | November 3, 2026

Our priorities are ensuring good union construction careers, affordable health care, protecting funding for infrastructure spending, and securing a voice for working people.

PROP. 1: SUPPORT | Affordable Housing. Authorizes $11.25 billion for affordable housing, veterans' home loans and related programs. We support expanding housing access while creating union construction and renovation opportunities for sheet metal workers. This will help fund some UC housing covered under the statewide PLA. 

PROP. 2: SUPPORT | Rainy Day Fund. Builds larger state budget reserves to cushion economic downturns. We support protecting schools, health care, infrastructure investments and other public services from deep cuts when working families are already feeling the strain.

PROP. 3: SUPPORT | School and Health Care Funding. Makes existing higher income-tax rates on top earners permanent. We support maintaining reliable funding for schools, public services and health care rather than giving the wealthiest taxpayers a tax cut at working families' expense.

PROP. 4: SUPPORT | Public Campaign Financing. Allows state and local governments to establish public campaign financing. We support giving working people and community-backed candidates a stronger voice without requiring them to compete solely on wealthy donors' terms.

PROP. 5: SUPPORT | Recall Election Reform. Preserves the right to recall officials but removes the same-ballot replacement contest. We support using succession, appointment or separate election procedures as a fairer process [AA1] than a small plurality replacement.

PROP. 37: NO RECOMMENDATION | Homebuyer Assistance. Creates down-payment loans for buyers of qualifying new homes, financed by borrower repayments.

PROP. 38: NO RECOMMENDATION | Medical Research Bond. Authorizes $8.4 billion in bonds for immune-system research and treatments.

PROP. 39: OPPOSE | Voter Identification. Adds new government identification requirements for in-person and mail voting. We oppose new barriers that could prevent eligible voters' ballots from counting. Working people deserve both secure elections and reliable access to the ballot.

PROP. 40: SUPPORT | Billionaire Tax for Health Care. Creates a one-time tax of 5% on billionaire wealth, dedicating 90% of revenue to health care. We support protecting access to care and the facilities our members build and maintain, without shifting this tax onto working families.

PROP. 41: OPPOSE | State Tax and Spending Restrictions. Adds special-tax audits and restrictions on exemptions from state spending limits. We support accountability, but oppose new barriers to funding essential services and provisions that could block Prop. 40's health care funding.

PROP. 42: NO RECOMMENDATION | Personal Property Tax Restrictions. Bans new state taxes on personal property and limits retroactive taxes, including billionaires. Members should weigh taxpayer protections against restrictions on public revenue, including if Prop. 42 receives more yes votes than Prop. 40 even if it passes, thereby cancelling Prop. 40 out. [AA2] 

PROP. 43: OPPOSE | Local Tax Voting Requirements. Requires two-thirds voter approval for citizen-initiated local special taxes. We oppose making it harder for communities to invest in housing, infrastructure and public services, undermining local decision-making and opportunities for good union construction jobs.

PROP. 44: NO RECOMMENDATION | Community Clinic Spending. Requires certain nonprofit clinics to spend at least 90% of revenue on health care services.

PROP. 45: OPPOSE | Environmental and Project Review. Limits environmental review, public comment and court challenges for qualifying projects. We support getting projects built faster, but this proposition cutting corners undermines [AA3] workers’ ability to secure good wages, apprenticeships, local hire and PLAs which will happen if Prop. 45 is successful.

 [AA1]Suggestion: Rewritten as positive framing

 [AA2]Suggestion: rewritten to clarity and explaining the mechanism more clearly.

 [AA3]Suggestion: Rewritten to frame the point about undermining labor rather than repeating ‘faster’ twice.