Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/747615
R eady to make your way through a thicket of 17 California propositions on the November ballot? CALmatters is here to help you sort through the many thorny questions: Should we end the death penalty? Legalize marijuana? Extend taxes on the wealthy? Ban plastic bags? Raise taxes on cigarettes? Require actors in porn films to wear condoms? The state's voter guide runs more than 200 pages long. We've simplified things for you, with brief synopses that analyze each ballot issue and report on the money and the major players behind them. PROPOSITIONS FROM CAL MATTERS »CALMATTERS.ORG Proposition51: School construction School districts pay for building new schools and updating older ones with a mixoflocalandstatemoney, generally financed through bonds. It's been a decade since California voters ap - proved a bond measure al- lowing the state to borrow money for school construc- tion. Now the state's exist- ingstashofschoolconstruc- tion money is almost gone, yet local school districts re- port a backlog of construc- tion projects that will cost billions to complete. Whatwoulditdo? Prop.51authorizes$9bil- lion in bonds to build new schools and modernize ex- isting ones. Most of the m oney would be for K-12 schools, with about $2 bil- lion for community col- leges. Whatwoulditcost? Borrowing the $9 bil- lion would cost the state an extra $8.6 billion in in- terest. The state would likely pay off the debt over 35 years, at a cost of about $500 million a year. Whyisitontheballot? Usually school bonds land on the ballot because the Legislature puts them there. That hasn't happened in recent years, so home builders, developers and school construction com- panies got together to put this measure on the ballot on their own. Whatsupporterssay: California's aging cam- puses need safety repairs and tech upgrades, while growing neighborhoods want to build new schools. The bonds will provide stu- dents a better learning en- vironment, without directly raising taxes. Whatopponentssay: Prop. 51 benefits subur- ban home builders without doing much to help schools inlow-incomecommunities. Bonds are expensive — cost- ing almost as much in inter- est as the amount borrowed — a nd put the state further in debt. Proposition 52: Hospital fees Rising health care costs remain at the top of the national agenda—not just for patients but for the hospitals who treat low- income patients. Hospitals rely on both state and federal matching funds for reimbursement. In the past, however, California, has used state funds for other programs, costing hospitals federal matching dollars. What would it do? Prop. 52 would extend the current fees hospitals pay to receive more match- ing Medicaid funds from the federal government. It wo ul d al so m ak e it h ar de r for the state Legislature to divert the fees to other state programs. What would it cost the government? The measure's fiscal impact is unclear because we don't know if the Leg- islature would have ex- tended the existing hos- pi ta l fe e if P ro p. 5 2 we re n ot on the ballot. If lawmakers had de- clined to extend the fee, Prop. 52 would have saved the state roughly $1 billion and increased funding for public hospi- tals in the low hundreds o f millions of dollars an- nually. Whyisitontheballot? The California Hospital Association is sponsoring Proposition 52 in a bid to stabilize and protect state funding that hospitals re- ceive for treating low-in- come patients. Although the Legisla- ture established the hos- pital fee in 2009 as a means to reimburse hos- pitals, lawmakers have diverted some of the money into the state's general fund. Prop. 52 is one of three measures on the ballot that will boost Medi-Cal funding. What supporters say It will ensure Califor- nia hospitals can con- tinue to recover some of the money they spend to provide services to low- in co me p at ie nt s, p ro - viding a stable revenue stream and drawing an estimated $3 billion in federal matching funds. What opponents say It will divert millions of dollars away from pa- tients and into a health- care bureaucracy with no oversight, no accountabil- it y an d no g ua ra nt ee i t is spent on health care. Gov. Jerry Brown has championed two major infrastructure projects: a high-speed rail system to connect San Francisco and Los Angeles, and a pair of massive tunnels in the Delta to move water from the northern to the southern end of the state. The projects would bring jobs to inland California but have stirred contro - versy among farmers and e nvironmentalists. Many fiscal conservatives ob- ject because the projects would likely rely on bor- rowing billions of