Championed by Schwarzenegger, ballot measures flourish

Mercury News ^ | 4/16/04 | Beth Fouhy - AP

[NormsRevenge]

SAN FRANCISCO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has championed "direct democracy" since he was swept into office in an extraordinary recall election last year, but he's not the only force in California using voter initiatives as a form of raw political power.

Several new measures are likely to appear on the November ballot, forcing Schwarzenegger to keep close watch and use his influence at times to shape major public policy initiatives and have some say over how voters might require the state to spend billions of dollars.

The questions that appear to have gathered the necessary signatures by Friday's deadline include a high-stakes showdown between Indian tribes and racetrack owners on the future of casino gambling; a proposal to roll back a new law requiring businesses to provide health insurance; a $3 billion bond measure to fund stem cell research, and a proposed income tax surcharge on millionaires to pay for mental health services.

[NormsRevenge]

Looks like it's almost time you and I to play "You Make the Call!"

Why do we have a full-time 2-headed legislature if we are having to do the dirty work anyway and then pay for it too?

Becuz .. Who would special interests kick their money back too then?

[NormsRevenge]

.

[So Cal Rocket]

According to the California SoS's website there are:


4 Propositions qualified for the November 2, 2004, General Election ballot
2 Initiatives pending signature verification
3 Initiatives pending raw count of petition signatures
6 Initiatives pending at the Attorney General's Office
39 Initiatives in circulation

[pogo101]

Thanks for posting. I'm not sure that the story's headline is quite fair, for I infer from it that Schwarzenegger generally prefers initiatives to Legislative passage of measures. I don't think he does, nor should he. The problem at this point in time is that we have a "runaway Legislature," passing such nonsense as DLs for illegals, that it would be imprudent not to be ready to resort to the initiative process as a backup, for when the Legislature does its usual nonsense. Only with the threat of being thus overridden might -- MIGHT -- the leftist Legislature actually behave sanely.

[NormsRevenge]

Agreed... We have had a runaway train in Sacramento for the last few years, feeding greedy power seeking politicians sucking up union dollars and lots of other special interests dollars and in turn jacking the cost of doing anything in California business or otherwise thru the ceiling..

drivers licenses for illegals, We haven't heard a lot on that lately media wise but probably will before the brownouts start to occur. ;-)