Reform Calif Carl DeMaio
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note not sure uline $; no donor info on ref ca?! prop 45 ~ceqa? $ shuffle to voter ID prop?
~ prop 4 // CA TAXPAYERS ASSOC
LUCKEY PALANTIR?
VOTER ID PROP BS LOST 11 26
yes 43 yes 39
grfx
tbl
No on Prop 1: Borrows $11.25 Billion for Costly Housing Projects
Politicians want to borrow $10 Billion on the taxpayers’ credit card — and you’ll pay back over $17 billion with interest. Provides taxpayer-funded subsidies to developers without reforming costly mandates that make housing so expensive. Prop 1 does nothing to make housing more affordable. Many of the boondoggle projects supported by this bond will cost more than $1 MILLION per unit! Campaign contributors to politicians also get special contracts under Prop 1.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 1
No on Prop 2: Guts State Budget Spending Limit and Cancels Tax Rebates
DECEPTION ALERT: Appears on your ballot with the politicians’ FALSE ballot title of “Increases State’s Rainy Day Fund.”
Prop 2 claims to create a bigger rainy day fund in the state budget, but in reality it creates a new slush fund for politicians to engage in more wasteful spending. Prop 2 eviscerates the current voter-imposed spending limit on state politicians. Worse, it virtually eliminates the requirement that taxpayers receive tax rebates if revenues exceed the spending limit. With Prop 2, politicians get to keep more of your money so they can waste more of your money.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 2
No on Prop 3: Income Tax Increase
DECEPTION ALERT: Biased title plays up funding for schools and health care without accountability for how the money is spent.
Makes permanent California’s highest-in-the-nation income tax rates at a time when California is losing employers, jobs and taxpayers to other states and seeing lower tax revenues as a result. Worse, Prop 3 does nothing to reform wasteful spending in the programs it purports to fund, so taxpayers will not see better services. This tax was sold as “temporary” in 2012, extended in 2016 and now politicians want to make it permanent before it even expires.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 3
No on Prop 4: Gives Your Tax Dollars to Politicians’ Campaigns
DECEPTION ALERT: False cost estimate of only a “few hundred thousand dollars each year” when it will cost MILLIONS a year.
Repeals a previously approved ban on public financing of politicians’ campaigns. Voters wisely decided years ago that their tax dollars should never be used to fund the campaigns of politicians, but with Prop 4 the politicians are refusing to take no for an answer. They already tried to sneak this through the legislature in 2016. The courts threw it out and ruled that voters must decide. Ten years later they’re back, hat in hand, asking to spend your tax dollars on their attack ads. Tell them the same thing the courts did: NO.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 4
No on Prop 5: Weakens Citizens’ Right to Recall Politicians from Office
Makes it harder to Recall a politician from office and simultaneously replace them with a candidate of the voters’ choosing. Under Prop 5, if the voters recall the Governor, you don’t get to choose the replacement — the office is automatically handed to the political machine’s second-in-command. The decision will be entirely out of the voters’ control.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 5
No on Prop 37: Borrows $25 Billion for Costly Housing Projects
Provides taxpayer-funded subsidies to developers without reforming costly mandates that make housing so expensive. Worse, Prop 37 makes the State of California one of the biggest mortgage lenders in America overnight – and taxpayers are left holding the bag for any losses. Many of the boondoggle projects supported by this bond will cost more than $1M per unit! Campaign contributors to politicians also get special contracts under Prop 37.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 37
Yes on Prop 38: Public-Private Partnership Bonds for Immunology Research
Authorizes $8 billion in bonds to support immunology research with the repayment coming from proceeds of cures and treatments. This is the only bond on the ballot that puts the strings on the government instead of the taxpayer. Every drug and treatment developed with this funding must be sold in California at 20% BELOW the national average price. Half of the research money is required by law to target cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 38
Yes on Prop 39: Voter ID to Improve Trust in Elections
DECEPTION ALERT: Appears on your ballot with the politicians’ FALSE ballot title of “Prohibits Citizens From Voting.”
Prop 39 is a bipartisan solution for Voter ID! That’s why it is supported by large majorities of Democratic, Republican and Independent voters. Prop 39 requires cleaning up and auditing of voter rolls and citizenship verification of anyone registering to vote. It keeps voting simple while adding integrity reforms to make voting more secure. The politicians falsely claim Prop 39 prohibits citizens from voting when it will only prevent non-citizens and ineligible individuals from voting. Prop 39 protects the right of every citizen to vote and restores public trust and confidence in our elections.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 39
No on Prop 40: “Billionaire” Tax that Is Really an “Everybody” Tax
Prop 40 is deceptively being sold as the "Billionaire's Tax" but it is really the "Everybody Tax!" Worse, Prop 40 creates the first-in-the-nation Wealth Tax (or Savings Tax) on Californians. Prop 40 contains a provision allowing state politicians to expand the Wealth Tax to everyone without another vote of the public. Prop 40 allows government to tax the value of your savings, checking account, 401k, stock portfolio, and current equity in your home. If you don't have the cash to pay the Wealth Tax, then you'd be forced to sell some of what you own.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 40
Yes on Prop 41: Audit Special Taxes POISON PILL FOR 40?
Prop 41 would make it harder for state and local politicians to impose special taxes on you. Prop 41 requires that all special taxes include audits on all revenues raised and programs funded through the tax to prevent waste, fraud and abuse or diversion of the funds by politicians. Prop 41 also requires that these special taxes adhere to the state's constitutionally-mandated spending limit. Under California law, when two conflicting measures pass, the one with more votes wins. Even if Prop 40 passes, a bigger yes on Prop 41 cancels it.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 41
Yes on Prop 42: Stop the Savings Tax
Prop 42 would prohibit state and local politicians from imposing a Savings Tax on Californians. Prop 42 would prohibit politicians from taxing the value of your savings, checking account, 401k, stock portfolio, and current equity in your home. We already pay the highest taxes on income, sales, property, gas and our cars— we don't need a Savings Tax on top of all that! If Prop 42 gets more votes than Prop 40, the Wealth Tax dies even if it passes. Every YES on 42 is a second NO on 40.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 42
Yes on Prop 43: Local Taxpayer Protection Initiative (Saves Prop 13)
DECEPTION ALERT: Appears on your ballot with the FALSE title of “Limits Voters Ability to Raise Revenues for Local Government Services.”