dollars, adding to the state's debt load, which is already more than $300 billion. What would it do? Proposition 53 would require voter approval be- fore any revenue bond over $2 billion can be issued by the state for state-managed projects. Few projects require bonds of that amount, but the threshold would likely complicate both of Brown's priority infrastructure projects by requiring a public vote. What would it cost the government? Analysts couldn't de- termine the fiscal impact of this measure because it depends on how voters and governments respond. It could have no impact if voters approve bonds and a project proceeds as planned. It could save money if voters reject bonds and the government instead uses existing infrastructure or a less expen - sive financing mechanism. It could cost money if the government plans several smaller proj - ects to avoid the $2 billion threshold or finances the large project with higher- interest loans. Whyisitontheballot? Stockton farmer Dean Cortopassi, who opposes the Delta tunnels project, put Prop. 53 on the ballot. What supporters say It would give voters a say in major infrastruc- ture projects and could limit growth of the state's debt load. Government debt will burden future genera- tions, who could see re- duced services or in- creased taxes to pay it off. What opponents say It could delay or block more public works proj- ects than anticipated, like water storage or bridge re- pairs. By requiring a state- wide vote, it could allow voters in faraway regions to shoot down a project supported by those in the community. The type of bonds at is - sue in this measure — rev- enue bonds — are paid back by users of the proj- ect that's built, not by tax- payers at large. Proposition 53: Revenue bonds Proposition 54: Last-minute lawmaking Most bills winding through the Legislature follow a months-long pro- cess with multiple votes by lawmakers and lots of opportunity for the public to give input. But not al- ways. The political major- ity (currently Democrats) c an waive the normal rules and jam bills through at the last minute with lit- tle public scrutiny. It's not uncommon for lawmak- ers and lobbyists to write brand-new bills in the ses- sion's final days and push them to a vote before the public has much chance to weigh in. What would it do? Prop. 54 tries to put a stop to last-minute law- making by requiring the Legislature to publish a bill in print and online for at least 72 hours prior to a vote on the bill. (The mea - sure makes exceptions in cases of public emergency.) It also would require the Legislature to video record all its public sessions and make video archives avail - able online. What would it cost the government? Roughly $1 million to $2 million initially for equipment, plus about $1 million annually for making the videos and storing them online. Whyisitontheballot? Charles Munger Jr., a prominent Republican donor from the Bay Area, paid to put this measure on the ballot. What supporters say It would make govern- ment more transparent by giving the public time to review bills before they be- come laws. What opponents say Advance notice could cause delicate political deals to unravel by giving interest groups ample time to lobby legislators before they vote. Californians voted to in - crease taxes on the state's wealthiest earners in 2012, seeking to replenish educa- tion funding accounts de- pleted during the reces- sion. Four years later, the e conomy is recovering and the tax increase is slated to end after 2018. Education and health care advocates argue Californians can't afford to lose the revenues from the high-earner in - co me t ax . Whatwoulditdo? Prop.55wouldextendthe 2012 voter-approved tax in- creaseonhigh-incomeearn- ers for 12 more years, to 2030. The tax applies to earnings over $250,000 a year for individuals, or over $500,000 for couples. Most of the revenue would con- tinue to go to K-12 educa- tion, with the remaining set aside for community col- legesandlow-incomehealth care programs. Whatwoulditcost stategovernment? Nothing; Prop. 55 would reap billions for the state. The state could see in- creased revenues ranging from $4 billion to $9billion a year from 2019 through 2030, depending on the economyandthestockmar- ket. Whyisitontheballot? The California Teachers Association and the Cali- fornia Hospital Association arebankrollingProp.55and their constituencies stand to benefit from it passing. Revenues from this income tax are targeted for public schools and health care for low-income children. Those programs would likely see cutsifthe2012taxincreases expire. Whatsupporterssay Prop. 55 maintains taxes on the wealthiest of Califor- nians, and