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Nov. 2026 Election Guide: Bay Area Ballot Measures and Races
Every Bay Area Brief explainer on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot in one place: local measures, state propositions and council races, grouped by county. 113 stories, updated as we publish.
Jump to: Statewide propositions · Regional · San Francisco · Alameda County · Contra Costa County · Santa Clara County · San Mateo County · Marin County · Sonoma County · Napa County · Solano County · Santa Cruz County · Other
Statewide propositions
- Justice Department Gives California 48 Hours to Check a List of 'Likely Noncitizen' Mail Voters. Bay Area Counties Say Nothing Changes for Now · Oct 14
- Prop. 43 Explained: Why Bay Area Voter-Led Tax Measures Could Soon Need Two-Thirds to Pass · Oct 12
- Prop. 3 Explained: Making California's Top-Earner Tax Permanent, and What's at Stake for Schools · Oct 11
- Newsom Backs Brin-Funded Prop. 42, Which Would Block the Billionaire Tax and Ban Future Wealth Taxes · Oct 10
- Proposition 4 Explained: Should California Lift Its Ban on Public Money for Political Campaigns? · Oct 9
- Silicon Valley Money Pours Into the Fight Over California's Billionaire Tax as Polls Tighten · Oct 8
Regional
- Measure RTM Explained: The Bay Area Regional Transit Sales Tax for BART, Muni, Caltrain and AC Transit · Oct 14
- AC Transit Schedules Oct. 14 Hearings on a 16% Bus Cut Plan if the Regional Transit Tax Fails · Oct 12
- VTA Says It Won't Cut Service Either Way on the Transit Tax. South Bay Caltrain Riders Have More on the Line · Oct 8
- Bay Area's $980 Million-a-Year Transit Tax Heads Into November Below 50% in a New Poll · Oct 7
San Francisco
- San Francisco Proposition A Explained: The Charter Cleanup That Would Move Commissions Out of Voters' Hands and Change How Settlements Are Approved · Oct 14
- San Francisco Proposition E Explained: Lurie's Plan to Raise Contract Limits to $25 Million and Give the City Administrator a 10-Year Term · Oct 14
- San Francisco Proposition D Explained: Raising the Bar to Put Measures on the Ballot · Oct 14
- San Francisco Proposition C Explained: Raising the Housing Trust Fund Toward $125 Million a Year · Oct 14
- San Francisco Proposition B Explained: Municipal Finance Corporation and a Path to a Public Bank · Oct 14
- San Francisco School Board Election 2026: 8 Candidates for 3 Seats, and the Slates Splitting SF Politics · Oct 13
- San Francisco District 10 Supervisor Race 2026: Who's Running in Bayview, Potrero Hill and Visitacion Valley, and Where They Stand · Oct 12
- San Francisco Proposition G Explained: Would Cars Return to the Great Highway on Weekdays? · Oct 12
- San Francisco Proposition F Explained: Lurie's Bid to Hire and Fire Department Heads and Bring Back Deputy Mayors · Oct 12
- San Francisco Proposition J Explained: Ending the Foreclosure Transfer-Tax Break for Big Commercial Deals · Oct 12
- San Francisco Proposition I Explained: Splitting Big Transfer Taxes Into a House SF Housing Fund · Oct 12
- SF Democrats Rescind Manny Yekutiel Endorsement and Back Gary McCoy in District 8 · Oct 11
- San Francisco Proposition H Explained: A 15-Year Parcel Tax to Keep Muni Running · Oct 11
- GrowSF Polls District 8 Voters on a Manny Yekutiel Comeback Days After He Quit the Race, Drawing Sharp Criticism · Oct 8
- Torn Ballot Envelopes Show Up in San Francisco Mailboxes. Elections Officials Blame Postal Sorting Machines · Oct 8
- Katie Porter Endorses Scott Wiener in the Race to Succeed Nancy Pelosi · Oct 7
Alameda County
- Piedmont Measure GG Explained: Raising the Real Estate Transfer Tax From 1.3% to 1.75% · Oct 14
- Dublin Measure I Explained: Raising the School Parcel Tax From $96 to $144 for Nine Years · Oct 14
- Hayward Mayor Race 2026: Mark Salinas vs. Tom Wong, Plus the District 1 and District 6 Council Races · Oct 14
- Berkeley City Council District 4 Race 2026: Igor Tregub vs. Majdi Gaith Abuhamdieh for the Downtown Seat · Oct 14
- California Proposition 5 Explained: How It Would Change Recall Elections After Newsom and Oakland's Sheng Thao Fights · Oct 14
- AC Transit Board Election 2026: Joel Young vs. Adriana Valencia in Ward 3, Sarah Syed vs. Gabriel Morales in Ward 4 · Oct 14
