Editor’s note: Although the election is nearly over and most winners — officials and propositions — are known, the Town Crier invited several local elected officials to share their expectations on the results — not the merits — of the races and propositions.
Today, Tuesday, Nov. 6, Election Day, ends what is commonly called the “silly season,” of nonstop campaigning, competing promises, commercials chocked full of hyperbole and disputable facts, and earnest entreaties to vote for this person, this initiative, or this future.
Assemblyman Brian Nestande (CA. 64), State Senator Bill Emmerson (CA. 37) and 3rd District Supervisor Jeff Stone were unanimous in predicting the defeat of Propositions 30 and 38, the taxes to fund education. Said Nestande, “Proposition 30 will fail but it will be close. The so-called trigger cuts [in education and public safety funding] are really an invention. State budgets are always overly optimistic on revenue. Even if it were to pass, the tax would not come into effect until March, April or May when the school year is almost done.”
Nestande, Stone and Emmerson believe Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack will win her race as will John Tavaglione. Emmerson thinks Bono Mack’s race will be very close. “The voters will make that decision for the next two years,” he said.
Emmerson was one of five Republicans who attempted to work with Gov. Jerry Brown to craft an education funding strategy short of the initiative process. “Prop. 30 underscores what we wanted to talk to the governor about. But now the voters are being asked to spend more money when we have not reformed the system in any fundamental way. We need to call a special session [of the Legislature] to fix education [if Prop. 30 fails.]” Emmerson, agreeing with Nestande, said there needs to be sufficient public debate on important legislation rather than pushing issues off to voters and the initiative process.
HUSD Trustee Bill Sanborn hopes both Measure U, a refinancing of bonds to fund infrastructure expansion, and Proposition 30, the education funding measure, will pass and has urged the passage of both.
Third District Supervisor Jeff Stone thinks defeating Proposition 32 (paycheck protection, prohibiting payroll deductions for campaign purposes) is the most important issue for voters. “It equals the playing field,” said Stone and he expects it to be approved.
Nestande further observed that the Legislature should have handled many of this year’s initiatives. “Extremely complicated measures, like Proposition 31 [the two-year budget cycle] are too much for voters to deal with and need to go through the legislative process of hearings and review,” he noted.
