This year California voters will be faced with 12 initiatives numbered 14 through 25. The subject matter includes housing, civil rights and race relations, crime and punishment, and labor-management issues.
Millions are being spent in support of most of propositions — including by social media moguls. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has spent more than $10 million just in support of an initiative to reverse a tax-limiting proposition approved in 1987.
Proposition 13 placed a cap on residential and commercial property taxes by essentially evaluating the worth based on the value in 1976. It also provided a ceiling on annual property tax increases. Prop 13 offered relief to residents of a state with a crippling cost of living.
The leftist Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is another big spender, as well as Hedge fund manager Tom Steyer and the California Teachers Association, each with an agenda to push far-left California even further to the left. And they each poured eight figures into their own pet projects to do it.
Conservatives should cast a “nay” vote on all ballot initiatives with the exception of one of them.
Here they are in order.
Proposition 14: Authorizes Bonds to Continue Stem Cell Research
Language: Authorizes $5.5 billion in state general obligation bonds to fund grants from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine to educational, non-profit, and private entities for stem cell and other medical research, including training, stem cell therapy development and delivery, research facility construction, and associated administrative expenses.
It also dedicates $1.5 billion to research and therapy for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, stroke, epilepsy, and other brain and central nervous system diseases and conditions.
Meaning: It authorizes the state to borrow up to $5.5 billion for embryonic stem cell research.
Conservative position: Oppose, vote “no” The Golden State is already bleeding red ink, and now it wants to borrow another $5.5 billion?
Proposition 15: Tax on Commercial and Industrial Properties for Education and Local Government Funding Initiative
Language: Increases funding for K-12 public schools, community colleges, and local governments by requiring that commercial and industrial real estate property be taxed based on current market value, instead of purchase price.
Meaning: This Service Employees International Union and California Teachers Association-backed initiative would increase taxes on business property in order to increase public school funding.
This would reverse the impact of Proposition 13 as it pertains to commercial property. Prop 13 was a 1978 initiative that limited property tax rates and increases.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has donated more than $10 million in an effort to pass Proposition 15.
Conservative position: Oppose, vote “no” This would amount to an estimated $12.5 billion tax increase on business property, that would raise the cost of living for everyone by raising the cost of goods and services.
Proposition 16: Ending the Ban on Affirmative Action
Language: Permits government decision-making policies to consider race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin to address diversity by repealing article I, section 31, of the California Constitution, which was added by Proposition 209 in 1996.
Meaning: Would remove the ban on affirmative action involving race-based or sex-based preferences from the California Constitution.
Conservative position: Oppose, vote “no” Proposition 16 violates the most basic of American principles — equal treatment without regard to race, sex, or national origin.
Proposition 17: Restoring Voting Rights to Parolees
Language: Amends state constitution to restore voting rights to persons who have been disqualified from voting while serving a prison term as soon as they complete their prison term.
Meaning: Would restore voting rights to felons who have served their prison sentence but remain on parole.
Conservative position: Oppose, vote “no” Prop 17 would grant violent felons the right to vote before they have completed the terms of their sentence.
Proposition 18: Primary Voting for Certain 17-Year-Olds
Language: Amends constitution to permit 17-year-olds who will be at least 18 years of age and otherwise eligible to vote at the time of the next general election to vote in any primary or special election that occurs prior to the next general election.
Meaning: If a 17-year-old will turn 18 on or before the general election, he may vote in the primary leading up to that election.
Conservative position: Oppose, vote “no” The reasoning and logic of 17-year-olds aren’t yet fully developed.
Proposition 19: Property Tax Transfers, Exemptions, and Revenue for Wildfire Agencies and Counties Amendment
Language: Permits homeowners who are over age 55, severely disabled, or whose homes were destroyed by wildfire or disaster, to transfer their primary residence’s property tax base value to a replacement residence of any value, anywhere in the state.
Limits tax benefits for certain transfers of real property between family members and expands tax benefits for transfers of family farms.
Meaning: Allows certain disadvantaged homeowners to take a portion of their property tax base with them when they sell and purchase a new home, while limiting the ability of new homeowners who inherit properties to keep their parents’ or grandparents’ low property tax payments.
The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is campaigning against Prop 19 because it would amount to a $1 billion property tax increase.
