Friends,
It’s the most wonderful time of the year again. The flowers are blooming, the birds are singing their sweet song, and candidates will finally end their ad buys. Yes, it’s California Statewide Direct Primary Election Day! As a service to you, the voter who hasn’t voted yet, I offer analysis of the propositions from The Best Political Team on this Blog™. Like to hear it? Well here it goes…
- Prop 13 – Limits on Property Tax Assessment. Siesmic Retrofitting of Existing Buildings: First off, no, this isn’t that Prop 13. This one fixes a loophole in the tax code that currently allows property value reassessment if you do something crazy like enhance the structure of your building so it doesn’t fall down in an earthquake. My question is, which tax assessors were doing this in the first place? (see: tar, feathers) We’re suggesting you vote for this.
- Prop 14 – Increases Right to Participate In Primary Elections: In what seems like a good idea on first blush, Proposition 14 was essentially a sop to Abel Maldonado to secure his vote on last year’s budget. The legislature really don’t like it because they claim it diminishes the role of traditional party structures in the state. I’m not sure that’s not an idea worth pursuing, but I’m also not sure that the legislature hasn’t poisoned this thing before placing it on the ballot. Arnold is for it, all of the parties are against it. We’re guardedly suggesting a vote in favor.
- Prop 15 – California Fair Elections Act: If you were looking for a reason to throw out the initiative process, this proposition might be a leading exhibit in your case. It’s narrowly focused on a problem nobody knew we had, it’s artfully worded to draw a yes vote even though that might not be a good idea, and it plays on anti-politician sentiment. If nothing else, we think it’s too cynical to be worthy of your consideration.
- Prop 16 – Imposes New Two-thirds Voter Approval Requirement for Local Public Electricity Providers: This is also known as the Pacific Gas & Electric Self-Preservation Act. PG&E is interested in making it harder for municipalities to start their own public electric companies and who can blame them? Well, everybody. Their ads for this make happy noises about consumer choice and reigning in government spending. What we all know is that two-thirds approval is an awfully high bar to set. They want this too badly, outspending the opposition by over 400-to-1. Because of the insidiousness of their motives, and that this is going to amend the California Constitution, we’re strongly urging a no vote.
- Prop 17 – Allows Auto Insurance Companies to Base Their Prices in Part On a Driver’s History of Insurance Coverage: Mercury Insurance would like for you to overturn existing law so that they can charge higher rates to first-time policy holders or those with lapsed coverage. Pretty neat, huh? We don’t think so either.
Well, that’s it for the guide. We’d like for you to go out and vote today. I mean, how can you pass on sticking one of these jokers with the worst job in the country:
| * | Richard William Aguirre | Democratic |
| S. Deacon Alexander | Green | |
| * | Stewart A. Alexander | Peace & Freedom |
| * | Carlos Alvarez | Peace & Freedom |
| Mohammad Arif | Peace & Freedom | |
| Edmund G. “Jerry” Brown | Democratic | |
| * | Bill Chambers | Republican |
| * | Lowell Darling | Democratic |
| * | Vibert Greene | Democratic |
| * | Douglas R. Hughes | Republican |
| * | Ken J. Miller | Republican |
| * | Lawrence “Larry” Naritelli | Republican |
| * | Robert C. Newman II | Republican |
| * | Chelene Nightingale | American Independent |
| * | Dale F. Ogden | Libertarian |
| * | Charles “Chuck” Pineda, Jr. | Democratic |
| Steve Poizner | Republican | |
| * | Markham Robinson | American Independent |
| Peter Schurman | Democratic | |
| * | Joe Symmon | Democratic |
| David Tully-Smith | Republican | |
| * | Laura Wells | Green |
| Meg Whitman | Republican |
Your pal,
– bob
** WEDNESDAY MORNING UPDATE: It looks like we’re batting 1.000 this cycle with all of the propositions we supported going on to victory and those we didn’t, going down to defeat. Thanks for doing exactly what we called for, California! Now, about that million dollar check you were going to send our way…
*** WEDNESDAY MORNING UPDATE II: According to the Secretary of State, only 16.5% of registered voters in Riverside County made the effort yesterday. To say that’s a pathetic turnout is a little like saying BP’s oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is an “oopsie,” or that King Kong was a monkey who was irritated by aircraft. Dear 83.5% of Riverside County voters who opted out yesterday, you stink.