California's Ballot Propositions Take Center Stage

California's ballot propositions are on the ballot. The major players are unions, high-powered political consultants and left-wing legislators. This year's propositions concern abortion and the constitutionality of the state constitution. The California voters are pragmatic when it comes to voting on propositions.

Prop 1 would allow abortion up to the moment of birth in California. Indian tribes are in a heated battle over legalizing sports betting. They have already spent $370 million on their campaigns for and against competing ballot measures. They are aiming for the 2024 election. The initiative would legalize sports gambling both online and in-person. It would be a panacea for California's homeless. Governor Newsom is focusing on a White House run. California has rampant homelessness and crime, a failing electricity grid, high gas and housing prices. More people are leaving the state than ever before.

California's government-run schools are some of the worst performing in the nation. Prop 28 earmarks unpredictable state general fund money for schools. Proposal 29 is backed by Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which picks a fight every two years against kidney dialysis clinics. Voters rejected SEIU’s Prop 8 in 2018 (59.9%-40.1%) and Prop 23 in 2020 (63.4%-36.6%). This year, SE IU wants to mandate that a doctor, nurse practitioner or a physician assistant with a minimum 6 months experience be on site 24 hours a day at California”s dialyser clinics, which would increase costs and force some to close.

The Service Employees International Union is using the initiative system to force the leading kidney dialysis firms to eventually cave to demands to unionize clinic workers. 80,000 Californians have dialyser treatment every year.

Gov. Newsom wants to mandate that ride share companies transform their fleets of cars owned by their independent contractor drivers to electric vehicles by 2030. Rideshare leader Lyft supports Prop 30, a wealth tax on Californians earning more than $2 million a year to fund the mandate. CTA is opposed to the proposal, because it would raise income taxes for the teachers' unions. Prop 31 is a referendum on the ban on flavored tobacco products. California's marginal income tax rate is already the highest in the nation at 13.3%.

The California Policy Center is an educational non-profit working for the prosperity of all Californians. The California voters will decide on a new constitution on October 10th. The OC Register believes that the state's government and its boosters think they know better than you.