Endorsements In Brief
Number
|
Vote
|
Results
|
|
Yes |
Passed |
|
Yes |
Passed |
|
Yes |
Passed |
|
No |
Passed |
|
No |
Passed |
|
No, No, No! |
Failed |
|
Yes |
Passed |
|
No |
Passed |
|
Yes |
Failed |
|
Yes |
Failed |
|
No |
Failed |
|
No |
Failed |
|
No |
Passed |
|
Yes |
Failed |
|
No |
Passed |
|
Yes |
Failed |
|
Discussion of Propositions
YES 1A -- Local Government Funding
Ensures local property tax and sales tax revenues remain with local government thereby safeguarding funding for public safety, health, libraries, parks, and other local services. Provisions can only be suspended if the Governor declares a fiscal necessity and two-thirds of the Legislature concur.
YES 59 -- Access to government information
Provides right of public access to meetings of government bodies and writings of government officials. Provides that statutes and rules furthering public access shall be broadly construed, or narrowly construed if limiting access. Requires future statutes and rules limiting access to contain findings justifying necessity of those limitations. Preserves
constitutional rights including rights of privacy, due process, equal protection; expressly preserves existing constitutional and statutory limitations restricting access to certain meetings and records of government bodies and officials, including law enforcement prosecution records. Exempts Legislature’s records and meetings.
YES 60 -- Primary Elections
Provides the right for political party participating in a primary election for partisan office to also participate in the general election for that office. Candidate receiving most votes from among that party's candidates
in primary election for state partisan office cannot be denied placement on general election ballot.
NO 60A -- Surplus Property
Dedicates proceeds from sale of surplus state property purchased with General Fund monies to payment of principle, interest on Economic Recovery Bonds approved in March 2004. When those bonds are repaid, surplus property sales proceeds directed to Special Fund for Economic Uncertainties.
NO 61 -- Children's Hospital Projects Bond
Authorizes $750,000,000 in general obligation bonds, to be repaid from state's General Fund, to fund grants to eligible children's hospitals for the construction, expansion, remodeling, renovation, furnishing and equipping of children's hospitals. Twenty percent of bonds shall be available for grants to certain University of California general acute care hospitals, and eighty percent of the bonds shall be available for grants to other general acute care hospitals whose missions focus on children with illnesses such as leukemia, heart defects, sickle cell anemia and cystic fibrosis, and which meet other stated requirements.
NO, NO, NO! 62 -- Elections. Primaries. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute.
Requires primary elections in which voters may vote for any state or federal candidate regardless of party registration. Exempts presidential nominations and elections of party central committees, in which only registered party members may vote unless party otherwise permits. Only the two primary-election candidates with most votes for an office, whether or not members of the same party, would be listed on general election ballot; however, candidate receiving majority vote in special primary election is elected. Requires party's consent to allow identification of candidates' party registration on ballot and other official election publications.
YES 63 -- Mental Health Services, tax on millionaires
Provides funds to counties to expand services and develop innovative programs and integrated service plans for mentally ill children, adults and seniors. Requires state to develop mental health service programs including prevention, early intervention, education and training programs. Creates new commission to approve certain county programs and expenditures. Imposes
additional 1% tax on taxable income over $1 million to provide dedicated funding for expansion of mental health services and programs. Current funding for mental health programs may not be reduced because of funding from new tax.
NO 64 -- Limit Unfair Business Competition Laws
Amends unfair business competition laws to: limit individual's right to sue by allowing private enforcement only if that individual has been actually injured by, and suffered financial/property loss because of an unfair business practice; require representative claims to comply with procedural requirements applicable to class action lawsuits; authorize only California
Attorney General or local public officials to sue on behalf of general public to enforce unfair business competition laws. Penalties recovered by Attorney General or local prosecutors to be used only for enforcement of consumer protection laws.
YES 65 -- Local Government Funding
Requires voter approval for any legislation that provides for any reduction, based on January 1, 2003 levels, of local governments' vehicle license fee revenues, sales tax powers and revenues, and proportionate share of local
property tax revenues. Permits local government to suspend performance of state mandate if State fails to reimburse local government within 180 days of final determination of state-mandated obligation; except mandates requiring local government to provide/modify: any protection, benefit or employment status to employee/retiree, or any procedural/substantive employment right for employee or employee organization.
