VOTE NO 6 TIMES
I am voting “no” on all six ballot measures. As a member of the California Republican Party’s Initiatives Committee, I also voted in favor of opposing all six measures, a stance the state party formally adopted the day after the Initiatives Committee vote. Below, I explain why.Prop 1A
How they describe it: "STATE BUDGET. CHANGES CALIFORNIA BUDGET PROCESS.
LIMITS STATE SPENDING. INCREASES “RAINY DAY” BUDGET STABILIZATION FUND."
THE TRUTH: Prop. 1A is the most important measure. It would extend the largest state tax hike in U.S. history by an additional two years. This is not mentioned in the ballot arguments because the legislative leadership chose to ignore the ballot argument I submitted against this measure (I was one of only five Republicans in the legislature to oppose this measure on the floor). Prop. 1A, a weak, loophole-ridden budget reform measure, is twinned with a huge and hidden tax extension – this is dishonest and should not be rewarded.
Props 1B through 1E
How they describe it: EDUCATION FUNDING. PAYMENT PLAN; PROPOSITION; LOTTERY MODERNIZATION ACT; CHILDREN’S SERVICES FUNDING; HEALTH SERVICES FUNDING
THE TRUTH: Measures 1B through 1E amount to a shuffling of the deck chairs on the Titanic – they do nothing to reform government so it can live within our means to support it.
Prop 1F
How they describe it: ELECTED OFFICIALS’ SALARIES. PREVENTS PAY INCREASES DURING BUDGET DEFICIT YEARS.
THE TRUTH: Beware of Prop. 1F, it supposedly prevents pay increases for lawmakers during a budget deficit. The law of unintended consequences says that lawmakers may simply vote to increase taxes to try to erase any deficit and keep their pay increases.