California's May "Special" Election? Just Say No!

Endorsed Vote: No Endorsement

Arnold and his strange bed fellows will try to scare you into thinking the world will end if we don't vote for these propositions, but don't buy it. Only 1C would take a real bite out of the budget. Right now, we're looking at a $8 billion deficit. Saying no to 1C would add $5 billion to the deficit. The rest of the props do nothing or are relatively small potatoes. 1D is $600 mil this year. 1E is a "measly" $230 mil. 1F is the loose change they'd find in Sacramento's couches. 1A and 1B wouldn't contribute a dime to closing the budget gap.

Endorsed Vote: No Endorsement

Why is California's government so messed up? Take a stroll with us down memory lane . . . .

1933: The saga begins - Back during the Great Depression, Republicans who were afraid of FDR's New Deal slipped a provision into 1933's Prop 1. It required a 2/3 vote of the legislature to pass the budget if it increased spending by 5% or more. No one really noticed or cared at the time. The ballot argument didn't even mention it.

1962: The stage is set for disaster - The screws were tightened by 1962's Prop 16, which deleted the bit about the 5% spending increase. That means it takes a 2/3 vote to pass the budget, no matter what. (Back then it wasn't as big a deal because politics wasn't so polarized and Republicans were willing to spend money to keep California running. But things would change . . . .)

1978: The shit hits the fan: Prop 13 - This holy shit storm was brought to us by people who want to "shrink the size of government so they can drown it in a bathtub." Prop 13 did two main things:
   - Slashed and capped property taxes - Prop 13 cut property taxes by 60% and severely capped any increases for property owned since since '78--that means businesses and people who move into a neighborhood pay insanely more taxes than their neighbors who've been there since '78. IBM has a huge property in San Jose where they pay 0.4 cents per square foot in tax! Compare that to Nortel Networks who is paying 488 times as much! The worst part about it is that commercial properties are supposed to be re-assessed when they're sold, but businesses are good at hiding these sales to avoid paying the fair tax rate.
   - Raised the threshold to pass taxes - It used to be that a majority of legislators could pass a new tax. Prop 13 requires a 2/3 vote (do you sense a theme here?) to pass taxes, which means a minority of Republicans can block the will of the majority.

As a result of Prop 13, California is basically broke as a joke. Most everything that's wrong in Cali--our schools, infrastructure, health services, you name it--Prop 13 is a big part of the problem. We went from 18th in the nation in per pupil spending in 1977 to something like 47th today.

1996: Prop 218 (Prop 13's Ugly Little Brother) Just like how Prop 13 messed up California's ability to fund government on the statewide level, Prop 218 messed up the ability for our cities and towns to fund themselves. (Christ, how do these jerks keep pulling this shit on us???) Prop 218 basically makes it way harder for local governments to increase taxes. If it wasn't for Prop 218, we could have a special election in San Francisco to raise revenues by taxing big business or creating a carbon tax or something like that. But because of Prop 218, it takes a (wait for it . . . ) 2/3 vote to pass new taxes, which ain't gonna happen. No new revenue means even worse budget cuts to public health, parks, and everything else.

Endorsed Vote: No Endorsement

Here's how we can get out of this mess:
- Restore Democracy to the Budget - California is one of only four states with this 2/3 budget rule. The fact that it takes a 2/3rd vote to pass the budget means that a minority of the most conservative Republicans can hold the budget hostage. That's the biggest reason for the budget stalemate that happens every year. Lowering the threshold to 50% would move the radical Republicans to the fringe and put more moderate legislators in the drivers seat.
- Split Roll Tax - The "split" refers to separating residential property taxes from commercial property taxes to treat them separately. The idea is to leave residential property taxes alone and raise commercial taxes up towards fair market value--ideally while taking it easy on small businesses.
- Tax the Rich (AKA progressive taxation) - Enough with this "raising the sales tax" bullshit! Sales tax hits both the rich and the poor equally--that's just not fair. It's called a regressive tax. We want progressive taxes that ask the rich to pay their fair share: taxes on oil companies, taxes on real estate or stock profits, higher income tax for millionaires. Let's pump up those taxes and then cut taxes for low and middle income people.
- Constitutional Convention - Some folks are calling for a convention to rewrite the California constitution. We could be down with that. We'll even wear powdered wigs and ruffles and shit. But the people at the convention would have to represent California's diversity in races, cultures, ages, educational backgrounds, etc.

Endorsed Vote: No Endorsement

* The last day to register to vote is Monday, May 5th.
* Polls are open 7am - 8pm. Call 311 in SF to find your polling place or go to http://www.smartvoter.org/ Also, everyone in SF can vote at City Hall.
* You can vote early, at City Hall 8am - 5pm Monday thru Friday, and May 8, 9, 15, & 16 from 10am - 4pm.
* As long as you're not on felony parole, you can vote. Even if you've committed a felony or you're on probation, you can vote. Don’t let the Man disenfranchise you!
* Do you see something shady on Election Day? Call the Voter Fraud Hotline: (800) 345-VOTE.

Endorsed Vote: No Endorsement

Our original San Francisco crew cut their teeth on the 2003 Matt Gonzalez campaign for Mayor. The rest of us are still waiting for a taste of that "Gonzo Magic" the old kids keep talking about, but we all love SF. We're blessed to live in America’s most progressive city, and we’re cursed to live in a city where way too many of the youth who grow up here won't be able to afford to live here. Frisco has its own dark history of injustice: redevelopment, environmental racism, the "old boys" network. All of us lucky enough to enjoy the San Francisco magic owe it to our City to fight to keep it a diverse, just, and healthy City. What are you doing to make a difference?