VOTIVATOR
How I’m Voting Nov 5
First of all, it ought to go without saying that this election is momentous. Democracy itself is on the ballot. The list of reasons to vote against Trump is very, very long – but I think it is important, in communicating with people inclined to vote Republican, that we should keep things very simple. Trump denied the outcome of the 2020 election and has pushed his lies about it ever since, and the consequences have been devastating – and Jan 6, 2021 was only one of them. He lied and people died. The trust of the people in the process of elections has been severely damaged. If people don’t believe in the outcome of elections, then the Constitution isn’t worth the paper it’s written upon. Trump has repeatedly violated his oath of office to protect and defend our Constitution, and therefore he must be considered unqualified for any office in the land.
So with enthusiasm I’m voting for Kamala Harris and for Democrats all the way down the ballot. (And I’ve been knocking on doors for George Whitesides for Congress in the close election for the 27th CA District – let me know if you’d like to join me!)
I don't follow LA City/County issues closely any more, because I'm in Ventura County now - but I've always voted pretty closely with the recommendations of the LA Times: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-09-10/los-angeles-times-elections-endorsements-2024-november . I also have a lot of respect for the info provided by LAist.com - our regional NPR station: https://laist.com/news/politics/voter-game-plan
Here are the LA Times rec’s for propositions – with my notes/additions in italics:
Proposition 2 is a $10 billion bond that will fund repairs for California’s public schools and community colleges, many of which are run-down and lack basic functionality, such as air conditioning.
Proposition 3: Yes Re: same-sex marriage - reverses Prop. 8 which is unenforceable now, but which in 2008 banned same sex marriage.
Proposition 3 gives Californians an opportunity to formally renounce a wrongful moment in our voting history and step forward to positively affirm that bigotry toward same-sex couples has no place in our state or its Constitution.
Proposition 4: Yes
Proposition 4 is a $10 billion grab bag of spending on climate, fire prevention, energy, conservation and agriculture projects so disparate that this bond measure almost defies categorization. But it is still better to spend money today to prepare for climate change than to pay much more to respond in the future.
Proposition 5: Yes Substantially corrects one of the most onerous features of Prop 13 from 1978.....
Proposition 5 would get California closer to majority rule by lowering the threshold to pass local bond measures to 55% instead of 66.7%. We think it’s a fairer way to make spending and taxing decisions. Requiring supermajority support gives disproportionate power to the naysayers to decide the appropriate level of taxation and spending. Why should one-third of voters get to set priorities for an entire community?
Proposition 6: Yes
Proposition 6 will remove the language in the state Constitution that allows prisons to force incarcerated people to work and punish them when they refuse. If we want people to emerge from prison rehabilitated — and if we care about public safety, we should — that requires allowing them to access as many opportunities as possible to get an education, learn a skill and get treatment to best prepare them for a productive life.
Proposition 32: Yes
Proposition 32 would give the state’s lowest-paid workers a modest raise, setting the minimum wage to $18 an hour in January, up from the scheduled $16.50 under current law. Businesses with 25 or fewer workers would have until 2026 to start paying $18 an hour. Earning a decent wage shouldn’t be a privilege afforded to people who happen to work in a city that has a higher local minimum wage, and raising base pay statewide is more equitable than a patchwork of rules for different regions and industries.
Proposition 33: No Re: rent control - sounds good but the devil's in the details - it would obstruct low income housing development. This proposition was put on the ballot by the fabulously rich AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which ought to "stick to its knitting" and focus on its core mission.
Proposition 33 would repeal a state law that restricts local governments’ ability to expand rent control. But it goes too far by including sweeping language that would prohibit the state from imposing any limits on rent controls set by cities and counties in the future, even if they stymie housing construction. "Cities that are anti-growth and don’t want any new housing built could use their authority over rent control (diabolically) to require that developers set extremely low rent caps on new apartment buildings, which would make new multifamily housing financially unfeasible."
Proposition 34: No AIDS Healthcare Foundation in LA has, unfortunately, become a corrupted nonprofit organization that pours millions into political projects that have nothing to do with its core mission. But using the initiative process to punish it for its sins is going way too far....
AIDS Healthcare Foundation calls this a “revenge initiative,” and we agree. Proposition 34 would change the rules for healthcare providers in ways that seem designed to cut off the foundation’s tenant advocacy. Voters should emphatically reject Proposition 34 and send the message that they will not tolerate such a weaponization of the state’s citizen initiative process.
Proposition 35: No This complex problem re: Medi-Cal reimbursement should be hashed out by the people we elect and pay for this purpose - the state legislature. Again, The purpose of this one is righteous, but the devil's in the details -- this one could backfire re: funding Medi-Cal: https://calmatters.org/health/2024/10/prop-35-health-insurance-tax/
Proposition 35 involves a tax on managed-care organizations, Medi-Cal reimbursement rates for medical providers, federal healthcare funding and the state budget. It’s complicated policymaking that is better suited to the full-time Legislature.
Proposition 36 won’t end homelessness or crime waves. Existing laws already give police the tools to stop petty thieves and smash-and-grab robbers. Proposition 36 will only refill prisons, push more people to the streets and erase criminal justice reform progress. And it would suck up much of the funding Californians recently approved for mental health care and gut programs that have successfully slashed recidivism.
Ojai CA: (where we live)
Mayor: Andy Gilman, a long-time resident and community-engaged person. Endorsed by the Ojai Democratic Club. His opponent looks like a reasonable and appropriate candidate as well, though I was turned off when I found out she had worked for Marianne Williamson’s presidential campaign….
Other city candidates are unopposed….
Measure O, Pickleball: No. The City Council decided to ban pickleball at the court near City Hall due to noise, and set up new courts at Soule Park – a reasonable solution. The people who lost that vote put this on the ballot to restore pickleball at the City Hall courts. This is the sort of thing we elect a city council to decide!