Special Correspondent Jay Guevara On The California Ballot Propositions

Jay Guevara, our intrepid reporter on the ground in the People's Republic of California, has slogged through the miasma of this year's California Ballot Propositions. In addition to his recommendations (I agree with them), he has given us a bit of analysis and...shockingly...some snark!

Here is the first one....there are a couple of more plus a full list below the fold and a link to the rest in pdf form for those California Morons who need a little prodding to go to the polls and vote....early and often please.

Prop. 51 - Authorizes $9 billion in general obligation bonds for new construction and modernization of K–12 public school facilities;

The Guevara Take: No

Wait, didn’t we already do exactly this last time? And the money went to giving teachers raises? Yeah, we did. So they’re just seeing exactly how stupid we really are. “It’s for the children.” Right.

Even Jerry Brown opposes this stinker. From SF Gate: “Critics including Brown say the money can be siphoned off by large districts fielding flocks of consultants who are adept at pitching construction projects.” Uh, yeah. If any of it goes to construction at all, that is.

Prop. 53 - Requires statewide voter approval before any revenue bonds can be issued or sold by the state for certain projects if the bond amount exceeds $2 billion.

The Guevara Take: Hell Yes

May knock high speed rail on the head. It is opposed by the firefighters’ and police unions, which by itself would be good enough for me to support it.

According to SF Gate, which opposes Prop. 53, the measure is being bankrolled by a Stockton farmer who “takes dead aim at two targets: the struggling high-speed rail line connecting the Bay Area and Los Angeles, and Gov. Jerry Brown’s twin-tunnel water diversion plan for the delta.”

I’m liking this guy already. Let the salmon take the HIGH. SPEED. RAIL. upstream.

Prop. 61 - Prohibits state from buying any prescription drug from a drug manufacturer at price over lowest price paid for the drug by United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Exempts managed care programs funded through Medi-Cal.

The Guevara Take: No

How about we just let the market sort this out, hmm? Presumably the state already gets the best deal it can on drug purchases.

After citing two cases of egregious price hikes, SF Gate in its endorsement goes all-in on populist demogoguery: "Neither the Republican-controlled Congress in Washington nor the Democratic-controlled Legislature in Sacramento has proved willing to stand up to an industry that is determined to bat down any proposal that might threaten its fat profits."

Also, for my money, the state shouldn't be in the health care business in the first place. And why is Medi-Cal exempted?

• 51 School Bonds. Funding for K-12 School and Community College Facilities
• 52 Medi-Cal Hospital Fee Program.
• 53 Revenue Bonds. Statewide Voter Approval.
• 54 Legislature. Legislation and Proceedings.
• 55 Tax Extension to Fund Education and Healthcare.
• 56 Cigarette Tax to Fund Healthcare, Tobacco Use Prevention, Research, and Law Enforcement.
• 57 Criminal Sentences. Parole. Juvenile Criminal Proceedings and Sentencing.
• 58 English Proficiency. Multilingual Education.
• 59 Corporations. Political Spending. Federal Constitutional Protections.
• 60 Adult Films. Condoms. Health Requirements.
• 61 State Prescription Drug Purchases. Pricing Standards
• 62 Death Penalty.
• 63 Firearms. Ammunition Sales.
• 64 Marijuana Legalization.
• 65 Carry-Out Bags. Charges.
• 66 Death Penalty. Procedures.
• 67 Ban on Single-Use Plastic Bags.

posted by Open Blogger at 06:30 PM

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