Oct. 26 Update: View Voter Guide for November Ballot Measures and Candidates
The following measures have qualified for the June 5, 2018 Election. The Sacramento County Republican Party’s recommendations are noted, along with the California Republican Party’s position.
Proposition 68 – Authorizes Bonds Funding Parks, Natural Resources Protection, Climate Adaptation, Water Quality and Supply, and Flood Protection. Read more.
SCRP Recommends: Oppose – Our State is already heavily in debt due to bonds previously approved for this and other purposes. Much of those bond funds have not even been spent.
CAGOP Position: Oppose
Proposition 69 – Requires that certain new transportation revenues be used for transportation purposes. Read more.
SCRP Recommends: Oppose – This measure was introduced by Democrats who sponsored the Gas & Vehicle Tax increase. While it is important that these funds be used only for transportation purposes should voters decide not to repeal the most recent tax, it does not cover previous gas taxes and funds certainly will be used for high speed rail. View more information from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association below.
CAGOP Position: Neutral (the California Republican Party felt it was better to have a safeguard in place for the latest gas tax revenue.)
According to the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer’s Association, there are at least three reasons to oppose Prop. 69:
- It exempts all the new gas and car tax revenue from applying against the Gann Spending Limit. The more taxes we exempt out of the limit, the more worthless it becomes as a method to control spending.
- If any future state General Obligation transportation bonds are approved by voters, they can be paid for with money from the car tax out of SB 1 (the legislation that created the recent gas tax increase). Voters have long said that they want gas and car tax money going to repair and maintain our roads, not paying off bond debt.
- Currently, a billion dollars a year worth of truck weight fees are being diverted to pay off bond debt, and some of the money is even going into California’s General Fund. It’s not being used to repair and maintain roads.
Proposition 70 – Limits Legislature’s authority to use cap-and-trade revenues to reduce pollution. Read more.
SCRP Recommends: Neutral – This measure was introduced as part of the recent deal made to extend Cap and Trade. Republicans who voted for the measure insisted that a 2/3 vote should be required to appropriate the funds. The solution, however, is a very complicated system that only partially protects expenditures. The Democrats too commonly offer compromises that leave them enough room to keep spending taxpayer dollars. SCRP felt, however, that we should not join with the likes of Tom Steyer and other extremists who oppose the measure because simple because the minority party will have at least some control. It’s not a good solution, so we are neutral and encourage our legislators to find a better solution.
CAGOP Position: Oppose
Proposition 71 – Sets effective date for ballot measures. Read more.
SCRP Recommends: Support
CAGOP Position: Support
Proposition 72 – Permits Legislature to exclude newly constructed rain-capture systems from property-tax reassessment requirement. Read more.
SCRP Recommends: Support
CAGOP Position: Support
The Sacramento County Republican Party has endorsed two November ballot measures early, to help them get qualified.
Repeal the Gas Tax – This measure was sponsored by Carl DeMaio and John Cox to repeal the gas and vehicle tax and require that a vote of the people is required to impose additional vehicle-related taxes in the future. The campaign recently turned in over 950,000 signatures and we expect to hear soon that the measure has qualified.
In spite of what other candidates for Governor are saying, there were no other campaigns that filed petitions to repeal the gas tax. Congrats to Carl Demaio and John Cox for your leadership and success in securing the signatures.
Keep Communities Safe – Crime Victims United and local law enforcement leaders like Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones and District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert joined together to address the consequences of Props. 47 and 57.
The Keep California Safe Act would:
- Reclassify currently “non-violent” crimes like rape of an unconscious person, sex trafficking of a child and 14 other serious crimes as “violent” — to prevent the early release of inmates convicted of these crimes
- Reform the parole system to stop the early release of violent felons, expand parolee oversight, and strengthen penalties for parole violations
- Reform theft laws to restore accountability for serial thieves and organized theft gangs
- Expand DNA collection to include those convicted of drug, theft, domestic violence and other serious crimes to help solve rape, murder and other violent crimes — and to exonerate those wrongly accused.