Prop 43 is known as the Save Prop 13— Local Taxpayer Protection Initiative. Prop 43 makes it harder for local politicians to raise your taxes by restoring the two-thirds vote requirement on any local tax measures. It also closes loopholes the politicians have created in Prop 13 to violate the property tax caps that voters originally imposed. Opponents of Prop 43 simply want more of your money to fund their waste and fraud. Vote Yes on Prop 43 to turn the tide to make California more affordable.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 43
No on Prop 44: Imposes Costly Mandates on Community Health Clinics
Increases mandates and costs on community health clinics, threatening their ability to provide patient care. Clinics that miss the arbitrary 90% mandate pay penalties into a government account and hotwired to a narrow special interest group who is one of the politicians’ biggest campaign contributors. Trusted healthcare experts warn that Prop 44 would trigger $1.7 billion in penalties in the first year alone and force clinics across California to close their doors.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 44
Yes on Prop 45: Reduce Housing Costs by Cutting Red Tape
Reduces regulation and combats frivolous lawsuits that have increased the cost of housing projects. California’s environmental review law (CEQA) has been weaponized to block and delay housing, adding years and millions of dollars to every project. Prop 45 is the first time voters have ever been handed the chance to reform CEQA at the ballot box.
Watch Short Video Explaining Prop 45
Local Ballot Measures
Measure A (NO)
Morgan Hill City Treasurer Election Elimination
Steals the voters' power to hire and fire the officer who watches Morgan Hill's money, leaving that decision to the officials doing the spending.
Measure B (NO)
City of Gilroy TOT Tax Increase
Imposes a new costly business tax despite that will destroy jobs to simply support more massive levels of wasteful spending by the city.
Measure C (NO)
Santa Clara Public Works Bidding Threshold Increase
Lets a quarter-million dollars of public work be awarded with no competitive bidding and no council vote, and swaps the objective lowest-responsible-bidder standard for subjective best-value scoring that is nearly impossible to challenge after the fact — in a city with a documented contracting controversy record.
Measure D (YES)
Los Altos Downtown Parking Plaza Protection Initiative
Citizen-initiated measure requiring voter consent before ten publicly owned downtown parking plazas are sold, leased or given away, while still carving out two plazas for affordable housing without a vote.
Measure E (NO)
Mountain View Charter Omnibus Amendment
Bundles housekeeping with the removal of a public-notice safeguard on reading ordinances and new council power to screen who may serve on boards and commissions, offering voters one button for six unrelated changes that gain them nothing.
Measure F (NO)
City of Mountain View TOT Tax Increase
Imposes a new costly business tax despite that will destroy jobs to simply support more massive levels of wasteful spending by the city.
Measure G (NO)
Sunnyvale Public Works Contracting Blank Check
Replaces the charter's specific limits on how public works contracts are awarded with authority to use any method state law allows, deleting a taxpayer protection Sunnyvale voters put in the charter on purpose.
Measure H (NO)
Sunnyvale City Manager Settlement Authority Expansion
Lets the council raise by ordinance — never returning to voters — the amount an unelected city manager may pay out to settle legal claims, removing the council vote that is often the only moment the public learns a claim existed at all.
Measure I (NO)
Sunnyvale Appointed Incumbent Term Extension
Extends how long an unelected appointee holds a council seat by eliminating the option of filling it at an earlier consolidated election, letting appointees build incumbency advantage on the public's time.
Measure J (NO)
City of Palo Alto Sales Tax Increase
Imposes a costly sales tax despite massive levels of wasteful spending, giving government workers massive salary hikes and pension spikes, and awarding contracts to political supporters without fair and open competition.
Measure K (NO)
City of Milpitas Business Tax Increase
Imposes a new costly business tax despite that will destroy jobs to simply support more massive levels of wasteful spending by the city.
Measure L (YES)
Cupertino Parks and Open Space Voter Protection Initiative
Citizen-initiated measure requiring voter approval before parks, parkland and open space bought with taxpayer money can be rezoned or developed — public land that, once converted, is never recovered.
Measure M (NO)
Gilroy Unified School District Property Tax Increase
Imposes a new costly property tax despite massive levels of wasteful spending, giving government workers massive salary hikes and pension spikes, and awarding contracts to political supporters without fair and open competition.
Measure N (NO)
Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District Property Tax Increase
Imposes a new costly property tax despite massive levels of wasteful spending, giving government workers massive salary hikes and pension spikes, and awarding contracts to political supporters without fair and open competition.
Measure P (NO)
Alum Rock Union Elementary School District Property Tax Increase Imposes a new costly property tax despite massive levels of wasteful spending, giving government workers massive salary hikes and pension spikes, and awarding contracts to political supporters without fair and open competition.
Measure Q (NO)
Cambrian School District Property Tax Increase
Imposes a new costly property tax despite massive levels of wasteful spending, giving government workers massive salary hikes and pension spikes, and awarding contracts to political supporters without fair and open competition.
Measure R (NO)
Orchard School District Property Tax Increase
Imposes a new costly property tax despite massive levels of wasteful spending, giving government workers massive salary hikes and pension spikes, and awarding contracts to political supporters without fair and open competition.
Measure S (YES)
El Camino Healthcare District Term Limits
Caps directors of a large-budget special district at four terms where no limit exists today, in exactly the kind of low-turnout, low-scrutiny office where officials serve for decades unnoticed.
