The final ballot initiative shakeout looks like this:
Prop. No. and Title Yes No
| Yes | 13 Property Taxes and Seismic Retrofit of Buildings | 84.5% | 15.5% | ||
| Yes | 14 Primary Election Participation | 54.2% | 45.8% | ||
| No | 15 California Fair Elections Act | 42.5% | 57.5% | ||
| No | 16 Local Electricity Providers | 47.6% | 52.4% | ||
| No | 17 Auto Insurance Pricing | | 48.0% | | 52.0% |
So, let's see what my goofball fellow Californians voted for...
Prop. 13: Not a bad idea, really. Let's property owners refit buildings without taking it in the ass on their taxes.
Prop 14: Again? Open primaries in California is like free crack night in the ferret hut. Especially when candidates don't have to disclose party affiliation. Look, you're taking an already broken system and making it totally fubar now. Let's stick with the old tried and true system that sucks.
And what did we vote against?
Prop. 15: Of course we voted against public funding of campaigns... makes too much sense. And this measure didn't even create public financing, it just said the state and municipalities could if they wanted to. Every state that's gone to a public funded option has seen increase in voter turnout, less incumbents winning and greater overall participation by the electorate in government... nice job California.
Prop 16: Two-thirds vote before you can stop handing over your paycheck to PG&E... congratulations, they can be taught!
Prop 17: Look, all you had to see is Mercury Insurance's fingerprints on this to know that this was just another in a long series of attempts by Mercury to get into shorts of California auto insurance rate payers. Again... good job California. No, seriously... good job; way to swat this one back in their face.
So... what kind of goofy crap are we going to be asked to approve this November. Remember, this is a midterm, that's when the really crazy ones hit the ballot.
Well, right out of the box, it looks like your going to be asked to vote something called the Safe, Clean and Reliable Drinking Water Act of 2010. Now be careful, friends and neighbors, because although this sounds reasonable, any California ballot initiative with the word "water" in it needs a close look, especially for you NoCals.
Ostensibly this approves $11.1 billion or so in G.O. bonds and adds Division 26.7 beginning with §79000 et seq. to the state water code.
In essence it's about $600 million for "drought relief," ground water clean up, conveyance, conservation, etc... Another $1.05 billion for "water supply reliability." This is broken down into grants by watershed area with SoCal raking a majority of the funds, plus some money for conservation and watershed improvement...
But it looks like the bulk of the money goes to "Delta Sustainabilty" and "Statewide Water System Operational Improvement."
Let me tell you what bugs me here. Those who know me, know I am a bit leery of our state's use of bonded indebtedness, even on matters of essential infrastructure like this. Californians for the past 40 years have been all to willing to break out the state's platinum card and say "charge it" on everything from highways to biotech industry incubation.
Remember, the phrase "selling bonds" doesn't mean were really selling anything other than little pieces of paper that say "I Owe You $11.1 billion."
Much like space flight, I don't really understand the ins and outs of the state's bonded indebtedness. Yeah, I get the general principle, but I am really just ignorant of the technicalities involved.
And I'll bet not one in 100,000 voters in the state does either. Combine that with the legal, political and scientific complexity of moving water around in this state – which I am guessing not one in 10 million California voters really understand – and I would have to say this looks hinky to me.
Next: Changes California Law to Legalize Marijuana and Allow It to Be Regulated and Taxed.
This is pretty straightforward... anyone over 21 can carry, cultivate and use a small amount of pot for their own personal stonyness. It also provides for state and municipal regulation and taxation for the same. Guess which way mojo votes on this...
Next: State Redistricting. I am not – in principle – opposed to the rubric established by this ballot initiative. Basically, it establishes a pretty evenly balanced state commission for redistricting instead of the horrible mess we have now.
Seriously, go read the measure... it's pretty straightforward and if it can in anyway get us past the horrific political kabuki dance that redistricting has become, then this might be something worth voting for.
These are the only three that have been approved by the Secretary of State so far for the November general election. I am not sure there's time for any other right now.
State election law gives ballot initiative petition circulation 150 days to gather the necessary signatures, but those signatures must be submitted to the Secretary of State no less than 131 days before the election in which the initiative is set to appear.
So using my Super Paralegal Powers of Calendering, the 131 day deadline for submission for the November election will be 5 p.m., Friday, June 25. So anyone who doesn't have their signatures in by that time, they are S.O.L. until March 2012.
mojo sends
