As usual, I’ve done my research for the upcoming election and
written up my notes to share with the rest of the class. I’ve given my
conclusions, and invite you to come to your own. Even if we disagree
on every issue, I’m happy if this saves you a headache. It’s a
midterm election without even a senator on the ballot. That means you
especially need to vote, because a lot of people won’t be
bothering.
- Voter-Nominated Offices
- State
- United States Representative, District 17. SmartVoter. The
Huffington Post characterize Khanna as being closer to the Hillary
Clinton wing of the Democratic Party and Honda as being closer to the
Elizabeth Warren wing. My impression from the debate (coverage in the
San
Francisco Chronicle, San
Jose Mercury, Calbuzz)
is that Khanna’s vision is largely for the educated classes, while
Honda’s includes service workers, who largely benefit by trickle-down
from the middle class (which is still more sensible than catering to
the rich). Khanna spent a lot of his debate time on the attack, while
Honda declined to return fire; this made Khanna seem like he’s
covering weakness, especially when he got so audibly wound up even in
the constrained circumstances of a debate, and he that he was marching
through the talking points prepared by his campaign manager instead of
adapting his strategy on the fly. I don’t think Khanna has the
rhetorical and diplomatic chops to get things done on Capitol Hill,
particularly in the current hyperpartisan environment there. Despite
the deluge of well-funded attacks (mostly against Honda, based on the
contents of my recycling bin), I don’t think either one is a
bad choice; I do think Honda is the better one.
- Member of the State Assembly, District 24.
SmartVoter.
- Nonpartisan Offices.
- School
- District
- Measures Submitted to the Voters
- State: California Choices Endorsement Grid
- Proposition 1: Water Bond. Funding for Water Quality, Supply,
Treatment, and Storage Projects.
SmartVoter.
CAvotes.
Ballotpedia.
Voter’s Edge.
Heavens know we’re not going to run short of water crises in the future.
This one is contentious among environmental organizations because it
doesn’t explicitly forbid using dams to help store water, and those can
have troublesome side effects. Since the commission that decides whether
or not to build dams is made up of human beings who can be reminded of
those problems, I think this is an acceptable risk.
Yes.
- Proposition 2: State Budget. Budget Stabilization Account.
Legislative Constitutional Amendment.
SmartVoter.
CAvotes.
Ballotpedia.
Voter’s Edge.
This makes it harder to starve and raid the state’s rainy day fund. Yes.
- Proposition 45: Healthcare Insurance. Rate Changes. Initiative
Statute.
SmartVoter.
CAvotes.
Ballotpedia.
Voter’s Edge.
This gives our elected insurance commissioner a veto ability that the
current committee lacks; those rulings can still be challenged in court
by either side. While this has the potential to complicate the interaction
between insurance companies and Covered California, I think it will be used
more often in the hint than the execution, and to the benefit of people
covered by insurance; the commissioner’s career performance will depend
on using it well. Yes.
- Proposition 46: Drug and Alcohol Testing of Doctors. Medical
Negligence Lawsuits. Initiative Statute.
SmartVoter.
CAvotes.
Ballotpedia.
Voter’s Edge.
The California Democratic Party is neutral.
Random drug testing for doctors? Maybe we should enact random drug testing
for politicians first. On principle, it’s a violation of the Fourth Amendment.
At a personal level, I would be insulted if my profession were subjected
to such testing, and I expect doctors would be just as offended. Let’s not
create incentives for the best doctors to go elsewhere. No.
- Proposition 47: Criminal Sentences. Misdemeanor Penalties.
Initiative Statute.
SmartVoter.
CAvotes.
Ballotpedia.
Voter’s Edge.
Finally, we can stop wasting money locking up nonviolent offenders. Yes.
- Proposition 48: Indian Gaming Compacts. Referendum.
SmartVoter.
Ballotpedia.
Voter’s Edge.
This is an issue that was already negotiated between the governor,
legislature, and two Native American tribes, one of which is dealing with
not having been recognized as such until 1987 (hence interesting land issues).
Our elected representatives already figured it out, and we just need to
give the thumbs-up. Huge amounts of opposition money are coming from a
New York hedge fund. Yes.
- School
- Measure J.
This just renews the existing $98 parcel tax. The effect of good schools on
property values makes this a bargain. Yes.
- Measure K.
This adds an extra $21 to your property tax bill for every $100,000 of
assessed value (the one limited by Proposition 13), so you don’t pay any
more when your property values go up because the schools got better. Yes.
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