Measure RTM (NO)
Regional Sales Tax Increase
Imposes a new costly sales tax despite massive levels of wasteful spending, giving government workers massive salary hikes and pension spikes, and awarding contracts to political supporters without fair and open competition.
Statewide Candidate Races
STATEWIDE OFFICES
Governor: Steve Hilton
Lt. Governor: Gloria Romero
Attorney General: Michael Gates
Secretary of State: Don Wagner
Treasurer: Jennifer Hawks
Controller: Herb Morgan
Insurance Commissioner: You are Doomed
Superintendent of Public Instruction: Sonja Shaw
State Board of Equalization
District 2: You are Doomed
CA SUPREME COURT AND COURT OF APPEALS
Every four years voters get to decide whether to vote to retain or not retain justices to the CA Supreme Court and the six Court of Appeals.
California Supreme Court
Kelli Evans - DO NOT RETAIN
Joshua Groban - DO NOT RETAIN
6th District - California Court of Appeal Justices
Charles F. Adams (Associate Justice) - DO NOT RETAIN
Daniel H. Bromberg (Associate Justice) - DO NOT RETAIN
Allison Marston Danner (Associate Justice) - DO NOT RETAIN
Mary J. Greenwood (Administrative Presiding Justice) - DO NOT RETAIN
Adrienne M. Grover (Associate Justice) - DO NOT RETAIN
Cynthia C. Lie (Associate Justice) - DO NOT RETAIN
Charles E. Wilson II (Associate Justice) - DO NOT RETAIN
U.S. Congress Races
U.S. House of Representatives
District 16: Peter Soule
District 17: Ritesh Tandon
District 18: Shane Lewis
District 19: Peter Coe Verbica
State Legislative Races
Senate
District 10: Linda Price
Assembly
District 23: Dave Johnson
District 24: Max Hsia
District 25: Himat Singh Bainiwal
District 26: Tim Gorsulowsky
District 28: Carol Pefley
District 29: Dennis Sanchez
City Candidate Races
Cupertino
City Council: Mark Fantozzi
City Council: Santosh Rao
Milpitas
City Council: Jennie Ha Phan
School Districts...
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comm cause sac bee
Backers of a proposition that would require California voters to show government ID before voting have pitched the measure as a commonsense, bipartisan reform with broad public support.
In public appearances, they’ve separated their effort from President Donald Trump’s divisive SAVE America Act, a farther-reaching election administration bill that has stalled in Congress.
But so far, the movement to pass the California measure has drawn heavy support from a Republican state lawmaker, his conservative following, and a group of billionaires — many with a recent history of backing Trump and the GOP.
Backers of Proposition 39, which would also require voters to show proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote, raised more than $10 million so far. The bulk of that total came from large-dollar donors who helped pay for signature gatherers to get the measure on the ballot.
Volunteers from Reform California, a conservative group spearheaded by Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, R-Valley Center, also played a major role in gathering signatures.
At least nine billionaires, as tracked by Forbes’ list, have invested in the fundraising committee Californians for Voter ID, which is run by Julie Luckey, the mother of tech billionaire and Trump supporter Palmer Luckey.
The top donor is Republican megadonor Richard Uihlein, who contributed $4 million. Uihlein and his wife, Elizabeth, were the fourth-largest donors to federal elections from 2023 to 2024, according to the nonpartisan campaign finance site OpenSecrets. A 2022 ProPublica investigation found the couple backed candidates and groups promoting false claims surrounding the 2020 election.
Other billionaire donors include:
- Attorney Nicole Shanahan, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s 2024 vice presidential candidate, gave $370,000.
- Venture capitalist Douglas Leone contributed $250,000.
- Twin investors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss each gave $250,000.
- Investor Aubrey Chernick gave $150,000 and his wife, Joyce Chernick, added another $25,000.
- Venture capitalist Tim Draper contributed $50,000.
- Los Angeles real estate developer Rick Caruso gave $25,000.
Many of the donors have ties to Republicans.
Shanahan endorsed Trump when she and Kennedy dropped out of the presidential race. Leone gave $2 million to Ron DeSantis in his failed 2024 presidential bid, and later, more than $2 million toward electing Trump.
The Winklevoss twins each contributed $1 million toward boosting Trump in 2024 and millions more to other GOP committees in recent years.
The Chernicks made maximum contributions to GOP gubernatorial hopeful Steve Hilton and have given hundreds of thousands more to Republicans in Congress.
Draper and Caruso cut a different profile.
Draper has donated to candidates from both parties, including Trump and former Vice President Kamala Harris. He is also funding a new political committee, Grow California, that aims to elect business-friendly candidates to the Legislature.
Caruso ran for LA mayor as a centrist Democrat, but was previously a registered Republican.
An April poll by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies found 56% of respondents supported the voter ID provision. Support dropped to 39% after they were given more context about the measure’s sponsor and opponents.
In an interview, DeMaio dismissed any suggestion that conservatives were providing the animating support for his ballot measure.
“A lot of people are sick and tired of the conspiracy theories and don’t want to have low public trust and confidence in elections, and they see voter ID as the common sense bipartisan way to fix it,” DeMaio said. “Why is that such a mystery?”
Tenoch Flores, a spokesperson for No on Prop. 39, a coalition seeking to stop the measure, said it was being driven by “MAGA partisans and right-wing billionaires trying to rig elections in their favor.”
Mike Madrid, an anti-Trump Republican consultant, argued both sides were being disingenuous. He cast doubt on liberals’ claims that photo ID would meaningfully suppress voters and said conservatives’ accusations of widespread fraud had never been borne out by evidence.
Instead, he argued this year’s ballot measure was fundamentally a tool to boost GOP turnout.
“The Winklevoss twins and the venture capitalists don’t care about voter ID,” he said. “They care about a Republican Congress.”
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Common Cause
https://www.commoncause.org › california › articles › right-leaning-billionaires-help-bankroll-california-voter-id-ballot-measure
Right-leaning billionaires help bankroll California voter ID ballot ...
