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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI'm voting absentee right now in California
Here are some of the interesting measures for Californians to vote on:
Measure 34 - Death Penalty. Initiative Statute
Repeals death penalty and replaces it with life imprisonment without possibility of parole. Applies retroactively to existing death sentences. Directs $100 million to law enforcement agencies for investigations of homicide and rape cases. Fiscal impact: Ongoing state and county criminal justice savings of about $130 million annually within a few years, which could vary by tens of millions of dollars. One-time state costs of $100 million for local law enforcement grants.
Measure 35 - Human Trafficking. Penalties. Initiative Statute. Increases prison sentences and fines for human trafficking convictions. Requires convicted human traffickers to register as sex offenders. Requires sex offenders to disclose internet activities and identities. Fiscal impact: Costs of a few million dollars annually to state and local governments for addressing human trafficking offenses. Potential increased annual fine revenue of a similar amount, dedicated primarily for human trafficking victims.
Measure 36 Three Strikes Law. Repeat Felony Offenders. Penalties. Initiative Statute. revise law to impose life sentence only when new felony conviction is serious or violent. May authorize re-sentencing if third strike conviction was not serious or violent. Fiscal impact: Ongoing state correctional saving of around $70 million annually with even greater savings (over $90 million) over the next couple of decades. These savings could vary significantly depending on future state actions.
OK. I'm off to do my patriotic duty for my country.
edited to add a zero
Webster Green
(13,905 posts)I got my ballot in the mail yesterday, and I'm filling it out today.
Brother Buzz
(36,434 posts)I gotta mine the couch for change to pony up the dough for postage. Seriously, what's a first class postage cost these days?
lunatica
(53,410 posts)Retrograde
(10,136 posts)in mine (Santa Clara) you can drop off the mail-in ballots at any city hall in the county during normal business hours. BTW, my ballot was $0.65 to mail
ETA: the two of us mailed ours this morning
Brother Buzz
(36,434 posts)I could have saved 45 cents had I waited until Monday. City hall is two blocks east of me, post office is two blocks west.
ffr
(22,670 posts)I'll be voting when early voting starts.
I want a receipt. Plus I get to wear the sticker for several days showing "I VOTED."
lunatica
(53,410 posts)This house is solid true blue!
tiredtoo
(2,949 posts)What about measure 32 ? Word i get is this is measure to restrict unions ?
Brother Buzz
(36,434 posts)PROPOSITION 32
Before you vote on Prop. 32, answer two questions: Would billionaires pay to place this on the ballot unless they were getting exemptions? Whens the last time a proposition backed by special interests in California didnt contain loopholes or exemptions?
Theres always a catch, and Prop. 32 is no different.
Real estate developers, insurance companies and billionaire venture capitalists are just three groups EXEMPT from provisions of Prop. 32, while a union will no longer be able to contribute to candidates. In addition, huge corporate special interests can continue to spend unlimited money on politics.
Prop. 32 supporters claim workers are forced to contribute to politics or causes they disagree with. They arent. Current law protects workers from being forced to join a union or paying fees to unions for politics.
Whats really going on?
* Major contributors to Prop. 32 are former Wall Street investors, insurance company executives and hedge fund managerstheyre EXEMPT from provisions of Prop. 32. Ask yourself why.
* Other Prop. 32 funders own development companies that have sought exemptions from laws that protect our environment and neighborhoods. Prop. 32 EXEMPTS those companies too. Ask yourself why.
* Business Super PACs and independent expenditure committees are EXEMPT from Prop. 32s provisions.
* Prop. 32 adds to the massive state bureaucracy, and costs Californians over a MILLION DOLLARS for phony reform.
The League of Women Voters opposes Prop. 32. Its a thinly disguised attempt to fool voters into thinking itll improve Sacramentos mess. In fact, itll make things worse.
JO SEIDITA, Chair
California Clean Money Campaign
JOHN BURTON, Chair
California Democratic Party
ROBBIE HUNTER, Executive Secretary
Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council
ARGUMENT AGAINST PROPOSITION 32
The League of Women Voters of California, California Common Cause and the California Clean Money Campaign all oppose Proposition 32.
Thats because Proposition 32 is not what it seems. Prop. 32 promises political reform but is really designed by special interests to help themselves and harm their opponents. Thats why we urge a No vote.
WILL NOT TAKE MONEY OUT OF POLITICS
* Business Super PACs and independent expenditure committees are EXEMPT from Prop. 32s controls. These organizations work to elect or defeat candidates and ballot measures but arent subject to the same contribution restrictions and transparency requirements for campaigns themselves.
