From California Federation Of Republican Women (CFRW): Prop 50 looks like a good measure, sounds like a good measure, but it is all smoke and mirrors! Once again voters are being lulled into a false sense of security by legislators anxious to protect their culture of corruption.
Prop 50 Background and Talking Points:
Back in 2011 the union controlled legislature, in an effort to block Prop 32, passed SB 202 which moved all citizen initiatives from the ability to be on a primary ballot to only on the general election ballot. This was done because conservative measures had a better chance of passing in the primary election because Republicans vote consistently whereas union machines do a better job of getting out the vote in general elections. Therefore, the legislature moved all ballot measures to the general election except for ones placed on a primary ballot by the legislature itself. Why this double standard? The Democrat legislature has now made the elections process more difficult for voters while protecting their interests. Not unlike Prop 50.
Prop 50 protects corrupt legislators while giving voters a false sense of security.
Called, “Suspension of Legislators”, Prop 50 stipulates that legislators may be suspended “with or without pay.” But there is no teeth to this smoke and mirrors measure. Prop 50 aims to save face when in 2014 the Senate had three Democrats that were either indicted or convicted of felonies ranging from perjury to political favors to gun running. The legislators were suspended, but were still getting paid. So to correct this constitutional oversight, Senate President Pro Tem at the time, Darrell Steinberg passed SCA 17 which became Prop 50. Instead of expelling the convicted Senators or writing legislation that would protect Californians from this type of corruption, Steinberg writes SCA 17 to protect his colleagues. Prop 50 increases the vote threshold for suspension, from a simple majority to 2/3rds, making it more difficult to suspend those who truly deserve it. Prop 50 also does not articulate when or why a legislator may be suspended and the legislature decides if it is with or without pay. There is no language or mechanism to expel truly bad legislators, so constituents could have no representation in the legislature for no articulated period of time while their representative is suspended. Californians deserve to know that ballot measures like this just perpetuate the culture of corruption in Sacramento. Here are some talking points to help you talk to voters about voting NO on Prop 50!
- It gives Californians a false sense of security. Prop 50 has no mechanism to actually expel legislators that have broken the law. This bill just allows the legislature to suspend a legislator WITH or WITHOUT pay! It protects the political ruling class, not the constituents.
- It is smoke and mirrors. This Prop was created when 3 Democrat Senators were either indicted or convicted of crimes ranging from perjury to political kickbacks to gunrunning! These 3 Senators were suspended with pay. So to make voters comfortable and save face, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg wrote this law to include "without pay". But the legislature still makes the decision regarding pay, not the voters and not a clear written law.
- There may be taxation without representation. By merely suspending a legislator instead of expelling them, a district will have no one representing their interests for an unspecified amount of time! This means no election can take place since the suspended legislator still holds office.
- It could stifle political opposition. This prop would create a permanent constitutional amendment that could be used to silence a representative who may be vocal against the majority party. This could potentially take away their vote and your voice in the legislature.
Prop 50 Background and Talking Points:
Back in 2011 the union controlled legislature, in an effort to block Prop 32, passed SB 202 which moved all citizen initiatives from the ability to be on a primary ballot to only on the general election ballot. This was done because conservative measures had a better chance of passing in the primary election because Republicans vote consistently whereas union machines do a better job of getting out the vote in general elections. Therefore, the legislature moved all ballot measures to the general election except for ones placed on a primary ballot by the legislature itself. Why this double standard? The Democrat legislature has now made the elections process more difficult for voters while protecting their interests. Not unlike Prop 50.
Prop 50 protects corrupt legislators while giving voters a false sense of security.
Called, “Suspension of Legislators”, Prop 50 stipulates that legislators may be suspended “with or without pay.” But there is no teeth to this smoke and mirrors measure. Prop 50 aims to save face when in 2014 the Senate had three Democrats that were either indicted or convicted of felonies ranging from perjury to political favors to gun running. The legislators were suspended, but were still getting paid. So to correct this constitutional oversight, Senate President Pro Tem at the time, Darrell Steinberg passed SCA 17 which became Prop 50. Instead of expelling the convicted Senators or writing legislation that would protect Californians from this type of corruption, Steinberg writes SCA 17 to protect his colleagues. Prop 50 increases the vote threshold for suspension, from a simple majority to 2/3rds, making it more difficult to suspend those who truly deserve it. Prop 50 also does not articulate when or why a legislator may be suspended and the legislature decides if it is with or without pay. There is no language or mechanism to expel truly bad legislators, so constituents could have no representation in the legislature for no articulated period of time while their representative is suspended. Californians deserve to know that ballot measures like this just perpetuate the culture of corruption in Sacramento. Here are some talking points to help you talk to voters about voting NO on Prop 50!
- It gives Californians a false sense of security. Prop 50 has no mechanism to actually expel legislators that have broken the law. This bill just allows the legislature to suspend a legislator WITH or WITHOUT pay! It protects the political ruling class, not the constituents.
- It is smoke and mirrors. This Prop was created when 3 Democrat Senators were either indicted or convicted of crimes ranging from perjury to political kickbacks to gunrunning! These 3 Senators were suspended with pay. So to make voters comfortable and save face, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg wrote this law to include "without pay". But the legislature still makes the decision regarding pay, not the voters and not a clear written law.
- There may be taxation without representation. By merely suspending a legislator instead of expelling them, a district will have no one representing their interests for an unspecified amount of time! This means no election can take place since the suspended legislator still holds office.
- It could stifle political opposition. This prop would create a permanent constitutional amendment that could be used to silence a representative who may be vocal against the majority party. This could potentially take away their vote and your voice in the legislature.
"There is far more chance that giving the Legislature the power to take away a member's salary will be used not... https://t.co/NzGPspXEeB— Katy Grimes (@KATYSaccitizen) May 26, 2016
Note: The California GOP supports Prop 50. The Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association took no position. CFRW says VOTE NO, it's smoke and mirrors.