Jul 13, 2026The top donor is Republican megadonor Richard Uihlein, who contributed $4 million. Uihlein and his wife, Elizabeth, were the fourth-largest donors to federal elections from 2023 to 2024, according to the nonpartisan campaign finance site OpenSecrets.
Yahoo
https://www.yahoo.com › news › politics › articles › meet-illinois-billionaire-whos-poured-204805361.html
Meet the Illinois billionaire who's poured $17M into Prop 39 ... - Yahoo
Sep 21, 2026The next single-largest donation of about $1 million came from Reform California, Assembly Member Carl DeMaio's PAC. DeMaio, R-San Diego, is one of two Republican state lawmakers who filed Prop 39.
San Francisco Chronicle
https://www.sfchronicle.com › politics › article › richard-uihlein-prop-39-22438880.php
Illinois billionaire pours $17M into California voter ID campaign
Sep 21, 2026Richard Uihlein, cofounder of a leading shipping and packaging company, has been a prominent Republican donor since the 1990s.
The Sacramento Bee
https://www.sacbee.com › news › politics-government › capitol-alert › article316461529.html
Billionaires fuel California voter ID Proposition 39 effort ...
Jul 13, 2026Uihlein and his wife, Elizabeth, were the fourth-largest donors to federal elections from 2023 to 2024, according to the nonpartisan campaign finance site Open Secrets.
AP News
https://apnews.com › article › california-voter-id-republican-funding-4247a4be55bc677c916eb4450b345db3
Why are out-of-state billionaires funding a California voter ID measure ...
Oct 7, 2026Uihlein is joined by Southern California businessman Steven Bray, who loaned the campaign more than $3 million and gave $50,000 outright. The right-wing political group Reform California, tech entrepreneurs Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss and former Robert F. Kennedy Jr. presidential running mate Nicole Shanahan are also major donors.
PressReader.com
https://www.pressreader.com › usa › san-francisco-chronicle-late-edition › 20260923 › 281500758166799
Big donor backs ID measure with $17M - PressReader
Sep 23, 2026The ACLU of Northern California and the California Donor Table, a group that supports progressive candidates, have both donated to defeat the voter ID law. The opposition's top individual donors include Netflix founder Reed Hastings ($1 million) and his wife, Patty Quillin ($1.5 million) as well
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Californians for a More Transparent and Effective Government
oci 8 26
PROP 41
• Californians for a More Transparent and Effective Government campaign website:
Reform California
• Sergey Brin - Google Co-Founder
• Patrick Collison - CEO of Stripe
• John Doerr - Chairman of Kleiner Perkins
• Max Levchin - CEO of Affirm
• Stewart Resnick - President and Chairman of The
Wonderful Company
• Eric Schmidt - Former CEO of Google
• Tony Xu - CEO of DoorDash Reform California
Donors for Prop 42
As of July 28, 2026
Sergey Brin $83,000,000
Includes funding of parallel Prop 41
No others known
Committee to Build an Affordable
California. (sponsored by Cal Chamber of Commerce)
Building a Better California (Sergey Brin and Michael
Moritz)
Building Resilient Infrastructure for a
California Building Industry Non donor Funds
Biggest cash donors included Sergey Brin, L. John Doerr, III, Michael Moritz(CEO Stripe) and
Eric Schmidt (Sequoia venture capital)
Opponents of Prop 45
• People over Polluters is leading the effort https://
peopleoverpollutersca.com/about
• This measure is opposed by the CADEM,
Working Families Party, California Environmental
Justice Alliance, the California State Building and
Construction Trades Council, California Young
Democrats, California Enviro Voters and more than
250 other organizations, including housing, labor,
health, environmental justice, and conservation
groups.
• OCI Environmental Justice opposesd this measure
• See https://peopleoverpollutersca.com/endorsements for more details
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wiki talk edit fuckery? 10 26
Talk:Reform California - Wikipedia
Reform California, formerly known as Reform San Diego, is an American conservative political group founded by Republican California state assemblymember Carl DeMaio in 2003. The group describes itself as "a watchdog on how [California's] state and local government spends our tax dollars".[5]^
Voice of San Diego called Reform California a "high-profile player" in the unsuccessful 2021 attempt to recall California governor Gavin Newsom.[4]^ The group has also been described as the lead proponent of the 2026 California voter ID initiative.[6]^
History
Reform California was founded by Carl DeMaio in 2003, but gained increasing prominence over a decade later, after campaigning to support the California Public Vote on Pensions Initiative,[5]^ a ballot measure that would have required a public vote on "the amount of and manner in which compensation and retirement benefits are provided to employees of a government employer."[7]^ In 2017, DeMaio announced he would take a more active role within the group,[4]^ which later led the campaign in support of 2018 California Proposition 6, a failed attempt to repeal California's gas tax.[8]^ The group raised US$1.9 million in support of Proposition 6.[9]^
Between 2023 and 2025, Reform California raised at least US$5.8 million, primarily from small donors,[10]^ leading CalMatters to label it "one of the most prolific grassroots Republican fundraising machines in the state."[10]
Efforts to recall Josh Newman
The Sacramento Bee described Reform California as the "main ... campaign committee" behind the successful effort to recall state senator Josh Newman,[11]^ who was criticized for voting to raise gas and vehicle taxes.[12]^ The group reported over $44,000 in donor contributions between April and June, 2017.[11]^
2026 California voter ID initiative
Main article: 2026 California voter ID initiative
Reform California were described by CalMatters as "the group behind" the 2026 California voter ID initiative,[6]^ which would introduce voter ID laws in the state of California. DeMaio unsuccessfully introduced similar legislation in 2025.[6]^ DeMaio had previously filed for the ballot initiative in both 2021 and 2023, but chose not to move forward with the signature collection process so that the wording of the initiative could be tweaked.[13]^
DeMaio has positioned the initiative as "common-sense and bipartisan", and the group have highlighted polling showing most Californians support voter ID requirements.[14]^ California is one of fourteen U.S. states that does not require voters to show a form of ID when casting a ballot.[14]^
Controversies
Efforts to recall Gavin Newsom
Further information: 2021 California gubernatorial recall election
