PD Editorial: November election recommendations
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
October 4, 2020, 12:16AM
Here are our recommendations to date for the Nov. 3 election.
FEDERAL
U.S. Congress, 2nd District — Jared Huffman
Jared Huffman does a good job representing a vast district, stretching from the Golden Gate to the Oregon border. He is one of the most liberal members of the House, and he represents one of the bluest districts in the nation's bluest state.
To read the Press Democrat editorial, click here
U.S. Congress, 5th District — Mike Thompson
Mike Thompson has ably served Wine Country for nearly three decades, first in the state Senate and now in the U.S. House of Representatives. His moderate to progressive voting record aligns well with his North Bay district.
To read the Press Democrat editorial, click here
CALIFORNIA
Senate, 3rd District — Bill Dodd
In this unprecedented moment, the state needs experienced, solutions-oriented legislators like state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa. Dodd, a former Republican, is a genuine centrist who puts results first. He has a deep reservoir of experience as a Napa County business owner and an elected official.
To read the Press Democrat editorial, click here
Assembly, 2nd District — Jim Wood
Sacramento, says Assemblyman Jim Wood, is filled with people dedicated to maintaining the status quo. Name a problem, he says, and entrenched interests endeavor to derail practically any solution. Wood, D-Santa Rosa, speaks from experience, having tackled some of California's most intractable issues during his three terms in the Legislature: health care, housing, insurance, utilities, water.
To read the Press Democrat editorial, click here
Assembly, 4th District — Cecilia Aguiar-Curry
Issues in this sprawling district run the gamut from student housing at Sonoma State University and UC Davis to homelessness in Napa and Woodland, from wildfire recovery in Lake County to the threat that rising sea levels will swamp Highway 37, and the future of PG&E and the Sonoma Developmental Center. Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry is well-versed in all of them.
To read the Press Democrat editorial, click here
Assembly, 10th District — Marc Levine
An upstart Marc Levine unseated a well-known and heavily funded incumbent in the 2012 election. Over four Assembly terms, he has emphasized his independence while demonstrating a knack for introducing bills that make big headlines but not much impact. His experience and seasoning set him apart in this year's election.
To read the Press Democrat editorial, click here
Proposition 14 — Stem cell bonds — No
After 16 years, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine is well established, and its successes should allow it to secure other sources of funding, including federal funding as the Bush-era restrictions on stem cell research have been lifted
To read the Press Democrat editorial, click here
Proposition 15 — Property taxes — No
Proposition 15 would raise property taxes by an estimated $12.5 billion a year by taking Proposition 13 protections away from some commercial and industrial properties. The chief advocates say small businesses would be protected. That may have been their intention, but it almost certainly wouldn’t be the result.
To read the Press Democrat editorial, click here
Proposition 16 — Affirmative action — Yes
We have a diverse society, but it isn’t colorblind or merit-based. Women, on average, are paid 80 cents for every dollar paid to men. Women of color are paid even less than white women. African Americans and Latinos are still unrepresented in the state’s universities and overrepresented among the unemployed and in California’s vast prison system.
To read the Press Democrat editorial, click here
Proposition 17 — Voting rights for parolees — Yes
Parolees work and pay taxes and, as supporters note, a Florida study concluded that parolees whose voting rights were restored were less likely to return to prison. Everyone benefits from reducing recidivism. Felons on probation already are allowed to vote.
To read the Press Democrat editorial, click here
Proposition 18 — Voting rights for 17-year-olds — No
More than a dozen state allow 17-year-olds to vote in primaries if they turn 18 prior to the general election. There is a logical nexus: general election candidates are nominated in the primary. Proposition 18 goes further. It also would allow 17-year-olds to vote in low-turnout special elections, which frequently are called by small school districts for bonds and parcel taxes.
To read the Press Democrat editorial, click here
Proposition 19 — Property taxes — No
Proposition 19 would allow people to buy more expensive homes anywhere in the state, while capping their property taxes. Moreover, they could repeat the maneuver three times. That might provide lots of business for real estate agents, but it would undercut school districts and local governments, the beneficiaries of property taxes.To read the Press Democrat editorial, click here
Proposition 20 — Prison sentences — No
California was on the front end of a national trend in reducing sentences for drug offenses and nonviolent crimes. What’s happened to the state’s crime rate? It has declined to levels last seen in the 1960s, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. This isn’t the time to reverse course.
To read the Press Democrat editorial, click here
Proposition 21 — Rent control — No
California voters soundly rejected rent control in the November 2018 election for a good reason: It won’t alleviate the state’s housing problems. State lawmakers voted in 2019 to cap rent increases anyway. Yet here we are again, asked to decide another rent control initiative.
To read the Press Democrat editorial, click here
Proposition 22 — App-based delivery services — Yes
Proposition 22 would allow app-based transportation and delivery companies to continue using independent contractors — drivers who set their own work hours and determine which assignments they accept and reject.
To read the Press Democrat editorial, click here
Proposition 23 — dialysis clinics — No
Don’t be fooled. This initiative is ostensibly about protecting kidney dialysis patients, but it’s actually a cynical attempt to punish clinic operators for resisting a union organizing campaign. Sound familiar? It should. Proposition 23 is a reprise of a 2018 initiative battle.
To read the Press Democrat editorial, click here
Proposition 24 — online privacy — No
California’s online privacy law took effect on Jan. 1 to national acclaim, but the final regulations didn’t come out until mid-August. Many people and businesses are still trying to figure it out, yet there’s already a substantial revision on the ballot, and even online privacy advocates and experts are divided about whether it’s a step forward or a step back.
To read The Press Democrat editorial, click here.
SONOMA
Measure O — mental health sales tax — Yes
Measure O isn’t a panacea. It won’t fix all the problems with mental health care, which has been underfunded for too long at all levels of government. It will provide revenue that can’t be diverted to other programs.
To read the Press Democrat editorial, click here
Measure U — Petaluma sales tax — No
Right now, in the midst of a deadly pandemic, with the economy reeling, and the presidential election sucking the air out of the room, permanent taxes should wait.
To read the Press Democrat editorial, click here
Measure CC — Petaluma Valley Hospital sale — Yes
Petaluma Valley Hospital has been leased by St. Joseph since 1997. After renewal talks collapsed, the Petaluma Health Care District tried and failed to find a new partner. NorCal Health Connect, a secular subsidiary of Providence St. Joseph, offered to buy the hospital and preserve existing services for at least 20 years.
To read the Press Democrat editorial, click here
Measure DD — Transportation sales tax — Yes
Sonoma County delivered on their promise to widen Highway 101. Renewing the transportation sales tax would provide funding to fill potholes, improve local streets, upgrade bike paths and transit service and compete for state and federal funding.
To read the Press Democrat editorial, click here