June 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 June 17, 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 601,317 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of State will certify the initiative as qualified for the November 3, 2026, General Election ballot, unless it is withdrawn by the proponent prior to certification pursuant to Elections Code section 9604(b).  

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

EXPANDS LIABILITY AND IMPOSES DUTIES ON RIDESHARE COMPANIES REGARDING SEXUAL MISCONDUCT. INITIATIVE STATUTE. Classifies rideshare companies as “common carriers” under California law (like taxis, buses, and trains), requiring those companies to exercise a heightened standard of care to avoid harm to passengers. Makes rideshare companies legally responsible for sexual misconduct, including sexual assault, against riders or drivers, regardless of whether driver is an independent contractor. Requires rideshare companies to publish monthly report of sexual misconduct incidents and notify riders of known risks of sexual misconduct associated with a matched driver. Requires annual fingerprinting and background checks for rideshare drivers. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Increased state costs likely ranging from the low tens of millions of dollars to the mid-tens of millions of dollars annually to process driver fingerprint background checks, potentially to be covered by fees. Increased state court costs ranging from the millions of dollars to the low tens of millions of dollars annually to process increased civil case workload. Increased costs to CPUC in the low millions of dollars annually to develop, implement, and enforce new regulations, to be covered by fees paid by rideshare companies. (25-0029A1.) 

The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is 2005 and the Attorney General's tracking number is 25-0029A1. 

The proponent of the measure is James C. Harrison. The address for the proponent is c/o James C. Harrison and Quentin Barbosa, Olson Remcho, LLP, 555 Capitol Mall, Suite 400, Sacramento, CA 95814. The proponent may also be contacted at (916) 442-2952 as well as at jharrison@olsonremcho.com and qbarbosa@olsonremcho.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