Reform California supported the 2021 campaign to oust Gavin Newsom.[4]^ At the time, the organization was criticized by a number of conservative activists in California, who alleged that DeMaio was "sucking up resources intended to remove Newsom to promote himself instead."[4]^ Lawyer Jim Lacy stated that donors were "misled" by the group, which was also accused of diverting donations to causes that directly benefitted DeMaio.[4]^ Reform California denied allegations of wrongdoing, stating that they utilize a "prudent reserve policy" to reserve campaign funds for future campaigns.[4]^
The group reported spending around US$100,000 on the effort to recall Newsom, though recall organizers said they received little help from the organization. Orrin Heatlie, one of the lead proponents of the recall effort, told Voice of San Diego that he believes donations to Reform California were "going to outside organizations or efforts that are not directly involved in the actual recall", and that the group "divert[ed] money away from the campaign into their own personal interest".[4]^ Reform California collected around 700 signatures in support of the recall petition, though organizers deemed them unsuitable for submission because of an issue with the group's listed address.[4]^ The group was also criticized by other conservative organizations for campaigning against Kevin Faulconer, a Republican candidate in the 2021 recall election.[4]^
In reference to Reform California's involvement in the recall effort, Jason Roe, the former director of the Michigan Republican Party, described the group as a "promote-Carl organization", alleging that donations go towards "Carl's priorities, or things that promote Carl".[4]^
2024 campaign finance complaint
In August 2024, the Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC) filed a campaign finance complaint against DeMaio, alleging that he had violated campaign finance laws by using funds raised for the Reform California Voter Guide to help with his state assembly campaign.[15]^ As part of an investigation into the complaint, The Sacramento Bee revealed that DeMaio's campaign failed to report a $260,000 TV ad buy in 2023.[15]^ PORAC claimed DeMaio's actions were "a clear violation of both the law and the public trust".[15]^
2026 Reform California voter guide
In 2026, the California Republican Party sent a cease and desist letter to DeMaio and Reform California,[16]^ demanding the group retract their official voter guide, which allegedly imitated the state party's branding.[3]^ The letter accused Reform California of running a "coordinated, brazen, and unlawful campaign to deceive California voters" in violation of state law.[3]^
The voter guide, which read 'OFFICIAL ... Republican Central Committee Slate' and prominently featured the Republican Party's elephant emblem, was published as the 'Official Republican Voter Guide'.[3]^ Ashlee Titus, the California Republican Party's general counsel, stated that litigation was likely to occur.[3]^ U.S. representative Darrell Issa accused DeMaio of "actively lying to Republican voters" and "wasting valuable time, energy, and resources".[3]^
References
- "About". Reform California. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
- "Carl DeMaio". CalMatters. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- Lewis, Scott (May 18, 2026). "State Republican Party Reprimands DeMaio". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- Keatts, Andrew (April 27, 2021). "'It's a Promote-Carl Organization': The Rise of Reform California". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- Jennewein, Chris (February 17, 2015). "Carl DeMaio Aims for Statewide Vote on Pension Reform". Times of San Diego. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- Lathan, Nadia (March 10, 2026). "A Republican-backed push for voter ID gains momentum in California". CalMatters. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
- "California Public Vote on Pensions Initiative (2016)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- McAllister, Toni (April 30, 2018). "Carl DeMaio-Backed Gas Tax Repeal Said to Have Enough Signatures for Ballot". Times of San Diego. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- Castellano, Jill (September 7, 2018). "How San Diego fueled California's gas tax repeal effort". inewsource. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- Kimelman, Jeremia; Sabalow, Ryan (January 28, 2025). "He wants to make California Republicans relevant again. So why does the GOP dislike him?". CalMatters. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
- "Out-of-district money flows into effort to oust Democratic senator". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
- "State Sen. Josh Newman Targeted By Recall Over California Gas Tax Vote". CBS News. May 9, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
- "Voter ID controversy headed for California with initiative on November ballot". Los Angeles Times. April 24, 2026. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
- Segura, Daniella. "Voter ID measure qualifies for November ballot in California". The Desert Sun. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
- "California Conservative Carl DeMaio hit with a campaign finance complaint". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- Garofoli, Joe (May 18, 2026). "Why California Republicans sent a cease-and-desist letter to one of their rising stars". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
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sac bee
Democratic leaders criticize Prop. 45 campaign for donations to CA GOP, DeMaio By Andrew Graham September 30, 2026 10:12 AM Gift Article
Republican Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, R-Valley Center, gestures emphatically at the state Capitol on Aug. 21, 2025. Justin Sullivan Getty Images Recent campaign filings by the Yes on Proposition 45 campaign revealed two donations that quickly drew condemnations from Democratic leaders.
One was a $750,000 donation to the California Republican Party and the other a $100,000 check to Reform California, the political organization run by firebrand conservative Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, R-Valley Center.
When the donation to the state GOP surfaced, California Democratic Party Chairman Rusty Hicks accused the campaign, which is focused on easing the path to construction for projects its backers deem essential to public infrastructure and housing, of infusing Republican coffers with cash that could be spent pushing a voter identification measure that is deeply unpopular with state leaders.
Then, on Monday, two of the most powerful elected officials in the state, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister and Senate President pro Tem Monique Limón, D-Santa Barbara, criticized the donation to DeMaio’s group, which sponsored Proposition 39, the voting ID requirement. Politico first reported on both developments. It’s common practice for ballot measure committees to chip in for campaign literature and advertising by political groups who endorsed their cause.