* A recent Supreme Court decision allows these groups to spend unlimited amounts of money. Prop. 32 does nothing to deal with that.
* If Prop. 32 passes, Super PACs, including committees backed by corporate special interests, will become the major way campaigns are funded. These groups have already spent more than $95,000,000 in California elections since 2004. Our televisions will be flooded with even more negative advertisements.
NOT REAL CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM
Real campaign reform treats everyone equally, with no special exemptions for anyone. Proposition 32 was intentionally written to exempt thousands of big businesses like Wall Street investment firms, hedge funds, developers, and insurance companies. Over 1000 of the companies exempted by this measure are listed as Major Donors by the California Secretary of State. They have contributed more than $10,000,000 to political campaigns, just since 2009.
UNBALANCED AND UNFAIR
This measure says it prohibits unions from using payroll-deducted funds for political purposes. It says it also applies to corporations, so it sounds balanced. But 99% of California corporations dont use payroll deductions for political giving; they would still be allowed to use their profits to influence elections. Thats not fair or balanced.
Just take a look at the official summary. You can see the imbalance from this line: Other political expenditures remain unrestricted, including corporate expenditures from available resources not limited by payroll deduction prohibition.
LOOK WHOS BEHIND IT
Many top contributors to Proposition 32 are former insurance company executives, Wall Street executives, developers, and big money donors to causes which benefit from Prop. 32s special exemptions.
Sacramento has too much partisan bickering and gridlock. The money spent on political campaigns has caused all of us to mistrust the political campaign system. The sponsors of Proposition 32 are trying to use our anger and mistrust to change the rules for their own benefit.
PROPOSITION 32 WILL MAKE THINGS WORSE
Some say this is unbalanced but its a step forward. Heres the problem with that. Restricting unions and their workers while not stopping corporate special interests will result in a political system that favors corporate special interests over everyone else. If you dont want special interests in control of air and water safety and consumer protections, vote NO on Prop. 32.
Go to http://www.VoteNoOn32.com and see for yourself why Proposition 32 is not what it seems and will hurt average Californians. Vote NO on Proposition 32.
JENNIFER A. WAGGONER, President
League of Women Voters of California
DEREK CRESSMAN, Regional Director
California Common Cause
DAN STANFORD, Former Chairperson
California Fair Political Practices Commission
REBUTTAL TO ARGUMENT AGAINST PROPOSITION 32
SPECIAL INTERESTS ARE NOT TELLING YOU THE TRUTH.
They say they oppose Prop. 32 for WHAT IT DOESNT DO. But theyre trying to stop it for WHAT IT DOES.
The fact is, Prop. 32 goes as far as the Supreme Court allows: It stops both corporations and unions from giving money to politicians. No exemptions. No loopholes.
YES ON 32: THREE SIMPLE REFORMS:
* For the 2010 elections, corporations and unions gave state politicians $48 million. If Prop. 32 had been in place, that $48 million never could have been given to candidates.
* Never again will contractors give money to politicians who approve their contracts.
* No more will corporations or unions take money from workers paychecks to spend on politics. Under Prop. 32, every employer and union will have to ask permission, and every worker can say no.
Big-money special interests are spending millions to stop Prop. 32. They refuse to lose their power over Sacramento.
Just one example:
When the LA school district couldnt move quickly to fire a teacher for sexually abusing his students, it asked lawmakers to pass a law making it easier. But the states largest teachers unionwhich gave $1 million to politicians over two yearscalled in its army of lobbyists. They killed the reform.
LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa called it cynical political manipulation. To the San Francisco Chronicle it was sickening.
Business as usual hurts real Californians.
Take the big money out of politicians hands. YES ON 32.
MARIAN BERGESON
Former California Secretary of Education
JON COUPAL, President
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
HON. JOHN ARGUELLES
California Supreme Court Justice (Retired)
Arguments printed on this page are the opinions of the
authors and have not been checked for accuracy by any official agency.
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lunatica
(53,410 posts)mecherosegarden
(745 posts)My husband and my son already did. I haven't received my ballot yet. Hopefully, it will be here by Monday. But the boys already voted. My 20-year-old son was trying to mess with me and told his father to vote for the guy " who will make life miserable for, you know, the 96% You know, the fake guy." 3 Hispanic votes for Mr. Obama, and some other measures that were a bit complicated to understand.
mecherosegarden
(745 posts)Tomorrow , to the post office before heading to my internship.
lunatica
(53,410 posts)because a Republican is running against her and we need to keep a Senate majority.
But I'm very happy to vote for my Congresswoman Barbara Lee!