Coalition Will Fight Flawed Measure That Was Written by the Governor and the Legislature
Sacramento Politicians’ Prop 1A Will Do Nothing to Stop the Budget Chaos in Sacramento
SACRAMENTO – Today, a coalition of teachers, faculty, nurses, health care providers, seniors and public employees filed paperwork with the Secretary of State to form a ballot committee in opposition to Proposition 1A, a package of $16 billion tax increases and a rainy day fund written by politicians in Sacramento.
“We all want to solve the budget deficit and support the concept of a rainy day fund, but this proposition is fatally flawed and should be sent back to the drawing board,” said Lillian Taiz, President of the California Faculty Association. “Prop 1A would require money to be diverted from the budget and deposited into the so-called ‘Rainy Day’ fund even in years like this, when we are in the depths of a recession. One loophole in this measure would give politicians unilateral power to raise taxes for the fund and spend that money on borrowing and pork barrel projects while education, healthcare and public safety spending are slashed.”
Prop 1A, on the May 19 Special Election ballot, was hastily written in the middle of the night by the Governor and legislature in Sacramento and promises a so-called “rainy day fund” along with an extension of $16 billion in tax increases that were adopted as part of the budget package.
“Prop 1A won’t be able to do what its supporters claim,” added Marty Hittleman, President of the California Federation of Teachers. “This constitutional amendment, supported by the Governor and legislators was developed with no public scrutiny and won’t stop the budget chaos. Once voters read this proposal with their own eyes, they will see that it is flawed and overly complicated, and will give extraordinary new and unrestricted power to the governor and his political appointees, with no checks and balances.”
Hittleman noted supporters of Prop 1A have been attempting to fool voters with misleading information. The measure’s authors were recently forced by a judge to accurately explain Prop 1A. California Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny repeatedly described the original ballot language written by legislators and the Governor as “misleading” and ordered changes to the measure’s title and summary that will now appear in the state’s Official Voter Information Guide.
Groups participating in the committee include the SEIU California State Council, California Faculty Association and the California Federation of Teachers. Additional opponents to Proposition 1A include the League of Women Voters, Congress of California Seniors, Health Access California, California Nurses Association, Consumer Federation of California and the Older Women’s League of California.
Contact: Mike Roth: (916) 444-7170
April 13, 2009