- Berkeley Measure Y Explained: A 12-Year Arts Parcel Tax of 7 Cents a Square Foot · Oct 14
- Berkeley Measure X Explained: A 10% Yearly Rent Increase Cap and Other Rent Control Changes · Oct 14
- Berkeley City Council District 8 Race 2026: Incumbent Mark Humbert vs. Michael Wallman and Mari Mendonca in Claremont and Elmwood · Oct 12
- Newark Measure DD Explained: Rewriting the City's 1970 Business License Tax, With Rates Up to 0.3% of Gross Receipts · Oct 12
- Union City Measure II Explained: Extending the 5% Utility Users Tax to 2037 and the $7 Million It Pays For · Oct 12
- Oakland Measure FF Explained: Closing the Foreclosure Loophole in the City's Transfer Tax · Oct 11
- Berkeley Measure V Explained: A Half-Cent Sales Tax to Head Off Police, Fire and Recreation Cuts · Oct 11
- Berkeley Measure AA Explained: Doubling the Nation's First Soda Tax to 2 Cents an Ounce · Oct 11
- Albany Measure P Explained: Street and Storm-Drain Parcel Tax Guardrail if Golden Gate Fields Goes Public · Oct 11
- Pleasanton Measure HH Explained: Phased Hotel Tax Hike From 8% to 12% · Oct 11
- Alameda Measure L Explained: $300 Million Bond for Sea-Level Rise, Tubes and Potholes · Oct 11
- Emeryville Measure BB Explained: Business Tax Overhaul Would Charge Up to 0.4% of Gross Receipts · Oct 11
- Albany Measure O Explained: Ending the 1978 Neighborhood Veto Over Single-Family Zoning · Oct 11
- Berkeley Measure Z Explained: A $58 Million Parcel Tax to Launch an East Bay Public Bank · Oct 11
- San Leandro Mail Ballots List Council Races Voters Can't Vote In · Oct 9
- Berkeley's Southside Council Seat Comes Down to Two UC Berkeley Graduates · Oct 9
- Hayward's Measure CC Would Rewrite a 1978 Business Tax. Here's What Changes for Local Businesses · Oct 9
- Berkeley's Measure U: What the $300 Million Infrastructure Bond Would Pay For, and Why Critics Object · Oct 9
- Oakland District 2 Race: Wang and Adams Offer Different Answers to Sex Trafficking on International Boulevard · Oct 9
- Oakland's Measure EE Explained: A Strong Mayor, a Veto and a Full-Time Council · Oct 9
- Berkeley Rent Board Race: Six Candidates for Five Seats, and What Each Wants to Change · Oct 9
- St. Rose Hospital Workers Stage a 'Die-In' in Hayward to Push Prop 40 as Federal Cuts Squeeze Alameda Health System · Oct 9
Contra Costa County
- Walnut Creek Measure U Explained: Rezoning 2.4 Acres Across From BART for Senior Housing at Ygnacio Center · Oct 15
- San Pablo Measure S Explained: Cap Rent Hikes at 3% or 60% of Inflation, Whichever Is Lower · Oct 12
- San Pablo Measure R Explained: A Temporary Half-Cent Sales Tax Stepping Down Over 10 Years · Oct 12
- Concord Measure O Explained: A Flat 0.1% Business License Tax Aimed at About $2.9 Million a Year · Oct 12
- Richmond Measure Q Explained: A $120 Million Bond to Rebuild Aging Fire Stations · Oct 12
- Liberty Union Measure X Explained: A $165 Million Bond for Brentwood, Oakley and East Contra Costa High Schools · Oct 12
- Concord's Measure O Would Swap Tiered Business Tax for One Flat Rate · Oct 9
- West Contra Costa Schools Ask Voters to Renew $10 Million-a-Year Parcel Tax With Measure V · Oct 9
- Antioch Council Races: Torres-Walker and Motts Meet for a Third Time as Wilson Faces Three Challengers · Oct 9
- Acalanes Schools Ask Voters for a $168 Parcel Tax With Measure W After $4.2 Million in Cuts · Oct 9
- Walnut Creek Measure T Would Make the City Treasurer an Appointed Job. Here Is What That Means · Oct 9
- Contra Costa Runs 25,000 Test Ballots Through Its Counting Machines Ahead of Nov. 3 · Oct 9
Santa Clara County
- Gilroy Measure B Explained: Raising the Hotel Tax From 9% to a Maximum of 13% · Oct 15
- Sunnyvale Measure G Explained: Letting the City Use Design-Build and Other Public Works Contracting Methods · Oct 15
- Santa Clara Mayor Race 2026: 6 Candidates to Replace Lisa Gillmor, and the 49ers' $1.8 Million Bet · Oct 13
- San Jose Unified School Board Race 2026: Board President José Magaña Faces Two Challengers in Area 2 as Two Run for Open Area 4 Seat · Oct 12
- Morgan Hill Mayor and City Council Races 2026: Mark Turner Faces Two Challengers, and Districts B and D Incumbents Each Draw One · Oct 12
- Mountain View Measure F Explained: Raising the Hotel Tax From 10% to as High as 15% · Oct 12
