There are 14 propositions, plus statewide offices and judges on the ballot – and that’s before you even get to the Santa Barbara County issues.
Noozhawk teamed up with CalMatters to host a voter information event Sunday in the last stretch before the Nov. 3 election.
About 25 people attended the VotingMatters session. They all brought thoughtful questions, and a few brought their sample ballots to make notes.
“These VotingMatters partnerships with CalMatters have been a huge hit with Noozhawk readers,” said Bill Macfadyen, founder and publisher of Noozhawk. “But what’s even more exciting is to see how intentional and genuinely curious our readers have been at approaching the issues and working out how they’ re reaching decisions about them. As journalists, that’s not a process we often get to observe,” he said.
CalMatters CEO Neil Chase fielded questions about Proposition 40, the so-called billionaire tax, which proposes a one-time 5% wealth tax on the more than 200 California billionaires.
It would fund healthcare costs to compensate for federal funding that’s been withheld, proponents say, by having the richest people pay more in taxes.
Some opponents argue that a one-time tax isn’t good policy, and others say that it could cause some wealthy people to leave the state for a long-term negative financial impact, Chase said.
Leaving the state now wouldn’t prevent them from paying this tax if it passes, he noted, adding that the wealth tax couldn’t be expanded to other groups, since new taxes have be approved by voters.
While billionaires Warren Buffet and Tom Steyer vocally support paying more taxes, Chase said, most billionaires do not.
A billionaire-backed group has spent more than $187 million trying to defeat Prop. 40, according to CalMatters reporting, and put countermeasures Prop. 41 and Prop. 42 on the ballot.
If either Prop. 41 or Prop. 42 gets more votes than Prop. 40, then Prop. 40 would be nullified.
If voters are overwhelmed by the size of the ballot, Chase said, they should at least vote on the things they care about. It’s OK to leave some things blank, he said.
“It was wonderful to see so many Noozhawk readers care enough about voting to come out and discuss it with their community on a Sunday evening,” Chase said. “We’re doing dozens of these events statewide, and this audience was especially engaged and knowledgeable.
“It’s one thing to learn from the work of our newsrooms, but it’s even better to hear deeply informed opinions from your neighbors.”
Watch Q&As to Decide on Santa Barbara Mayor
Noozhawk Executive Editor Giana Magnoli talked about the busy local ballot with competitive mayor and City Council races. Santa Barbara has four council seats on the ballot, and 15 candidates going for those positions.
Along with profile stories and covering candidate forums, Noozhawk reporters also created video Q&As with candidates for mayor: Eric Friedman, Wendy Sims-Moten and Kristen Sneddon.
The brief videos were created by Rebecca Caraway and Pricila Flores to help voters understand how the candidates would tackle top city issues as mayor.
Watch the rest of the candidate Q&As for Santa Barbara mayor.
Sunday’s event was hosted at the Grace Fisher Foundation Inclusive Arts Clubhouse in Santa Barbara, likely the most colorful venue for any VotingMatters event so far.
CalMatters staff have been crisscrossing the state to host these events with local newsrooms and community groups.
CalMatters and Noozhawk previously partnered on local VotingMatters events for the June 2026 primary election and the November 2024 election.
“We’re grateful to CalMatters for helping us bring additional opportunities for meaningful engagement with our community,” Macfadyen said. “We at Noozhawk appreciate it, and we know our readers do, too.”
- Noozhawk Voter Guide
- Election Report newsletter
- California Voter Guide from the Secretary of State’s Office
- CalMatters Voter Guide for state races and propositions
- EdSource Voter Guide
- Know Your Voting Rights from Santa Barbara County Elections Office
- Register to Vote or Check Your Registration Status (move or change your name recently?)
- Find Your Polling Place from Santa Barbara County Elections Office
- List of Official Ballot Drop Boxes from Santa Barbara County Elections Office
- Interactive map of the drop box locations
- Track Your Ballot from the Secretary of State’s Office
- Check local election results from the Santa Barbara County Elections Office
