Proposition 30: Provides funding for programs to reduce air pollution and prevent wildfires by increasing tax on personal income over $2 million

Proposition 30 would raise the personal income tax of California residents making more than $2 million annually by 1.75 percent, creating $3.5-5 billion of new revenue to pay for several climate programs, according to the LAO.

These programs include helping make zero-emission vehicles more accessible and affordable for California residents and creating a state-wide charging network for electric vehicles to help make them more realistic options for people.

The revenue created by Proposition 30 also would fund hiring and training more firefighters, buying more equipment for fire departments, and managing forests.

Supporters of the proposition, including the Democratic party, Lyft, and many labor unions, argue that the climate programs it funds are necessary for California to meet its ambitious climate goals and protect the state from climate disasters like wildfires. 

Opponents are concerned that the tax hike would make California’s personal income tax, which is already the highest in the nation, too much for residents to bear. They also say that the increase in electric vehicles will have a negative effect on California’s already struggling power grid.

“We’ll have to upgrade a lot of dams that help support the power grids,” Geller said. “It’ll be interesting to see the way [electric vehicles] play out, because you can’t have one without the other.

Governor Gavin Newsom also publicly denounced the proposition despite his party supporting it, saying that Proposition 30 is just a corporate ploy by Lyft, the proposition’s largest supporter, to make taxpayers help it meet electric car requirements for rideshare companies.