How To Sort Out Truth vs. Fiction On Ballot Measures
Xavier Beccera
In the months leading up to the November 3 election, Lamorinda Republican Women Federated will be taking a look at some of the initiatives and referendums on the ballot. Here is an analysis of what it takes to sort out deceptive wording from the actual intent from Gretchen Cox, CFRW legislative analyst:
The purpose of ballot initiatives and referendums is to give voters a way to correct the over-reach of legislator-passed laws or policies. Since a majority of voters never read beyond the title and summary of the initiatives, and sometimes not even the whole title, it is critical that they be written concisely, accurately, completely and neutrally.
Unfortunately, that’s not the way our current California Attorney General operates. Being fully aware that voters tend to be somewhat uninformed, Xavier Becerra makes it a practice to engage in some creative writing, offering long, confusing and misleading titles and summaries on key issues to manipulate the vote whichever way his party and his major donors (labor unions) want. This in spite of his fiduciary responsibility to be neutral.
Remember the deliberately confusing wording of Prop. 6 in 2018 which would have “rolled back gas taxes” if it had passed? Or the confusion around Prop. 13 in the March 2020 Primaries? None of that confusion was accidental or unintended.
Becerra has a history of ignoring the spirit of CA Election Code Section 9051 which states, “In providing the ballot title and summary, the Attorney General shall give a true and impartial statement of the purpose of the measure in such language that the ballot title and summary shall neither ben an argument, nor be likely to increase prejudice, for or against the proposed measure.”
Here’s an example on one of the hottest issues on the November ballot:
Proposition 15 - INCREASES FUNDING FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS, COMMUNITY COLLEGES, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES BY CHANGING TAX ASSESSMENT OF COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.
It is also known as the “Schools and Community First” initiative. Well, who doesn’t want to help schools or their own community? Becerra wants you to vote FOR this measure, so he front loads the “feel good” message and minimizes the truth. This is, of course, a property tax increase on commercial and industrial real estate, and a partial undoing of our Prop. 13 protections, plain and simple. (Agricultural properties and commercial properties valued at less than $3,000,000 would be exempt as well as residential properties and certain personal property).
As such, they want to “SPLIT” the property tax rolls. But notice it never states the words “property” “tax” “increase”? If you read the summary, it also suggests funding to schools and colleges first, and then local government. What they DON’T clarify is that the majority of the funding will go to local government FIRST to back-fill revenue lost from some of the changes this bill causes, and THEN a smaller percentage will go to schools. This school funding, by the way, is in addition to the 40% of the state budget they already get… so guess whose backing this measure and who AG Bacerra is beholden to? Yep, labor unions, especially CTA. Not to mention every major Democrat including Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and others at the national level. That list alone is reason enough NOT to support this measure.