- Los Altos Measure D Explained: Voter Control Over Downtown's 10 Parking Plazas — and a Housing-Element Fight · Oct 12
- Milpitas Measure K Explained: Replacing a 1976 Per-Employee Business Tax With Gross Receipts · Oct 11
- Cupertino Measure L Explained: A Two-Thirds Public Vote Before Any Park Could Be Rezoned · Oct 11
- Mountain View's RV Parking Protections End in February. The Next Council Will Decide What Happens · Oct 10
- Palo Alto Reveals How It Got to $65.5 Million for Cubberley Land, but Keeps the Appraisal Private · Oct 9
- Santa Clara Councilmember Asks City Attorney to Review Mayoral Candidate Watanabe's Donations · Oct 9
- Palo Alto Council Candidates Split Over How Fast to Ban Overnight RV Parking · Oct 9
- Palo Alto City Council Election 2026: Eight Candidates, Three Seats, and the Issues on the Table · Oct 9
- 49ers-funded PAC pours money into Santa Clara's District 2 council race · Oct 9
- Money Pours Into San Jose Council Runoffs, With Front-Runners Holding Fundraising Leads in All Three Races · Oct 8
- Santa Clara County Is Mailing More Than a Million Ballots, and Officials Want Them Back Early · Oct 7
San Mateo County
- San Mateo Measure F Explained: Updating the City Charter for District Elections and Council Rules · Oct 14
- San Mateo-Foster City Measure W Explained: A $498 Million School Bond for Roofs, STEM Labs and Teacher Housing · Oct 14
- San Mateo County Measure L Explained: A Charter Amendment Making Extreme-Weather Resilience a County Priority · Oct 13
- Burlingame Measure R Explained: A $100 Million Bond to Fix Century-Old Schools · Oct 12
- San Mateo Measure H Explained: A Quarter-Cent Sales Tax Aimed at About $7 Million a Year · Oct 12
- East Palo Alto Measure O Explained: $125 Million Bond for Library, Water Pipes and a Civic Center · Oct 11
- Pacifica Measure BB Explained: What a 1-Cent Sales Tax Would Mean for the Coastal City · Oct 11
- San Bruno Measure S Explained: Should Voters Scrap the 1977 Three-Story Height Limit? · Oct 11
- San Carlos Measure G Explained: The City's First Sales Tax Hike Would Raise $6 Million a Year · Oct 11
- Menlo Park's Measure P Would Let Voters Decide the Fate of Downtown Parking Lots Slated for 345 Affordable Homes · Oct 10
- Belmont's Measure Y Would Tax Homes 33 Cents a Square Foot to Rebuild the 75-Year-Old Barrett Community Center · Oct 10
- Redwood City's Measure E: What the Rent Control Initiative Would Do · Oct 9
- San Mateo County requires on-site affordable units in rezoned areas, opposes Prop 43 · Oct 9
- Half Moon Bay Measure Q: Voters Decide the Fate of 555 Kelly Senior Farmworker Housing · Oct 9
Marin County
- Marin County Measure P Explained: A 5-Cent Parcel Tax for Child Care · Oct 14
- San Rafael Measure W Explained: Raising the Home Sale Transfer Tax From 0.2% to 1% · Oct 12
- Tam Union Trustee Kevin Saavedra Resigns After Restraining Order, but Stays on Marin's Nov. 3 School Board Ballot · Oct 12
- Mill Valley Measure T Explained: Renewing the $303 Parcel Tax for Roads and Fire Work · Oct 11
- Sausalito's Measure X Would Rewrite the Rules for the Marinship Waterfront. Artists and Business Owners Are Split · Oct 8
Sonoma County
- Sonoma County Measure H Explained: Extending the 1/8-Cent Parks Sales Tax After Measure M Expires in 2029 · Oct 15
- Santa Rosa Asks Voters for a Sales Tax Hike or Up to 35 Fewer Police Officers by 2030 · Oct 10
- Rohnert Park's Measure K Asks Voters for a Half-Cent Sales Tax to Close a $10 Million Gap · Oct 9
Napa County
Solano County
- Benicia Measures X, Y and Z Explained: A New Business License Tax, a Limited Charter and a Transfer Tax on New Construction · Oct 15
- Solano County Measure E Explained: A Business License Tax on Data Centers, Solar, Batteries and Wind · Oct 14
- Fairfield, Vacaville and Rio Vista Voters Will Decide Sales Tax Measures in November · Oct 9
Santa Cruz County
Other
- Hercules Measure P Explained: A One-Cent Sales Tax That Would Push the Rate to 10.25% · Oct 12
- Sunol Glen Measure K Explained: A $6.1 Million Bond to Finish the Century-Old Main Building · Oct 12
- Brisbane Measure X Explained: A Flat-Plus-Gross-Receipts Business License Tax Aimed at About $1 Million a Year · Oct 11
Check your registration and find your county elections office at sos.ca.gov/elections.