Most statewide California ballot measure results still cannot be projected, but the two big ones can, as tougher sentencing for crimes was approved, while an expansion of rent control was rejected.

We had ten statewide ballot measures on the ballot in California, and on this Wednesday of mourning, five of them have projected results, while the other five are still undetermined. But the two most high-profile measures have declared results: the Prop 36 crime sentencing increases won by a landslide, and the Prop 33 expansion of rent control was shot down pretty handily.

The percentages cited below are as of 2:30 pm Wednesday, and based on current totals from the California Secretary of State. The numbers will change, but a few outcomes are already certain.


Californians passed Prop 36, which effectively undoes 2014’s Prop 47 that classified thefts of under $950 as misdemeanors rather than felonies. Prop 36 passed by an enormous 70%-30% margin, with nearly four million more Yes votes than No votes. Now under the new Prop 36, suspects can be charged with felonies for drug and/or theft charges if the suspect has two prior such convictions. Prop 36 will also mandate prison or treatment for some drug offenses.


And it was a blowout of nearly the same magnitude that the Prop 33 rent control measure was defeated 62%-38%. Prop 33 would have repealed the 1995 Costa-Hawkins Act, and allowed California cities to impose rent control measures on single-family homes, condos, or apartments built after 1995 (or San Francisco, apartments built after 1979). But with Prop 33 going down in flames after a $125 million campaign against it, there will be no changes to how rent control works in California.


Other statewide winners include the Prop 3 same-sex marriage rights being enshrined into the state constitution by a 61%-39% margin, because god knows how many anti-LGBTQ justices Trump will get to appoint to the Supreme Court now. The Prop 4 $10 billion bond for safe drinking water and climate change impacts passed 58%-42%. And a Prop 35 tax to fund Medi-Cal won convincingly with a 67%-33% margin of victory.

Five other state measures are still too close to call, including the Prop 6 measure to ban forced prison labor (it’s currently down 55%-45%), and the Prop 32 attempt to hike the state’s minimum wage to $18 (it’s trailing 52%-48%).

How long will it take to count the rest of the ballots and declare winners? For perspective, last March it took more than two weeks to determine the final count on one of the closer ballot measures.

Related: Your California Ballot Cheat Sheet For Tuesday’s Ten Statewide Measures [SFist]

Image: Sacramento California outside the capitol building [Getty Images]