Dear Editor:

These election suggestions are given in response, and often in contradiction, to the recommendations given by Mario Guerra. (“California Ballot Propositions 2020: How I’m Voting.”) 

While it is important to be informed, it is also crucial to consider both sides of every choice. It may be a good idea to refer to other articles and suggestions, always making sure that you view reliable sources. California is at the forefront of progressive and equitable democracy. It takes all of us to keep it that way!

Proposition 14 The Price of Alzheimer’s

What it does: Re-authorizes and funds ($5.5 billion) the California stem cell program.

Consider the price of chronic diseases such as Alzheimer’s and other dementias ($305 billion/year according to Alz.org.) This does not take into account additional financial impacts these diagnoses have on the loved ones who must care for their family member. The California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) began in 2004 and has funded 22 grants for Alzheimer’s research that can be found at the following URL: https://www.cirm.ca.gov/our-progress/disease-information/alzheimers-disease-fact-sheet

Proposition 14 will authorize the continuation of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine also known as the California stem cell program. If CIRM is reinstated 1.5 billion will be set aside for research into diseases and conditions of the brain and central nervous system. If we are dedicated to finding a cure for Alzheimer’s and other dementias we must also be willing to invest in CIRM. This is how we find a cure for tomorrow while providing for today!

Vote YES on Prop 14

Proposition 15: Schools and Communities First

What it does: Reclaims billions of dollars by closing property tax loopholes benefiting wealthy corporations.

Consider the fact that just 10% of California’s most expensive nonresidential properties account for 92% of Prop 15’s loophole closing revenues. While cutting small business taxes, this proposition also reclaims billions every year to invest in our schools and local communities.

Contrary to the misinformation machine, Prop 15 does NOT overturn Prop 13. In fact, it exempts homeowners, renters, small businesses and agricultural land. It does invest in nurses and doctors who are working the frontlines for public health. It invests in teachers and parents by providing smaller class sizes in a time when our lives may depend on this. It also provides help to mayors and supervisors managing budgets that have been devastated by COVID. It is no surprise that the No on 15 movement is funded by Trump’s biggest donors; wealthy corporations that can afford lawyers and accountants to exploit loopholes in the law.

Vote YES on Prop 15

Proposition 16: Repeal Prop 209 and reinstate Affirmative Action

What it does: Amends the Constitution of California to repeal Prop 209’s restrictions on local and state governments from considering race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public employment, education and contracting.

Consider that The University of California’s analysis of Prop 209 reveals that affirmative action has increased the population of underrepresented students by at least 12 percent, with the largest effects seen at UCLA and Berkeley. Additionally, Prop 209’s affirmative action ban has resulted in an over $820 million loss every year in Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Program (MWBE) contracts with the state of California. Reports conclude that the percentage of contracts granted to MWBEs never returned to pre-Prop 209 levels.

Restoring affirmative action is the next step in building a more equitable and diverse future in California It is time that California follow the other 42 states that have taken gender, race, ethnicity, and national origin into account for college admissions and hiring in government and public agencies.

To specifically respond to Mr. Guerra, this proposition does NOT go against the will of what protesters are asking for. It does, however ask all of us to question whether systemic discrimination exists and if so, who it affects. A yes vote will work towards leveling the playing field by offering opportunities for disenfranchised populations such as people of color, women and the LGBTQ.

Vote YES on Prop 16

Proposition 17: Parolee Voting Rights

What it does: Amends the Constitution of California to restore voting rights to persons who have been disqualified from voting while on parole. If passed, Prop 17 will restore voting rights to approximately 50,000 Californians currently on parole.

Consider that parolees who are reintegrating into society resume other civic responsibilities, such as paying taxes and jury duty. Being barred from voting while paying taxes is taxation without representation. In 2017, Black Californians made up 28% of all prison populations despite only making up 6% of California’s total population. With an incarceration rate at 8 times the rate of white Californians, it is clear that the disenfranchisement of parolees is the disenfranchisement of Black voters.

Vote YES on Prop 17

Proposition 18: Allow 17-year-olds to vote in the primary election

What it does: Asks California voters to amend the Constitution of California to allow 17-year-olds to vote in the primary election if they will turn 18 by the following general election.

Consider that nineteen other states, including D.C., allow 17-year-olds to vote in the primary election if they will be 18 by the general election. Research has proven time and again that voting is habit-forming. These states recognize the importance of allowing 18-year-olds to vote, to help form their voting habits and amplify their voices.

Vote YES on Prop 18

Proposition 19: Property Tax Transfers

What it does: Asks voters to amend sections of 1978’s Proposition 13 to increase the number of times a property tax base can be transferred to three times for longtime homeowners.

Consider that Proposition 19 widens the generational wealth gap by giving homeowners older than 55 and other qualified groups a way to keep property tax breaks they receive for having bought their homes decades ago if they move anywhere else in the state, up to three times. They can also keep that break if they move to a more expensive property.

Proposition 13 caps most property tax rates at 1 percent of a home’s sale price and holds annual increases in assessed value to 2 percent or less. This means people who purchased their home a few decades ago already pay significantly less property tax than newer homeowners. Prop 19 further builds the wealth of longtime homeowners and denies wealth-building opportunities to people who don’t own a home or who may be struggling to buy one.

While Prop 19 does eliminate a $1 million property tax exemption for parent-to-child transfers and could potentially generate state revenue that would be distributed to fire protection agencies and schools, this amendment is being paired with the primary tax break for longtime homeowners to make it more appealing.

Vote NO on Prop 19

Proposition 20: Protects Criminal Justice Reforms and Rights to Privacy

What it does: Increases penalties for low-level offenses and creates a state database that collects DNA samples from persons convicted of specified misdemeanors for use in cold cases by repealing parts of Props 47 and 57.

