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The Union | Saturday, October 27, 2012 | A7 California voters set to decide on 11 propositions Eleven propositions on the Nov. 6 general election ballot cover a broad range of political territory with issues that include tax increases to fund schools and public safety realignment, labeling of genetically engineered food products, a repeal of the death penalty and limitations of influence from unions and cor- porations on the election process. e following is a list of the propositions and their impact if approved: Proposition 30 — If approved, the proposition would increase taxes on annual earnings more than $250,000 for seven years and sales taxes by a quarter of a cent to fund schools, public safety realignment, while providing new revenue to balance the state budget. Proposition 31 — e propo- sition would establish a two-year state budget while creating rules from new expenditures and Governor-led budget cuts in times of fiscal emergency. e proposition would further require performance reviews of all state programs and provides local government more latitude in the application of state-funded programs. Proposition 32 — e propo- sition seeks to prevent unions from using their payroll-deduct- ed funds for political purposes while applying the same prohibi- tions to corporations and/or gov- ernment contractors. e law would further pro- hibit union and corporate contri- butions to candidates for political office and their committees. Proposition 33 — If approved, the proposition would alter cur- rent law to allow insurance com- panies to establish prices based on whether the driver previously carried auto insurance. Proposition 34 — e ballot initiative seeks to repeal the death penalty and replace it with life imprisonment without the pos- sibility of parole. e law would apply retroactively to existing death sentences. Proposition 35 — Approval would mean the increase of prison sentences and fines for individuals convicted of human trafficking. It would also require those convicted of the crime to be reg- istered as sex offenders. Proposition 36 — e initia- tive would revise the “three-strike law” in California so that it would impose a life sentence only when the new felony conviction is serious or violent. Proposition 37 — If approved, the proposition would require food and agricultural companies to label products sold to con- sumers made from plants and/ or animals with genetic mate- rial changed in specified ways. It further prohibits marketing such food as “natural.” Proposition 38 — e propo- sition seeks to tax earnings using a sliding scale for 12 years. e revenues collected would go di- rectly to K-12 public schools, bypassing state coffers and early childhood programs. e money collected would also be used to pay down state budget deficits. Proposition 39 — e ballot initiative, if approved, requires multi-state businesses to pay in- come taxes based on the percent- age of their sales in California. e revenues collected would be allocated to clean/efficient en- ergy projects. Proposition 40 — A “Yes” vote approves new State Senate districts recently redrawn by the Citizens Redistricting Commission. A “no” vote would require the districts to be revised by officials supervised by the California Supreme Court. To contact Staff Writer Matthew Renda, email [email protected] or call (530) 477-4239. BY MATTHEW RENDA Staff Writer ONLINE Download more information on Propositions 30 and 38 at www.TheUnion.com District 1 Griffith-Flatter is making her initial foray into the political sphere to provide voters with a Democratic candidate, she said. e Nevada City Land Use Planner emphasized the need for a representative who would listen and aggregate the views of her constituents to formulate fresh solutions for persistent problems dogging the state, in- cluding budget deficits. “I think it would be- hoove the Legislature to take a look at the system as it stands,” she said. “We should take a step back in- stead of always rushing for- ward and review what’s in place and what is working.” Griffith-Flatter is also invest- ed in environmental issues. “I am an environmental plan- ner by profession and I have rec- ognized through the years how important water is to the state of California,” she said. e state needs to invest time and resources in the upper watersheds of the Sierra rivers, which provide water to a large share of the state’s population, Griffith-Flatter said. e forests also need to be managed in a manner that will benefit the environment by preventing large-scale wildland fires, while providing jobs to in- dividuals tasked with thinning the forests. Griffith-Flatter said mining can be a productive economic driver, but needs to be analyzed on a case-by-case basis to ensure there are no undue effects to the environment. She also positioned herself as someone unattached to the po- litical machine. “I am interested in hearing what ideas are out there in the community,” she said. “I haven’t signed any no-tax pledges and regardless of party, I am open to working with people that have good ideas.” Gaines, who served the 4th District in the Assembly from 2006 to 2011 and took over as Senator after winning a special election, said he “just has a dif- ferent view of the world” than his opponent. “From my perspective as a small business owner, the regu- latory environment is harming people like me throughout the state,” Gaines said. “We just need a smarter set of regulations.” Gaines also believes in re- forming the state’s tax policy to help foster a more business- friendly environment, which he believes would spur more eco- nomic activity and add revenue without raising taxes. “e present tax schemes are just a path to slower growth,” he said. e senator is vehemently opposed to the construc- tion of the high-speed rail, calling it a “fiasco”, but said the state could look at regional rail as a method of improving transportation infrastructure. “I would advocate for more private sector job cre- ation,” Gaines said. “We have over a 10 percent unemploy- ment rate statewide and it’s unacceptable.” Gaines also believes the Legislature needs to do more to rebuild trust with the elector- ate, acknowledging the scandal involving the