And while the California Republican Party endorsed Proposition 45, the state Democratic Party chose to oppose it. But now, the Democratic leaders allege the campaign behind Prop. 45, which has roots in a long-running debate over the California Environmental Quality Act and has not been a starkly partisan issue, has coalesced with DeMaio and Republicans’ voter ID push. “They’re aligned with Trump and DeMaio in the effort to deny Californians the right to vote,” the two caucus leaders said in a statement. Neither Rivas nor Límon has taken an official position on Prop. 45 itself, their spokespeople told The Sacramento Bee. The campaign against Prop. 45 was quick to flag the donations — seeing a chance to tie their opponents to Republicans in a Democrat-leaning state where President Donald Trump is sweepingly unpopular.
“What campaign has made the biggest contribution to the California Republican Party this year?” the No on Prop. 45 campaign posted on X. “The polluters backing (Proposition 45).” Supporters of the Yes campaign say their measure does not undo environmental protections but instead streamlines approval for projects in eight categories of building projects — housing and public health developments (such as hospitals); clean energy; water infrastructure; schools including higher education facilities; public safety projects, including wildfire mitigation work like vegetation management; transportation; and broadband and digital access. The measure works largely by imposing deadlines on state agencies and courts to issue decisions on those projects, proponents say.
However, their critics argue the measure stacks the deck in favor of approval. The Yes campaign described the donations as a routine tactic. “The defenders of California’s unaffordable status quo are desperate to talk about anything other than what Prop. 45 actually does. No Prop. 45 funds have been spent to support another ballot measure,” said Amelia Matier, a spokesperson for the Yes campaign, in a statement. She also noted that many funders of the Yes campaign — which includes a long list of established business associations and wealthy individual Californians — had together given millions to the California Democratic Party. Just this year, there was at least $4 million given to that party by major Prop. 45 backers like the California Chamber of Commerce, utility companies and the California Hospital Association, among others. The No Campaign gave $303,500 to the state Democratic Party, according to filings. It’s not unusual for disparate political groups to find common ground and share funding accordingly, especially among ballot measure committees where campaign finance rules are somewhat looser, said Sonoma State University political science professor David McCuan. With the GOP and Reform California’s endorsement, the Yes on Prop. 45 campaign stands to benefit from efforts to drive Republican turnout, he said, particularly in a year that party is worried about voter enthusiasm. “For the folks who are yes on 45, it wouldn’t be so bad if there was a (stronger) ‘Yes on 39’ campaign,” McCuan said. “Democrats think the sky is falling this election if they don’t flip the U.S. House. Republicans have a lot less of a reason to come out.” Money for campaign mail The Yes campaign’s donation to Reform California is labeled as money for a slate mailer — mailed guides to the group’s followers suggesting how they vote on ballot measures. DeMaio’s group weighs in on every ballot measure, including local ones, and has reach across the state, according to the group’s website. Campaign finance filings indicate Reform California receives money from ballot measure campaigns, as well as candidates for state, local and federal office to help pay for its mailers. The Yes campaign listed donations to at least six other groups for mailers in its most recent filings. DeMaio criticized Limón and Rivas for using their stature as elected leaders to try and dictate how campaigns spend money. “I know that California Democrats have gotten comfortable with their supermajority, but it’s clear that now the corruption is being said out loud,” DeMaio said. “It is outrageous that elected officials are threatening groups who want to contribute to a campaign and bully them simply to try to stop them from trying to participate in the political process.” The Yes campaign’s donation to the state Republican Party does not specify a purpose for the money. The $750,000 appears to be the largest single contribution the state party has reported this year. “It’s unfortunate because CA GOP will likely just waste it on trying to pass Trump-backed Prop. 39 in hopes of making it harder to vote in California,” CADEM’s Hicks told Politico last week. “Luckily, California Republicans have been on a decades-long losing streak — one that is sure to continue on Nov. 3.” Hicks’ suggestion about how the money would be spent was “false,” California Republican Party spokesperson Matt Shupe said. “It is no surprise that anti-affordable housing Rusty and the California Democrats, are once again attempting to deceive Californians by ducking, dodging and dipping away from having a substantive debate on the issues or any sense of accountability for their decades of failed leadership,” Shupe said. “The only ideas they offer is ‘Trump is bad’ while being unable to solve a single problem in California.” It’s unclear how the partisan back and forth will impact voters weighing whether to endorse Prop. 45 in November. “The problem is (campaign dollar transfers) is kind of an inside baseball kind of move,” McCuan said. “It doesn’t necessarily really grab voter attention.” Publicly available polling has shown a split electorate over Prop. 45 — but not one along party lines. A Public Policy Institute of California poll found only a slim majority, 49%, of likely voters said they’d vote yes on Prop. 45, while 46% said no and 5% said they were undecided. Among Democrat voters, 48% said they’d vote yes, while 45% said no, with the rest undecided. Republican voters weren’t that different on the measure. Prop. 45 may need the Republicans were far from convinced as well. Fifty-one percent of likely Republican voters told PPIC’s pollsters they’d vote yes, while 47% said no. At least five county-level Republican parties have recommended a No vote on Prop 45 — Del Norte, Fresno, Solano, San Luis Obispo and Marin.
Read more at: https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article317427465.html#storylink=cpy
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9 16 TOP FUNDER 2026 FUCKERY Official Top Funders :: California Secretary of State
https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/ballot-measures/top-funders/1984-top-funders-09-22-25.pdf
Committee Major Funding From: Nicole Shanahan Cameron Winklevoss Tyler Winklevoss Latest Official Top Funders: www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballotmeasures/initiative-and-referendum-status/official-top-funders
Petition circulation paid for by Fairs, Farms and Family Fund - Senator Alvarado-Gil's Ballot Measure Committee Committee Major Funding From: No $50,000 contributors Latest Official Top Funders: VoterIDTopFunders.org
OFFICIAL TOP FUNDERS. Valid only for September 2025 (25-0007A1) ESTABLISHES ADDITIONAL VOTER IDENTIFICATION AND CITIZENSHIP VERIFICATION REQUIREMENTS. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. Petition circulation paid for by Reform California with Carl DeMaio – Ballot Measure Committee Committee Major Funding From: No $50,000 contributors Latest Official Top Funders: VoterIDTopFunders.org (25-0007A1) ESTABLISHES ADDITIONAL VOTER IDENTIFICATION AND CITIZENSHIP VERIFICATION REQUIREMENTS. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.
