By Next week, voters will be asked to pass almost $20 billion in bonds for housing and emergency shelters (Proposition 46), upgrading schools facilities (Proposition 47) and water system improvements (Proposition 50). To all of these, we say no.
At a time when we are all watching our pocketbooks, we’re looking at billions in debt if these well-meaning initiatives pass. This blow to the state’s staggering economy is something we don’t need.
The problem with all of them is that they are too broad and unfocused to do much good. The water bond initiative, for instance, calls for state and local system improvements for better drinking water, improvements to sewer and storm water systems to prevent beaches from pollution, and protections and restoration of coastal wetlands, fisheries and wildlife. The school bond initiative is equally broad, involving school structures from kindergarten through universities. Such issues need specifics and perhaps more regional focus. In the case of school bonds, individual districts should put their own facilities improvement initiatives before their own voters.
This is not the time to be putting our state into further debt - vote no on these three propositions.
Proposition 49: Arnold’s before- and after-school program is a laudable idea, but in reality, takes too much money away from in-school programs where the funds are more desperately needed. The League of Women Voters, which opposes 49, says it guarantees funding at a set level each year and would not be considered part of the annual budget process, even in tough economic times. Vote no.
Proposition 51: This distribution of existing motor vehicle sales and use tax initiative also guarantees funding from the general budget, tying up nearly $1 billion per year. The money would not have to be reviewed, and thus, might not go to the greatest need. Vote no.
Proposition 52: This election day voter registration plan allows people to register the same day as they cast their ballots. It may seem like a good idea on one hand, encouraging more voters to participate in a state riddled with voter apathy and low turnouts. However, it also encourages sloppiness and perhaps even fraud. This initiative is not the solution to increase voter turnout, it is the bearer of potential problems. Vote no.
