Editor’s note: Scroll for this week’s (10/25) candidates endorsements.
There are so many candidates and ballot items that our endorsements this election season are spread out over two weeks, with ballot measures in this week’s newspaper and candidates in next week’s paper.
Local Ballot Measures
Measure M—Recommend an emphatic ‘yes’ vote
We need and want our own school district. This has been years in the making. We have it in our power to create a public school district that will rival the best in the country and bring added value to our community. First, we have to break from the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, to which the school board appears to be agreeable. The next major step is to vote ‘yes’ on this bond measure. The bond funds will all be spent in Malibu and only Malibu. Santa Monica has its own separate bond issue.
Measure G—Recommend an emphatic ‘yes’ vote
This will allow, regulate and tax the adult use of marijuana and also allow home delivery. Marijuana is here to stay and in medical cases, it’s a much maligned but very useful drug for cancer patients and others.
State Ballot Propositions
Prop 1: Bonds for housing—An emphatic ‘yes’
We are desperately short of low and medium income housing in this state. Building or “rehabbing” some housing will also help to get some of the homeless off the streets
Prop 2: Bonds for housing for the mentally ill—Another emphatic ‘yes’
Many in the homeless population are mentally ill, and with no place to live, they often end up in the criminal justice system, which is a very bad $70,000 per year alternative.
Prop 3—Recommend a ‘no’
Every election cycle for as long as I can remember, we get another one of what I call these “gurgling brook” bonds, with commercials showing fresh water running over rocks in beautiful mountain streams. These bonds cover projects that various government agencies and environmental groups can’t sell to the legislature, so they put together these bonds to go around the normal legislative process.
Prop 4: Bonds for hospitals for children’s healthcare—Recommend a ‘yes’
Spending money on child health is the best public health investment we can make and saves great costs as they get older.
Prop 5: Property tax replacement scam—Recommend a strong ‘no’
This takes about $100 million a year from schools and local governments, which, in time, they estimate will increase to over $1 billion per year to give homeowners over the age of 55 an unneeded additional tax break. Much as I like tax breaks, let’s leave some on the money for future generations.
Prop 6: Eliminate some taxes on gasoline—Recommend a strong ‘no’
The fairest way to pay for repairing roads and bridges (infrastructure) is to have the users pay for it and that is a gas tax. Everybody pays their share. We are in desperate need of repair and replacement. It’s not going to come from the federal government, and taking $5.1 billion (gas tax dollars) away from roads and bridges is about the dumbest thing we could do.
Prop 7: Gives the legislature the chance to end daylight saving time—Recommend a ‘no’ vote
I have no idea why this is on the ballot. I like daylight savings time, so I’m voting ‘no.’ If you don’t like it, vote ‘yes.’
Prop 8: Regulates charges in dialysis centers—Recommend a ‘no’ vote
None of us are even remotely qualified to decide what fees should be for dialysis treatments. Some group is spending a lot of money to pass this, meaning they expect to make a lot more money if this passes, which is reason enough to vote ‘no.’
Prop 10: Rent control—Recommend a strong ‘no’ vote
This is not going to get people to build any more housing; in fact, it’s going to have the opposite effect. If it passes, there are going to be rent control battles in many communities, and it will becomes a big political football. It was in Malibu, with the mobile home parks, and it got very nasty.
Prop 11: Setting hours of work for emergency ambulance employees—Recommend a strong ‘no’ vote.
There is no way we, the voters, could or should set work rules for ambulance employees. We don’t have the information or knowledge to make this kind of call. Some group is spending a lot of money to push this, which is reason enough to vote ‘no.’
Prop 12: Setting animal confinement standards—Recommend a ‘no’ vote
This is a job for the legislature, not the voters. This sort of a decision requires a bill, hearings in the legislature with experts, farmers and animal groups testifying so we can make sensible decisions.
Summary
We Californians have an almost infinite number of causes that we feel strongly about. Many believe we shouldn’t eat meat, or animal products or fowl or pigs, or wear leather, fur or burkas. Many of these people and groups have money or use these causes to raise money, and be assured many are looking to develop ballot propositions with media campaigns that include pictures of little children or cute animals with big brown eyes. You have to ask yourself: Why am I being asked to vote on this when I know almost nothing about it, other than what I see in a 15 or 30 second commercial? There is no way to make a sensible decision with that kind of information, so if you’re unsure and feel uninformed, rest assured that someone is trying to manipulate you—just vote ‘no.’
Local Measures and Candidates
For Malibu City Council:
• Yes for Karen Farrer
• Yes for Olivia Damavandi
The Malibu City Council has become a wee bit of an old boys’ club and is badly in need of some fresh, feisty blood. Both Karen and Olivia will fill that role spectacularly.
For Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District:
• Yes for Laurie Lieberman
• Yes for Craig Foster
• Yes for Oscar De La Torre
• Yes for Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein
They are part of a seasoned board that has ironed out the kinks. They have all learned to work well together and are worthy of re-election.
For Santa Monica Community College:
• Yes on Louise Jaffe
• Yes on Sion Roy
• Yes on Barry Snell
• Yes on Nancy Greenstein
Jaffe, Snell and Greenstein have managed the district well. Roy, who is both a professor and a cardiologist, will be an excellent addition.
County Measures and Candidates
For Assessor:
• Jeffrey Prang
For Sheriff:
• Jim McDonnell
For Flood Control District Measure W (safe water and flood control)—Yes
For West Basin Municipal Water District Board, Division Four:
• Scott Houston
State Candidates
The California Republican party makes this easy because it keeps nominating candidates who probably would run well in Kansas or Oklahoma, but not in blue California.
For Governor:
• Gavin Newsom
For Lt. Governor:
• Ed Hernandez
For Secretary of State:
• Alex Padilla
For Controller:
• Betty T. Yee
For Treasurer:
• Fiona Ma
For Attorney General:
• Xavier Becerra
For Insurance Commissioner:
• Steve Poizner
Poizner is an able individual who was insurance commissioner once before and will a good job.
For State Board of Equalization:
• G. Rick Marshall
His Democratic opponent, Tony Vazquez, Santa Monica city councilman, is currently in some hot water about some very questionable conflicts-of-interest issues in Santa Monica. I know little about Marshall, but putting Vazquez into this spot would be like having the fox guard the hen house.
For U.S. Senator:
•Dianne Feinstein
For House of Representatives:
•Ted W. Lieu
For State Assembly:
• Richard Bloom
For School Superintendent:
• Marshall Tuck
Judicial Offices
We have an exceptional nonpartisan appellate judiciary in California, which, sadly, is different than many other states and all of our justices on the ballot are well worthy of election.
For the California Supreme Court:
• Yes for Carol A. Corrigan
• Yes for Leondra R. Kruger
For Court of Appeals:
• Yes for Victoria G .Chaney
• Yes for Helen Bendix
• Yes for Elwood Lui
• Yes for Victoria M. Chavez
• Yes for Luis A. Lavin
• Yes for Halim Dhanidina
• Yes for Anne H. Egerton
• Yes for Nora M. Manella
• Yes for Thomas Willhite
• Yes for Dorothy C. Kim
• Yes for Carl H. Moor
• Yes for Lamar W. Baker
• Yes for Arthur Gilbert
• Yes for Martin J. Tangeman
• Yes for Gail R. Feuer
• Yes for John L. Segal
• Yes for Tricia A. Bigelow
For Judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court:
• #4—Yes for A. Verónica Sauceda
• #16—Yes for Patricia (Patti) Hunter
• #60—Yes for Holly L. Hancock
• #113—Yes for Javier Perez