Under current law, when registering to vote, individuals must state under penalty of perjury that they are United States citizens and provide information to verify their identity (e.g., birthdate, driver’s license or Social Security number). This measure would amend the California Constitution to further require that: voters present government-issued identification at the polls or the last four digits of a government-issued identification number when voting by mail; the State provide voter identification cards on request; and elections officials annually report percentage of each county’s voters whose citizenship they have verified. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: One-time state and local government costs in the tens of millions of dollars to prepare for implementation of the measure. Increased annual state and local government costs potentially ranging in the tens of millions of dollars to the low hundreds of millions of dollars to fulfill new requirements related to elections administration.
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A major funder of the Reform California Voter ID initiative led by Carl DeMaio is Illinois billionaire Richard Uihlein, who contributed $10.5 million as of August 2026.
stocktonia.org
CalMattersKey Donor for the Reform California Voter ID Initiative
Major Contributions
The Reform California Voter ID initiative, spearheaded by Assemblyman Carl DeMaio, has received significant financial backing from Illinois billionaire Richard Uihlein. His contributions are crucial for the campaign's efforts to qualify the initiative for the ballot.
| Donor | Amount Contributed | Date of Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Richard Uihlein | $10.5 million | As of August 2026 |
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Our Mission
Reform California is a statewide grassroots political movement led by Carl DeMaio that is dedicated to taking back our state from the far-Left politicians and special interests.
Given that California is currently dominated by one political party with a supermajority – and the other political party has shown itself largely ineffective in its opposition role – Reform California seeks to be the counterbalance to extreme and misguided policies that are costing taxpayers and hurting working families in our state.
Under Chairman Carl DeMaio's leadership, Reform California has become the fastest growing grassroots movement in the state. Since DeMaio became a candidate for state office in December 2023, Reform California is funded as a project of DeMaio's candidate campaign committee - Carl DeMaio for State Assembly.
Reform California achieves its mission in four ways:
Reform California Voter Guide: In each election, Reform California helps voters cut through the confusion and misinformation in the election with its Reform California "Plain English" Voter Guide that is distributed throughout the state. Reform California endorses the most principled reform-minded candidates for each office and provides an easy-to-understand truthful description of deceptive ballot measures that politicians put on the ballot. DeMaio also controls Reform California Voter Guide - a slate mail entity that is used to publicize Reform California's voter guide in each election.
Ballot Measure Campaigns: Reform California maintains a separate ballot measure campaign committee to file, qualify, and support numerous citizen ballot initiatives to impose reform on state and local government. Reform California's ballot measure committee is also able to organize campaigns in opposition to bad initiatives proposed by politicians and special interests - such as tax increases.
Providing an Alternative to Liberal News: The liberal media in California refuses to cover the truth and deliver the news on the growing problems in California under one-party control. That's why Carl DeMaio hosts a daily Reform California podcast to provide factual and unbiased news stories to the public yearning for the truth on what is really happening in our state and how to make positive change happen.
The Reform California Caucus: As a member of the California State Legislature, Reform California Chairman Carl DeMaio is building a "Reform California Caucus" of like-minded principled reformers to fight for change from within the "belly of the beast."
Our Supporters
Ordinary citizens from all walks of life are funders and supporters of Reform California. In fact, Reform California has grown into one of the largest grassroots advocacy movements in the country.
Contributors: Reform California represents a grassroots army of over 50,000 donors who give an average of just $67 per year in small contribution levels.
Volunteers: Reform California has recruited over 30,000 volunteers spread throughout each region of the state. These volunteers help collect signatures for ballot measures and volunteer for candidate and causes that Reform California endorses.
Subscribers: Reform California has over 500,000 subscribers that receive its podcasts and news alerts on state policy issues and politics.
This diversity and broad-based support gives Reform California true independence from the political system because our funding is not tied to any special interests with business before the state.
Our History
Reform California was founded as a political action committee in 2003 by government reform leader Carl DeMaio with the initial focus on uncovering the financial crisis faced at that time by the state of California under Gov. Gray Davis. Since then, Reform California has uncovered numerous cases of financial mismanagement and corruption in state and local governments.
Reform California's investigative work forced the City of San Diego to admit to falsifying its financial statements and hiding its multi-billion pension debt crisis. After exposing this financial crisis, Reform California outlined a bold fiscal reform plan that saved the City of San Diego from bankruptcy.
Since its launch in 2003, Reform California has led over two dozen initiative campaigns – both in specific regions as well as state-wide. In 2017, Reform California led the successful recall against State Senator Josh Newman (D) who cast the deciding vote in approving the costly and unfair car and gas tax hikes. This successful Recall is only the 5th time since 1912 that a state politician was successfully removed from office through a Recall. In 2018, Reform California collected over 1 million signatures to qualify Proposition 6 – the Gas Tax Repeal Initiative and in 2022 collected over 1.4 million signatures to qualify the California Taxpayer Protection Act.
To date Reform California has defeated over 300 tax hike proposals on the ballot - saving Californians over $32 billion.
Reform California’s “Plain English Voter Guide" is the most referenced voter guide in the state - and was downloaded by more than 264,000 unique voters during the 2022 election.
In 2024, Reform California Chairman Carl DeMaio announced his campaign to win a seat in the State Assembly - all part of his strategy to build a Reform California Caucus inside the "belly of the beast!" Because of state campaign finance rules, Reform California is now a project of Carl DeMaio's candidate committee - Carl DeMaio for State Assembly. DeMaio's candidate committee covers the cost of all Reform California operations. A separate ballot measure committee - called Reform California with Carl DeMaio - raises and spends funds on ballot measure campaigns.
