May 19, 2026 - Sacramento, Calif. – California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., announced that an initiative became eligible for the November 3, 2026, General Election ballot on May 18, 2026.  

In order to become eligible for the ballot, the initiative needed 546,651 valid petition signatures, which is equal to five percent of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2022 General Election.  

A measure can become eligible via random sampling of petition signatures if the sampling projects that the number of valid signatures is greater than 110 percent of the required number. The initiative needed at least 601,137 projected valid signatures to become eligible by random sampling, and it has exceeded that threshold today.  

On June 25, 2026, the Secretary of State will certify the initiative as qualified for the November 3, 2026, General Election ballot, unless it is withdrawn by the proponent(s) prior to certification pursuant to Elections Code section 9604(b).  

The Attorney General's official title and summary of the measure is as follows:  

REQUIRES COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINICS SPEND 90% OF REVENUE ON PROGRAM SERVICES. INITIATIVE STATUTE. Requires nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Centers (community clinics that provide primary care to medically underserved areas and populations) to spend at least 90% of their revenue on program services advancing their charitable purpose, including but not limited to patient services, rather than management and overhead. Department of Public Health may waive spending requirement in exceptional circumstances. Authorizes Attorney General to publish guidance defining qualifying expenditures. Imposes monetary penalties for noncompliance, which may be refunded if centers become compliant within five years. Authorizes criminal charges for false reports and schemes to artificially increase spending ratio. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: State cost of up to the low tens of millions of dollars annually to enforce the new requirement that nonprofit safety net health clinics spend at least 90 percent of annual revenue on certain types of expenses, much of which would be covered by fees and penalties charged on the affected entities. (25-0008A1) 

The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is 1986 and the Attorney General's tracking number is 25-0008A1. 

The proponents of the measure are Shawna Brown and Sean Fleming. The address for the proponents is c/o George M. Yin, Kaufman Legal Group, 445 S. Figueroa Street, Suite 2400, Los Angeles, CA 90071. The proponents may also be contacted at (213) 452-6565 and gyin@kaufmanlegalgroup.com. 

For more information about how an initiative qualifies for the ballot in California, visit https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-measures/how-qualify-initiative/. 

Source: CA. SoS