An Average Look at the CA Propositions

Well, I'm sure by now we're all settled (or even entrenched) in our votes for President, Senator, Congressperson, etc. However, most of the state and local propositions were a little less well known to me when The Average Man finally sat down to fill out the ol' absentee ballot. So I took a look through the recommendations from several trusted sources and, for the most part, averaged 'em out.

They are:
Santa Barbara Independent
Los Angeles Times
League of Women Voters
Democratic Party of Santa Barbara
Click any of those links for details on their recommendations.

STATE MEASURES:

Prop 1A: High Speed Rail
Independent: Yes
LA Times: Yes
LWV: Yes
SB Dems: Yes
Average Man: Yes

Prop 2: Farm Animal Cruelty
Independent: Yes
LA Times: No
SB Dems: Yes
Average Man: Yes. LA Times says agriculture will move out of CA to avoid it, but that doesn't seem likely. Plus, it's just the right thing to do.

Prop 3: Childrens Hospital Bond
Independent: Yes
LA Times: Yes
LWV: Yes
SB Dems: Yes
Average Man: Yes

Prop 4: Parental notification before abortion
Independent: No
LA Times: No
LWV: No
SB Dems: No
Average Man: No

Prop 5: Nonviolent Drug Offenses.
Independent: Yes
LA Times: No
LWV: Yes
SB Dems: Yes
Average Man: Yes. Has its faults, but a step in the right direction towards treating drug use as a medical rather than criminal issue.

Prop 6: Mandatory Prison Sentencing
Independent: No
LA Times: No
LWV: No
SB Dems: No
Average Man: No. Costs billions, puts more people in jail. Enough, already.

Prop 7: Renewable Energy
Independent: Yes
LA Times: No
LWV: No
SB Dems: Yes
Average Man: A tricky one. I'm 100% behind the idea, but not sure how well this will actually work. Figuring it might fail, voted yes to show support.

Prop 8: Prohibit Same-Sex Marriage
Independent: No
LA Times: No
LWV: No
SB Dems: No
Average Man: Absolutely NO. WTF is wrong with people that care who marries who? This looks like a cruel (and obscenely well-funded) attempt to get conservatives to the polls when they know their boy McCain doesn't stand a chance in CA.

Prop 9: Victims Rights
Independent: No
LA Times: No
LWV: No
SB Dems: No
Average Man: No. Not that I really understand the details, but it would apparently would give families of crime victims more say in the justice system. Revenge does not equal justice. Let the laws do the job.

Prop 10: Alternative Fuel Vehicles
Independent: No
LA Times: No
LWV: No
SB Dems: Neutral
Average Man: No. This one's definitely a scam. It's largely funded by oilman T. Boone Pickens, who wants cars to run on natural gas, which he apparently has a ton of. Let him pay for his own pipelines and fueling stations.

Prop 11: Redistricting Reform
Independent: Yes
LA Times: Yes
LWV: Yes
SB Dems: No
Average Man: Yes. Makes redistricting non-partisan. Makes sense that the party opposes it, but it's the fair way to handle it.

Prop 12: Bond to Help Vets Purchase Homes
Independent: Yes
LA Times: Yes
SB Dems: Yes
Average Man: Yes. Times calls it "the best deal on the ballot" since the money is paid back. And regardless, it's the least we can do.

LOCAL MEASURES:

Measure A: Road Repair & Safety
Independent: Yes
LWV: Yes
SB Dems: Yes
Average Man: Yes. Another no-brainer.

Measure G: Utility Fees
Independent: Yes
SB Dems: Yes
Average Man: Yes. Continues an existing tax on phone bills that goes towards roads, police and firefighters.

Measures H & I: Property Tax for Schools
Independent: Yes
LWV: Yes
SB Dems: Yes
Average Man: Yes. 50 bucks a year to our struggling public schools? You got it.

There you go! Hope it helps.