Political Journalist Does Blog Stuff [LOS ANGELES]

Propositions on California’s November 2012 Ballot

Here are the propositions on California’s November ballot. Some of them, like the GMO labeling (Prop 37), are pretty relevant. So pick some to vote for.

Proposition 30 (Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax increase plan)
Temporary Tax Increase to Fund Education. 
Increases personal income tax on annual earnings over $250,000 for seven years. Increases sales and use tax by ¼ cent for four years. We had this for a while, and when it expired, community colleges experienced tuition hikes, along with several other state-run institutions.

Proposition 31 (State budget process changes)
State Budget. Prohibits Legislature from creating expenditures of more than $25 million unless offsetting revenues or spending cuts are identified. Permits Governor to cut budget unilaterally during declared fiscal emergencies if Legislature fails to act. 

Proposition 32
Prohibits Political Contributions by Payroll Deduction. (There’s a huge list of exceptions on this one, namely big oil and similar corporate interests who are pushing for its passing. Don’t be fooled by the title.)

Proposition 33
Changes Law to Allow Auto Insurance Companies to Set Prices Based on a Driver’s History of Insurance Coverage. 

Proposition 34
Death Penalty Repeal. Mainly to save huge amounts of money, not just for humanitarian reasons.

Proposition 35
Increased penalties for Human Trafficking.

Proposition 36
Three Strikes Law. Sentencing for Repeat Felony Offenders. Three convictions and you win a life sentence.

Proposition 37 (!):
Mandatory Labeling for Genetically Engineered Foods. (Right now, it’s actually illegal for GMO foods to be labeled as such. Not just not required, but illegal. This would be a big deal, and it’s definitely my favorite proposition on the ballot.)

Proposition 38
Tax Increase (.4 percent - 2.2 percent) to fund Education and Early Childhood Programs.

Proposition 39
Tax Treatment for Multistate Businesses. Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency Funding. Repeals existing law giving multistate businesses an option to choose a tax liability formula that provides favorable tax treatment for businesses with property and payroll outside California. 

Proposition 40
State Senate Redistricting.
State Senate districts are revised every ten years following the federal census. It’s that time again.