Consider that this proposition expands the list of offenses that disqualify inmates from a parole program, views an individual’s collective criminal history and not just their most recent offense, and imposes stronger restrictions for a nonviolent offender’s parole program.

This proposition was put forth by assembly member Jim Cooper and sponsored by assembly member Vince Fong. They both have consistently voted to protect police brutality and discriminatory criminal justice policies. Both voted no on AB 1600, which would expedite access to police misconduct records for a trial. Also note that the Association for L.A. Deputy Sheriffs, L.A. Police Protective League, and the Peace Officers Research Association of California all support and have heavily financed Prop 20.

Vote No on Prop 20

Proposition 21: Rent Control

What it does: Asks voters to amend state law in order to allow (not require) local governments at the city and county levels to establish and regulate rent control on residential properties. This proposition would affect residential properties over 15 years old and exempts individuals who own up to two residential properties. Additionally, Prop 21 would allow rent in rent-controlled properties to increase up to 15 percent over a period of three years with the start of a new tenancy.

California has the highest rate of homelessness in the nation, which can be attributed to the overwhelmingly high median rates for rent throughout the state forcing residents to pay 50 percent of their income just toward rent.

The Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act prohibits rent control on residential properties built after February 1, 1995. Since then, housing built in California has become accessible only to those who can afford uncontrolled rent increases, and low-income families have largely been shut out from newer housing developments.

According to a Stanford study, those who lived in rent-controlled properties when Costa-Hawkins passed ended up saving a cumulative total of $7 billion over 18 years, which confirms that rent control is an effective way to prevent displacement from the city.

Vote YES on Prop 21

Proposition 22: Self-Employment Act vs. Labor Rights

What it does: Asks voters to classify ride-share and delivery companies as independent contractors, not employees. Additionally, Prop 22 would restrict local regulation of app-based drivers and criminalize the impersonation of drivers.

Classifying workers as employees requires companies like Lyft, Uber and Door Dash to abide by state employment laws to enforce minimum wage, overtime, unemployment insurance, and workers’ compensation. Additionally being an employee entitles workers to labor rights such as the right to organize, minimum wage and Social Security.

A yes vote will classify ride-share and delivery workers as independent contractors. Some people want this classification because they are looking for something to supplement their current employment or want the freedom to work on their terms. Being classified as an employee. However, I also realize that many people are using these “gig” opportunities to make ends meet and prefer the freedom of working without the restrictions that come with being an employee.

Vote NO on Prop 22

Proposition 23: On-site Physicians at Dialysis Clinics

What it does: Adds sections to the California Health and Safety Code about how dialysis facilities can operate, requiring a physician to be on-site at every dialysis clinic to oversee operations, and mandating that each chronic dialysis clinic submit quarterly reports on dialysis-related infections to the California Department of Health. The on-site physician would assume a non-caregiving role, as they would not be required to be specially trained in nephrology or interact with patients at all. Additionally, Prop 23 would prohibit discrimination against patients based on their coverage or care.

Prop 23 builds upon current federal requirements that report dialysis-related infections to the National Healthcare Safety Network at the Center for Disease Control to include reporting these infections to the California Department of Health.

Having a physician on-site at chronic dialysis clinics during all treatment hours provides a higher quality of medical care with an additional layer of patient safety.

Prop 23 protects the 80,000 Californians who require dialysis on a weekly basis by ensuring chronic dialysis clinics cannot discriminate against patients based on how they are paying for their treatments. Insurances like Medi-Cal pay less for dialysis treatments than private insurance, which is why corporations like DaVita and Fresenius are spending millions to oppose this proposition.

Vote YES on 23

Proposition 24: Protecting Personal Information

What it does: Asks voters to amend the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) to include pay-for-privacy schemes, which provide better services and internet connection to those who pay more in order to protect their personal information while providing suboptimal services for Californians who cannot or do not want to pay more. Additionally, Prop 24 caters to tech companies by allowing them to upload a California resident’s personal information as soon as that resident’s device, computer, or phone leaves the state’s borders, and permits tech companies to completely ignore a programmable universal electronic “do not sell my information” signal. Under current law, privacy follows a Californian wherever they go, and businesses must honor the electronic signal.

This proposition erodes a consumer’s request to delete their data and would completely end CCPA protection of biometric information. California should maintain net neutrality so people do not have to pay for companies to safeguard their personal information. Prop 24 would disproportionately affect working people and families of color.

Vote NO on Prop 24

Proposition 25: Abolish Cash Bail

What it does: Transforms how people get out of jail while awaiting trial — making California the first state to replace cash bail with an algorithm.

Today, rich Californians can afford cash bail, while poorer people either pay bail bond companies or wait for trial in jail. This measure, if passed, would uphold a 2018 law that sought to eliminate cash bail and replace it with an algorithm to assess a person’s risk for not appearing at trial — the higher the risk, the less likely they are to be released.

The cash bail system is inherently classist, racist and unfair. People with generational wealth can pay their way out of jail while awaiting trial. Poorer people in the exact same legal circumstances, with the same statistical likelihood to appear-or not appear for trial cannot afford to pay their way out. The bail bonds industry is designed to exploit this problem and these people.

Vote YES on 25

In person voting begins at:

L.A. County Registrar Recorder/County Clerk
12400 Imperial Hwy.
Norwalk, CA 90650

These are the days/hours that you can vote in person:

October 5th – October 23, Mon. –Fri. 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
October 24 & 25, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
October 26 – 30, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.
October 31 – November 1, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
November 2nd 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.
November 3rd 7 a. m. – 8 p.m.

If voting by mail, please send your ballot in early or drop off at a polling site drop box near you.

M. Padilla
Downey