Conservative position: Oppose, vote “no” Prop 19 reverses the right of parents to pass their property on to their children without experiencing a property tax increase.
Proposition 20: Criminal Sentencing, Parole, and DNA Collection Initiative
Language: Authorizes felony charges for specified theft crimes currently chargeable only as misdemeanors and requires persons convicted of specified misdemeanors to submit to collection of DNA samples for state database.
Meaning: Allows prosecutors to charge repeat or organized petty theft offenders as a felony and provides tougher penalties for repeat parole violations. It also requires DNA collection from those convicted of certain misdemeanors.
Conservative position: Oppose, vote “no” Sentencing decisions should not be taken out of the hands of the judiciary.
Proposition 21: Local Rent Control Initiative
Language: Amends state law to allow local governments to establish rent control on residential properties over 15 years old. Also allows local limits on annual rent increases to differ from current statewide limit.
Meaning: Would allow local governments to enact rent control on housing that was first occupied over 15 years ago, with an exception for some landlords who own no more than two homes.
Allows rent increases in rent-controlled properties of up to 15 percent over three years at start of new tenancy (above any increase allowed by local ordinance).
Conservative position: Oppose, vote “no” Attempts to control rent always result in fewer properties available to rent. The price of rent, just like all other goods and services, is determined by market forces.
Proposition 22: App-Based Drivers as Contractors and Labor Policies Initiative
Language: Classifies drivers for app-based transportation (ride-share) and delivery companies as “independent contractors,” not “employees,” unless company: sets drivers’ hours, requires acceptance of specific ride and delivery requests, or restricts working for other companies.
Independent contractors are not covered by various state employment laws — including minimum wage, overtime, unemployment insurance, and workers’ compensation.
Meaning: Chips away at the controversial AB-5, which prohibits freelance or “gig” workers, and requires companies to treat them as employees.
Conservative position: Support, vote “yes” AB-5 was signed into law by a misplaced belief that freelancers would rather be employees. Most don’t, and the working relationship generally benefits both the independent contractor and the employer.
Proposition 23: Dialysis Clinic Requirements Initiative
Language: Requires at least one licensed physician on site during treatment at outpatient kidney dialysis clinics; authorizes California Department of Public Health to exempt clinics from this requirement if there is a shortage of qualified licensed physicians and the clinic has at least one nurse practitioner or physician assistant on site.
Requires clinics to report dialysis-related infection data to state and federal governments, and prohibits clinics from refusing to treat patients based on the source of payment for care.
Meaning: This measure, solely backed by the Service Employees International Union after their unsuccessful attempts to unionize dialysis clinics, would require clinics to report data on dialysis-related infections, and obtain consent from the state health department before closing a clinic.
Conservative position: Oppose, vote “no” Prop 23 would force many neighborhood dialysis centers to close their doors and would increase the current physician shortage.
Proposition 24: Consumer Personal Information Law and Agency Initiative
Language: Permits consumers to: (1) prevent businesses from sharing personal information; (2) correct inaccurate personal information; and (3) limit businesses’ use of “sensitive personal information”— including precise geolocation; race; ethnicity; religion; genetic data; private communications; sexual orientation; and specified health information.
Meaning: Prop 24 purports to strengthen California’s privacy laws, which are already the most stringent in the nation, and would establish a new state agency to enforce those laws -- a California Privacy Protection Agency.
Conservative position: Oppose, vote “no” Prop 24 actually makes it more difficult to prevent tech giants from selling your personal information, and would make “pay for privacy” schemes possible.
Proposition 25: Replace Cash Bail with Risk Assessments Referendum
Language: Replaces the money bail system (for obtaining release from jail before trial) with a system based on a determination of public safety and flight risk, and limits detention of a person in jail before trial for most misdemeanors.
Meaning: Would uphold legislation, Senate Bill 10, which would replace cash bail with risk assessments for detained suspects awaiting trial.
Conservative position: Oppose, vote “no” Setting cash bails assure a defendant’s presence at hearings.
Recap:
Prop 14: No
Prop 15: No
Prop 16: No
Prop 17: No
Prop 18: No
Prop 19: No
Prop 20: No
Prop 21: No
Prop 22: Yes
Prop 23: No
Prop 24: No
Prop 25: No
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