Day: October 8, 2016

The upcoming November ballot, at least in my precinct in Los Angeles, California, is large. As the Donald might say, it is “Yuuuuuge”. Over five posts: one covering the Presidential ticket (although you know where I’m going there), one for the down-ticket races (although note that I reconsidered two judge races), two covering the state-wide propositions on the ballot (50-59, 60-67), and a final post covering the county, city, and special district measures, I have presented my thinking on all the ballot issues. This post summarizes all my conclusions.

Note: Propositions Haiku by Damion Carroll. Click on [📝] for the analysis page.

Office or Issue	My Position
President [📝]	Hillary Clinton / Tim Kaine (D)
US Senator [📝]	Kamala D. Harris (D)
US Representative, 30th District [📝]	Brad Sherman (D)
California Senate, 27th District [📝]	Henry Stern (D)
California Assembly, 45th District [📝]	Matt Dababneh (D)
Judicial Office No 11 [📝]	Steve Schreiner
Judicial Office No 42 [📝]	Efrain Matthew Aceves
Judicial Office No 84 [📝]	Toss up: Either candidate is acceptable: Javier Perez or  Susan Jung Townsend
Judicial Office No 158 [📝]	David A. Berger
Proposition 51: Bonds for K-12 School and Community College Facilities. [📝] Nine billion dollars Of bond funds for school buildings Term: thirty-five years	No on 51
Proposition 52: Medi-Cal Hospital Fee Program.  [📝] A hospital fee Matched with federal dollars Funds Medi-Cal boost	Yes on 52
Proposition 53: Revenue Bonds. Statewide Voter Approval.  [📝] Bonds for big projects (Like high speed rail and Delta) Would need people’s vote	No on 53
Proposition 54: Legislature. Legislation and Proceedings. [📝] Bills must be posted On the web, for three days straight Before they are passed	No on 54
Proposition 55: Tax Extension to Fund Education and Healthcare. [📝] For high-earning folks An income tax that funds schools Would remain in place	Yes on 55
Proposition 56: Cigarette Tax to Fund Healthcare, … [📝] The cigarette tax Would go up, two bucks a pack E-cigarettes, too	Yes on 56
Proposition 57: Criminal Sentences. Parole. … [📝] Earlier parole Of prisoners serving time For non-violent crimes	Yes on 57
Proposition 58: English Proficiency. Multilingual Education. [📝] Kids learning English Won’t need a waiver to take Bilingual classes	Yes on 58
Proposition 59: Corporations. Political Spending. [📝] Asks to overturn Citizen’s United, but Shucks, it’s non-binding	Yes on 59
Proposition 60: Adult Films. Condoms. Health Requirements. [📝] Adult film makers Would have to require condoms Or risk a lawsuit	No on 60
Proposition 61: State Prescription Drug Purchases. Pricing Standards. [📝] In theory, lowers The cost of some state-bought drugs (But it could backfire)	No on 61
Proposition 62: Death Penalty. [📝] Vote for this one if You want to eliminate The death penalty	Yes on 62
Proposition 63: Firearms. Ammunition Sales. [📝] Requires a permit Issued by the DOJ To purchase ammo	Yes on 63
Proposition 64: Marijuana Legalization. [📝] Legalizes pot! Also raises some tax funds (Perhaps a billion?)	Yes on 64
Proposition 65: Carry-Out Bags. Charges. [📝] Plastic bag makers Put this one on the ballot To punish grocers	No on 65
Proposition 66: Death Penalty. Procedures. [📝] If you want the state To execute more people This one is for you	No on 66
Proposition 67: Ban on Single-Use Plastic Bags. [📝] To ban plastic bags Vote “yes” on 67 “No” on 65	Yes on 67
County Measure A: Safe, Clean, Neighborhood Parks, Open Space, Beaches, … [📝] Modest parcel tax Maintains parks and rec centers Rivers and beaches	Yes on A
County Measure M: LA County Traffic Improvement Plan [📝] A half-cent sales tax Funds transit infrastructure Indefinitely	Yes on M
LACCD Measure CC: Affordable Education / Job Training / Classroom Safety [📝] Three point three billion For community college Repairs and upgrades	No on CC (tentatively)
City Measure HHH: Homelessness Reduction and Prevention [📝] One point two billion In bond funding will provide Safe homeless housing	Yes on HHH
City Measure JJJ: Affordable Housing and Labor Standards [📝] Building in L.A.? Add affordable units And hire locally	No on JJJ
City Measure RRR: Los Angeles Department of Water and Power [📝] Gives greater power To DWP’s Board To hire and set rates	Yes on RRR (tentatively)
City Measure SSS: City of Los Angeles Fire and Police Pensions [📝] Lets airport police Into the same pension plan As LAPD	Yes on SSS

Thursday evening, I published my initial take on the down-ticket offices in the upcoming general election. After I did so, I received some comments on two of the judges races that have led to me reconsidering my recommendations. The questions that the exploration raised, however, was so interesting I wanted to make them a post of their own. Let me discuss the broad issues I see, and then we can go into the specific races.

Issue #1: Diversity.  An issue of growing concern in any workplace is diversity. I’ve noted before my two favorite podcasts that touch on the issue: an episode of Startup where Gimlet explored their own diversity, or lack thereof. The second was an episode of Reply All (also from Gimlet) that explored diversity problems at Twitter. Both explored why diversity was so important. This exchange from the Reply All should clarify it a bit:

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The upcoming November ballot, at least in my precinct in Los Angeles, California, is large. As the Donald might say, it is “Yuuuuuge”. So I’m splitting my regular sample ballot analysis into five posts: one covering the Presidential ticket (although you know where I’m going there), one for the down-ticket races, two covering the state-wide propositions on the ballot (50-59, 60-67), and a final post covering the county, city, and special district measures. I’ll also include one additional post summarizing all my positions. As always, if you have different views, I urge you to comment and try to convince me to change my mind.

Note: Propositions Haiku by Damion Carroll.

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