YES! 66 -- Amend the "Three Strikes" law
Amends "Three Strikes" law to require increased sentences only when current conviction is for specified violent and/or serious felony. Redefines violent and serious felonies. Only prior convictions for specified violent and/or
serious felonies, brought and tried separately, would qualify for second and third "strike" sentence increases. Allows conditional re-sentencing of persons with sentences increased under "Three Strikes" law if previous sentencing offenses, or prior convictions used to increase sentences, would no longer qualify as violent and/or serious felonies. Increases punishment for specified sex crimes against children.
NO 67 -- Emergency Medical Services, telephone surcharge
Provides funding for emergency personnel training and equipment, reimbursement for uncompensated emergency physician care, uncompensated community clinic care, emergency telephone system improvements, and to hospitals for emergency services. Commission to administer physician funding. Funded by: Addition of 3% to surcharge rate on telephone use within
California; portions of tobacco taxes; criminal and traffic penalties. Monthly cap of 50 cents on surcharge collected by residential service providers, but not cell phone or business lines. Excludes funding from government appropriations limitations, and telephone surcharge from Proposition 98's school spending requirements.
NO 68 -- Tribal Gaming Compacts
Authorizes Governor to re-negotiate tribal-state compacts to require that tribes: Pay 25% of slot machine/gaming device revenues to government fund; comply with multiple state laws; accept state court jurisdiction. Unless all compacted tribes accept terms within 90 days, or if terms determined unlawful, authorizes 16 specified non-tribal racetracks and gambling establishments to operate 30,000 slot machines/gaming devices, paying 33% of revenues to fund public safety, regulatory, social programs. Provides exemption from future state/local tax increases. Limits new tribal gaming.
YES 70 -- Tribal Gaming Compacts
Requires Governor to offer renewable 99-year gaming compacts to federally recognized Indian tribes providing: exclusive gaming rights on Indian land; no limits on number of machines, facilities, types of games; contribution to
state fund of portion of net tribal gaming income, based on prevailing state corporate tax rate; off-reservation environmental impact reports, public notice/comment opportunities before significant expansion or construction of gaming facilities. Contributions are in lieu of any other fees, taxes or levies. Contributions terminate if state permits non-tribal casino-type
gaming.
NO 69 -- DNA Database, those charged with certain crimes
Requires collection of DNA samples from all felons, and from adults and juveniles arrested for or charged with specific crimes, and submission to state DNA database; and, in five years, from adults arrested for or charged with any felony. Authorizes local law enforcement laboratories to perform analyses for state database and maintain local database. Specifies
procedures for confidentiality and removing samples from databases. Imposes additional monetary penalty upon certain fines/forfeitures to fund program. Designates California Department of Justice to implement program, subject to available moneys: Authorizes $7,000,000 loan from Legislature for implementation.
NO 71 -- Stem Cell Research Bonds
Establishes "California Institute for Regenerative Medicine" to regulate stem cell research and provide funding, through grants and loans, for such research and research facilities. Establishes constitutional right to conduct stem cell research; prohibits Institute's funding of human reproductive cloning research. Establishes oversight committee to govern
Institute. Provides General Fund loan up to $3 million for Institute's initial administration/implementation costs. Authorizes issuance of general obligation bonds to finance Institute activities up to $3 billion subject to annual limit of $350 million. Appropriates monies from General Fund to pay for bonds.
YES 72 -- Referendum
Provides for individual and dependent health care coverage for employees, as specified, working for large and medium employers. Requires that employers pay at least 80% of coverage cost; maximum 20% employee contribution. Requires employers to pay for health coverage or pay fee to medical insurance board that purchases primarily private health coverage.
Applies to employers with 200 or more employees beginning 1/1/06. Applies to employers with 50 to 199 employees beginning 1/1/07. Applies to employers with 20 to 49 employees if tax credit enacted.
A note on bond measures: Whenever a proposition is funded by a bond, it means some amount of taxpayer money goes into the pockets of the investors who act as middlemen. Paid off over a period of about thirty years, bonds typically cost taxpayers $1.25 for every $1.00 that actually goes to fund the approved proposition. Greens advocate less wasteful means of financing large capital costs for state and local government.
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