There are 12 propositions on California’s ballot, Props. 14-25. If you are a registered voter in California, you probably recently received the “Official Voter Information Guide” (guide) in the mail from the California Secretary of State. It is 111 pages long.
The Town Crier thought it might be useful for voters to see the various propositions laid out in skeletal form, i.e., just a general index with the official phrase as to what each proposition is about, and then who is for and against it, just as they are listed in the official guide.
Assuming that much interests you, you can go on to read the guide for the official title and summary, the legislative analyst’s analysis, the arguments for and against, and even the full text of the proposed law.
So, the following is the Town Crier’s index to the first six: Propositions 14-19.
PROP. 14 – Authorizes bonds continuing stem cell research.
FOR PROP. 14: Antoni Ribas, M.D., Ph.D., President, American Association of Cancer Research; Cynthia E. Muñoz, Ph.D., MPH, President, American Diabetes Association-Los Angeles; Robert A. Harrington, M.D., Chairman, Department of Medicine, Stanford University; Todd Sherer, Ph.D., CEO, Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research; Lawrence Goldstein, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor Shiley-Marcos Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, University of California, San Diego; Tracy Grikscheit, M.D., Chief of Pediatric Surgery, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
AGAINST PROP. 14: Vincent Fortanasce, M.D., Patrick James Baggot, M.D.
MORE INFORMATION regarding Prop. 14 can be found at pages 8 and 16-21 of the guide. For a full text of Prop. 14, see pages 89-109.
PROP. 15 – Increases funding sources for public schools, community colleges and local government services by changing tax assessment of commercial and industrial property.
FOR PROP. 15: Tony Thurmond, California Superintendent of Public Instruction; Jacqueline Martinez, CEO Latino Community Foundation; Sasha Cuttler, Public Health Nurse, San Francisco Department of Public Hearlth; E. Toby Boyd, President, California Teachers Association; Carol Moon Godberg, President, League of Women Voters; Tara Lynn Gray, CEO, Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce
AGAINST PROP. 15: Jon Coupal, President, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association; Alice Huffman, President, California State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); Betty Jo Toccoli, President, California Small Business Association; Robert Gutierrez, President, Cal
ifornia Taxpayers Association
MORE INFORMATION regarding Prop. 15 can be found at pages 8 and 22-25 of the guide.
PROP. 16 – Allows diversity as a factor in public employment, education and contracting decisions.
FOR PROP. 16: Carol Moon Goldberg, President, League of Women Voters of California; Thomas A. Saenz, President, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund; Eva Paterson, President, Equal Justice Society; E. Toby Boyd, President, California Teachers Association; Norma Chavez-Peterson, Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial counties; Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO, The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center
AGAINST PROP. 16: Tom Campbell, former Dean, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley; Leo Terrell, Civil Rights Lawyer; Kali Fontanilla, Public School Teacher; Ward Connerly, President, Californians for Equal Rights; Gail Heriot, Professor of Law; Betty Tom Chu, former California Constitution Revision Commissioner
MORE INFORMATION regarding Prop. 16 can be found at pages 9 and 26-29 of the guide.
PROP. 17 – Restores right to vote after completion of prison term.
FOR PROP. 17: Carol Moon Goldberg, President, League of Women Voters of California; Jay Jordan, Executive Director, Californians for Safety and Justice; Kevin McCarty, Assemblymember, Prop. 17 Author; Abdi Soltani, Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) — Northern California
AGAINST PROP. 17: Harriet Salerno, Founder, Crime Victims United of California; Jim Nielsen, Chairman, California Board of Prison Terms (Ret.); Ruth Weiss, Vice President, Election Integrity Project California
MORE INFORMATION regarding Prop. 17 can be found at pages 9 and 30-33 of the guide.
PROP. 18 – Amends California Constitution to permit 17-year-olds to vote in primary and special elections if they will turn 18 by the next general election and be otherwise eligible to vote.
FOR PROP. 18: Kevin Mullin, Assemblymember, California Assembly District 22; Evan Low, Assemblymember, California Assembly District 22; Mary Creasman, chief executive officer, California League of Conservation Voters (CLCV); Senator Richard D. Roth, Major General USAF (Retired); Senator Thomas J. Umberg, Colonel U.S. Army (Retired)
AGAINST PROP. 18: Ruth Weiss, Co-founder, Election Integrity Project California; Jon Coupal, President, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association; Larry Sand, retired teacher
MORE INFORMATION regarding Prop. 18 can be found at pages 10 and 34-37 of the guide.
PROP. 19 – Changes certain property tax rules.
FOR PROP. 19: Brian Rice, President, California Professional Firefighters; Kathleen Barajas, President, Californians for Disability Rights; George Mozingo, Boardmember, California Senior Advocates League; Kristy Militello, Tubbs Wildfire Survivor; David Wolfe, Former Legislative Director, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association; Salena Pryor, President, Black Small Business Association of California
AGAINST PROP. 19: Jon Coupal, President Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association; Senator Patricia Bates, District 36; Assemblyman Ken Cooley, District 8
MORE INFORMATION regarding Prop. 19 can be found at pages 10 and 34-37 of the guide.
FULL TEXTS OF PROPS 15-19 can be found on the Secretary of State’s website at [email protected] or call toll-free 800-345-VOTE (8683).
The Town Crier will index Props. 20-25 in next week’s paper.