Have I got a proposition for you...

Proposition 31 this time.

This is a measure that puts the state on a two year budgetary cycle.  It takes roughly $200 million from sales tax revenues for funding of local programs.  That's one of the points that the opponents want to use to make you vote no.

First things first.  California's annual budget runs in the neighborhood of between $95 billion and $100 billion.  So taking $200 million sounds like a lot in the abstract, but it's only 1/5th of 1% of the total budget.  Barely a drop in the bucket and not a good reason to oppose some of the good things this one does.

Prop 31:

Prohibits the Legislature from spending more than $25 million unless they cut other spending or increase revenues.  In other words, it's a live within your means rule.

Permits the Governor to cut the budget unilaterally in the event of a fiscal crisis if the Legislature fails to act.  So the elected representatives get first crack at dealing with an emergency.  But, if they do as the morons in D.C. did with the fiscal cliff, the Governor has the power to deal with the crisis.  I may not like this Governor but I like the idea of his office having the ability to act in emergencies.

Requires performance reviews of all state programs.  Wonder how the government bureaucrats will react to having their work monitored and evaluated?

Requires publication of all bills three full days before a legislative vote.  How can that be anything but good for the people. 

You can always tell a lot about a bill by those who support it and those who oppose it.  Those leading the charge in favor of this Prop are a retired CA Supreme Court justice, a retired Superintendent of Public Instruction, and a Stanford Professor.  The opposition is mostly organized labor.

Labor has an agenda in trying to keep every dollar they can in the control of the State Legislature.  It's that $500 billion in unfunded future pension liabilities that every single one of us is on the hook for.

I'm voting YES on Prop 31.  All I ask is that you learn what you can about this and vote your conscience.

Thanks.