would prevent billions of dollars of cuts to public education needed to hire teachers and re- duce class sizes. Funding for community colleges would make more classes available and keep tuition rates stable while low-in- come children would see i mproved access to health care. Whatopponentssay This measure is a bro- ken promise to taxpay- ers who voted in 2012 for a temporary tax. Extend- ing the tax by another 12 years is a power grab by la- bor unions that will send the state's economy into a tailspin, forcing more busi- nesses and jobs to leave California. Proposition 55: High-earner tax Proposition 56: Tobacco tax Tobacco is often the tar- get of politicians seeking money for state programs, with mixed success across the country. In California, voters have rejected multi- ple ballot box attempts over t he years to raise taxes on cigarettes, and the state is among those with the low- est taxes on tobacco. The growing popularity of e-cig- arettes and vapor products adds a new dynamic to the debate. Whatwoulditdo? Prop. 56 would add a $2 tax to cigarettes, electronic cigarettes containing nico- tine,andothertobaccoprod- ucts to primarily increase funding for existing health care programs. What would it cost the government? Nothing; this measure would add revenue to the state budget. It would pro- vide an estimated $1 billion to $1.4 billion in 2017-18, with potentially lower reve- nues in future years. Whyisitontheballot? Prop. 56 is sponsored by a coalitionofhealthcaregroups thatcouldstandtoseeaboost in Medi-Cal funding if it passes. The measure is one of three on the November ballot that would increase Medi-Cal funding,whichhealthcaread- vocates say has yet to recover f rom cuts the Legislature madeduringtherecession. Whatsupporterssay Prop. 56 is a user fee paid only by smokers to help pay for health care, cancer treatment, smoking prevention, and research to cure cancer and tobacco-related diseases. Taxing tobacco saves lives with a proven re - duction in youth smoking. California's current tax on cigarettes — 87 cents per pack — is low compared to most states. Whatopponentssay This measure is a tax grab by insurance com- panies, labor unions and hospitals, with just a fraction of the money set aside for smoking preven- tion. More pressing prob- lems like the drought, ed- ucation, road re- pairs and violent c rime should ben- efit from any tax increases. Proposition 57: Criminal sentencing Four decades ago, Gov. Jerry Brown embraced tough-on-crime laws that filled the state's prisons. The overcrowding led the U.S. Supreme Court to rule the state must re - duce its prison population and improve medical care to inmates. California has moved lower-level prison felons to county jails, and voters approved measures to limit the state's three- strikes sentencing law and reduce some felonies to misdemeanors. But, prison overcrowding and high costs continue to plague California. What would it do? Prop. 57 would increase the number of nonviolent inmates eligible for parole consideration and enable inmates to earn credits for good behavior. It also lets judges decide whether to try a juvenile as an adult, likely resulting in fewer young of - fenders being placed in the adult system. What would it cost the government? Reductions in prison population would lead to a savings for state govern- ment likely in the tens of millions of dollars each year, according to the state legislative analyst. Mean- while, counties might in- cur a cost of a few million d ollars a year. Why is it on the ballot? Gov. Jerry Brown put Prop. 57 on the ballot, ar- guing that the tough sen- tencing laws he once em- braced have had unin- tended consequences that over burdened the crim- inal justice system. The measure is a piece of his bigger plan to reduce the prison population and save the state money. What supporters say Prop. 57 is a long-term solution that stops wast- ing costly prison space on nonviolent offenders who can be rehabilitated, while keeping dangerous criminals behind bars. It gives judges — instead of prosecutors — the power to decide whether a mi - nor should be tried as an adult, which will improve juvenile justice by reduc- ing racial bias and the number of minors sent through adult courts. What opponents say Prop. 57 is a deceptive measure that could en- danger public safety with the early release of in- mates convicted of vio- lent crimes such as rape and assault with a deadly weapon. Though the initia- tive says it only applies to "nonviolent" offenders, the term is broadly defined un- der California law and ap- plies to certain rapes and assaults. | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2016 6 A