California November 2008 Ballot Measures

The Los Angeles Times has a good summary of the eleven(!) ballot propositions which Secretary of State Debra Bowen has announced have qualified for the November 4, 2008 statewide general election:

1. "Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century." Authorizes issuance of $9.95 billion of general obligation bonds to create a high-speed passenger train network beginning with a line between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
2. "California Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act." Prohibits confinement of farm animals in a manner that does not allow them to turn around freely, lie down, stand up, or fully extend their limbs.
3. "Children's Hospital Bond Act." Authorizes issuance of $980 million in bonds to build, renovate and equip children's hospitals.
4. "Sarah's Law: the Child and Teen Safety and Stop Predators Act." Requires parental notification prior to minors' abortions.
5. "Nonviolent Offender Rehabilitation Act of 2008." Establishes a California secretary of rehabilitation and parole and other departments, offices and programs intended to provide rehabilitation and alternative sentencing for drug defendants.
6. "Safe Neighborhoods Act." Establishes an Office of Public Safety Education and Information and appropriates $12.5 million annually to pay for it and other programs; establishes a California Early Intervention, Rehabilitation and Accountability Commission to evaluate publicly funded anti-crime programs and sets standards for such programs; appropriates $92.5 million annually to help counties house juvenile offenders; appropriates $50 million for a Juvenile Probation Facility and Supervision Fund; broadens the admissibility of hearsay evidence; establishes a Crimestopper Reward Reimbursement Fund and appropriates $10 million annually to fund it; stiffens penalties for threatening judges and witnesses and for various gang-related crimes; broadens civil actions against gangs; and establishes other programs and laws intended to protect crime victims and more effectively deter crime and punish criminals.
7. "The Solar and Clean Energy Act of 2008." Establishes mandatory renewable energy threshold for the L.A. Department of Water and Power and other government utilities.
8. "California Marriage Protection Act." Outlaws same-sex marriage by adding the following words to the state Constitution: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."
9. "Marsy's Law: the Victims' Bill of Rights Act of 2008." Broadens role of victims and victims' families in parole hearings and restricts frequency of hearing.
10. "The California Renewable Energy and Clean Alternative Fuel Act." Authorizes $5 billion in bonds ($9.8 billion with interest), much of which would provide rebates to buyers of hybrids and other alternative-fuel cars and fund research.
11. "Voters FIRST Act." Redistricting Constitutional Amendment and Statute. Would transfer the power to re-draw Assembly, state Senate, and Board of Equalization district lines, once every 10 years after census data come in, from the political parties and elected officials to a 14-member citizens' commission.

It still too early for the measures to have Propsition Numbers and this only the list as of June 18, 2008. It's still possible for the legislature to put measures on the ballot, probably as part of a budget deal. Bowen's office says that the last day for her to announce where a measures has qualified through signature gathering is June 26, 2008.

Mad Professah's general rule is to vote NO on statewide propositions because they are usually promulgated by conservative interests trying to enact legislation by avoiding the Democratic-controlled State Legislature. It looks like this there is no compelling initiative in this list of measures that would cause me to change that policy: VOTE NO!