This is a summary of my current thinking on state propositions on the November 2008 ballot. I'll add links as I write up remaining conclusions.
A separate post provides my recommendations on local candidates and measures, including Berkeley, relevant special districts, and selected races in Oakland, San Francisco, El Cerrito, and Marin-Sonoma.
YES YES YES on 1A: High Speed Trains to connect California and combat global warming
Yes on 2: Ethical standards for confining farm animals (see comments: Mariana's and mine)
No on 3: Children's Hospital Bond (see my comment)
NO on 4: No means No. No to Legislating Family Communication
A reluctant No on 5: Nonviolent drug offenses (see also John's comment)
No on 6: No ballot-box budgeting for new criminal justice programs
NO on 7: Don't Set Energy Policy by Initiative
NO NO NO on 8: Don't take away my sister's rights
NO on 9: A Bad Constitutional Amendment
NO on 10: Oilman's giveaway pretending to be "green" measure
Yes on 11: Reform Redistricting in California
Yes on 12: Veterans' Housing Bond (see my comment)
As always, comments are welcome, particularly on ones above where I haven't posted a link yet.
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5 comments:
Jeff,
My concern with Prop 5 (and why I will be voting against it while supporting the concept) is it ends up as yet another funding mandate without any additional funding (like Arnie's after school initiative). The initiative process is broken and the budget is broken and we can't keep carving out protected budget fiefdom's that force everybody else to fight over smaller scraps.
That said, it's a good policy idea.
About Prop 2: The farmer from whom we get our community supported agriculture eggs and veggies is pro-2 (http://www.eatwell.com). He says the cost is outweighed by the gains in chicken health, less antibiotic use, not to mention that it's a good thing to do from an animal cruelty perspective. The estimate I have heard is that it would cost an extra 12 cents per dozen eggs. By the way, the eggs we get from the free range chickens taste sooo superior to conventional eggs, it's not even a close contest. I bet they're better nutritionally, too.
Prop 2: I'm now a definite yes, thanks to Mariana and others who have commented off-line.
Prop 3: I'm now a definite No. Jamie Lee Curtis' ads are nice. But the money isn't just for "children's hospitals", it is for hospitals that treat children. If this makes sense, let it come through the legislature.
Prop 12: I'm now a definite Yes. California has approved similar programs 24 times before, and loan payments from veterans have paid off the bonds, so the state general fund has NOT had to. There's NO organized opposition.
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