Financial Transparency: View our Campaign Reports
Our Team
Carl DeMaio
Chairman
Dave McCulloch
Senior Advisor
Jordan Gurnett
Chief of Staff
Jennifer Jacobs
Senior Advisor
Dylan Martin
Communications Director
David Trick
Events Manager
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Reform California
Reform California Announces Coalition for CA Voter ID Initiative Campaign
Mar 11, 2025In December 2024, CA State Rep. Carl DeMaio - who also serves as chairman of Reform California - introduced the CA Voter ID Initiative to not only require citizenship verification for voter registration but photo ID for casting a ballot. In introducing the measure, DeMaio said "too many Californians have lost trust and confidence in our elections - and we need to fix that immediately ...
California Globe
Reform California Submits 1.35 Million Signatures to Place Voter ID ...
Mar 5, 2026In a significant push for election integrity, Reform California Chairman and State Assemblyman Carl DeMaio (R-San Diego) announced on Tuesday that his organization has collected and is submitting over 1.35 million signatures to qualify a Voter ID initiative for the November 2026 ballot. The initiative, which aims to require photo identification for in-person voting, citizenship verification ...
Carl DeMaio
https://carldemaio.com › campaigns › election-integrity-initiative
Election Integrity Initiative - carldemaio.com
Reform California Chairman Carl DeMaio has authored a statewide constitutional amendment to restore election integrity by requiring 1) verification of voter ID for any ballot counted; 2) accurate maintenance of voter rolls; 3) proper verification of ballot signatures, and 4) audits of the election process to ensure full compliance with federal ...
Lassen News
CA Voter ID Initiative collects more than 250,000 signatures in just ...
1 day agoCarl DeMaio. "We are absolutely thrilled with the overwhelming response of signatures in the first two weeks of our signature drive - and it proves that California voters across the political spectrum support the CA Voter ID Initiative," said California State Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, one of the initiative's proponents. DeMaio's Reform California organization is leading the ...
Lassen News
California Voter ID initiative collects more than 500,000 signatures in ...
2 days agoCarl DeMaio. "We are absolutely thrilled with the overwhelming response of signatures in the first five weeks of our signature drive - and it proves that California voters across the political spectrum support the California Voter ID Initiative," DeMaio, one of the initiative's proponents, said. DeMaio's Reform California organization is leading the volunteer signature drive and ...
Los Angeles Times
Voter ID initiative will be on the ballot in California in November ...
Apr 24, 2026Republican Assemblymember Carl DeMaio from San Diego and other proponents of the California voter ID initiative have been pushing for voter reform for several years, while Trump and Republicans ...
stocktonia.org
California's Voter ID initiative goes national - Stocktonia News
TodayThe latest contribution, dated Aug. 4, brings the total Uihlein has donated to the campaign to $10.5 million-half of the $21 million raised so far by the initiative's backers led by Assemblyman Carl DeMaio, a San Diego Republican. Proposition 39, which leads in polls, is part of a national push by conservatives to require that voters provide proof that they're eligible to vote before ...
Times of San Diego
California's Voter ID initiative goes national - Times of San Diego
TodayIf it wasn't before, a California initiative to tighten voting requirements became nationalized when Illinois billionaire Richard Uihlein, one of President Donald J. Trump's large donors ...
Reform California
DeMaio Launches Statewide Canvass Drive for CA Voter ID and No on Prop 50
California Assemblyman and Reform California Chairman Carl DeMaio has officially kicked off the statewide campaign to qualify the California Voter ID Initiative for the ballot—and he's calling it a two-for-one-fight by combining it with his NO on Prop 50 campaign.
Capitol Weekly
https://capitolweekly.net › californias-voter-id-initiative-goes-national
California's Voter ID initiative goes national - Capitol Weekly
7 days agoIf it wasn't before, a California initiative to tighten voting requirements became nationalized when Illinois billionaire Richard Uihlein, one of President Donald J. Trump's large donors, contributed $6.5 million to the Yes-on-Proposition 39 campaign.
Reform California
Reform California Announces Coalition for CA Voter ID Initiative Campaign
Mar 11, 2025In January, President Trump endorsed CA Voter ID as a "condition" for continued federal funding to the state. Both DeMaio and the measure's co-sponsor State Rep. Bill Essayli have worked to convince Sacramento politicians to do the right thing and put the measure on the 2026 ballot - but the legislature has stubbornly refused to act.
NewsBreak
Right-leaning billionaires help bankroll California voter ID ballot ...
The bulk of that total came from large-dollar donors who helped pay for signature gatherers to get the measure on the ballot. Volunteers from Reform California, a conservative group spearheaded by Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, R-Valley Center, also played a major role in gathering signatures.
Common Cause
Right-leaning billionaires help bankroll California voter ID ballot ...
Jul 13, 2026The bulk of that total came from large-dollar donors who helped pay for signature gatherers to get the measure on the ballot. Volunteers from Reform California, a conservative group spearheaded by Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, R-Valley Center, also played a major role in gathering signatures.
Reform California
https://www.reformcalifornia.org › campaigns › election-integrity-initiative
CA Voter ID Initiative - reformcalifornia.org
California's fraud-prone election practices include outdated voter rolls, ballot harvesting schemes, refusal to verify citizenship status, non-existent signature reviews, etc. That's why Reform California and Carl DeMaio are leading a campaign to restore election integrity in our state by imposing a Voter ID Law!
The San Diego Union-Tribune
Bonta sued over changes to California voter ID ballot measure pushed by ...
Jul 29, 2026San Diego-area Assemblymember Carl DeMaio and his group Reform California have been leading boosters of the push for stricter voter ID laws, pumping $3 million into the Prop. 39 campaign.
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