California Parks Department where the division was found to be willfully hiding about $54 million from the pub- lic, has hurt the government’s credibility. “People are losing faith in our government,” he said. “We have to make sure government gets back to doing what it was intended to do.” District 4 Nielsen appears to be the clear frontrunner in District 4, but his listing of an address in Gerber, instead of his long-time home in Woodland, which is outside of the district, has irked some of his opponents. “He doesn’t live where he says he lives and he is dis- honest,” said Harrington. Nielsen dismissed the claims as “ut- ter falsehood.” “Within a month of the first charge being levied, it was thrown out of court and I was awarded attorney’s fees,” Nielsen said. Levine, who is making his initial steps into the political sphere, labeled Nielsen as a “ca- reer politician”, who is beholden to the many parties that have contributed to his “enormous war chest.” “Mr. Nielsen is a reliable con- duit for lobbyists,” he said. “My approach is more ethical, more theoretical.” Reed also complained that the period to sign up for the special election was too short (candidates had about a week to file) due to the timing of LaMalfa’s resignation. LaMalfa and Nielsen are political allies and have often made public ap- pearances together throughout the campaign season. Nielsen’s opponents have claimed LaMalfa and Nielsen orchestrated the timing of the resignation as a means of manip- ulating an election environment to make it favorable to Nielsen. “I think it’s crazy that people would try to spin what was a noble decision that way,” Nielsen said. LaMalfa resigned so as to have the special election placed on the November general elec- tion ballot, thereby saving tax- payers an additional $2 million in costs that would have been incurred if they had held an elec- tion outside of general election season, Nielsen said. Nielsen said he has a dem- onstrated ability to represent the people of Northern California, as he has experience with both rural and urban issues unique to the northern reaches of the state. Nielsen said he will fight to keep California’s state govern- ment and its regulations out of the way of business owners. He called the outlawing of dredge mining in the state “un- conscionable” and characterized the state’s resource industries as “crushed by regulations. “Curbing the power of state agencies has become a life pas- sion with me,” Nielsen said. Nielsen also pointed to his leadership in the reform of California’s welfare system and the co-authoring of the Victim’s Bill of Rights and Marsy’s Law as examples of his success as a legislator. Reed, who has previously served on the Chico Unified School District Board of Education, threw her hat in the ring for the senate seat when she learned about the truncated time to file for the seat. She is run- ning as an independent. “e parties don’t represent my political philosophy and they cre- ate an at- mosphere in California that is too polar- ized,” she said. “I am a centrist who will look at a particular issue and not the poli- tics behind it. I am a solution- based pragmatic thinker.” Nielsen spent 16 years in the legislature and still casts himself as an outsider, Reed said, mean- ing he is either misleading peo- ple or he is not very effective. Reed pledged she would be a voice for the north state that would reflect the diversity of the area, which she believes is under- estimated . She said the private sector is overregulated and she would look at fostering an atmosphere where traditional industries such as mining and timber could op- erate in an environmentally re- sponsible manner. Education is a priority, Reed said. “e economy and education are tied together,” she said. “We need to educate current workers to be skilled in different industries and help the kids growing up be prepared to enter the economy and be able to stay in and contribute to California.” Levine is also running as an independent, saying he has be- come disillusioned with both parties, as politics as usual have led to gridlock, Levine said. Levine has no political ex- perience, but has a degree in political science from Rutgers University and is currently pur- suing a Masters Degree in the same discipline. He labeled the budget situ- ation in Sacramento as a “huge quagmire.” “I think the first thing that is needed is a comprehensive audit of all state departments,” Levine said, saying the California Parks Department scandal unearthed a problem that may be endemic throughout various departments. “My last priority is raising taxes,” Levine said. “e govern- ment needs to be able to work with the funds they have cur- rently available.” Levine is also wary of fed- eral influence at the state level and would fight for California’s sovereignty to make its own decisions. He further said that a way to better the budget situation is by taxing medical marijuana. “Medical cannabis is about people’s health rights, property rights and the blind adherence to prohibition,” Levine said. “We need to stand up to federal hypocrisies.” Levine said he espouses libertarian principles and would advocate for resource industries while maintaining clean air and clean water as priorities. Harrington presented himself as “100 percent different” from Nielsen, saying he is opposed to giving away the region’s water to southern portions of California. Harrington served in the U.S. Navy and served with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and has ex- perience in intense negotiating processes, he said. “Knowing how to bargain and get along with people is cru- cial to the job,” Harrington said. Harrington said he would make getting jobs that pay a living wage a priority if elected, along with making an effort to accommodate the military vet- erans coming back home from overseas missions. Harrington said the medical marijuana issue has created an underground economy and there is a lot of money out there that could be taxed to help the state balance its budget. “It should be controlled by the state and taxed at an appro- priate rate,” Harrington said. “It would bring millions of dollars to the state and generate new jobs.” Harrington said he has the ability to rep- resent the diverse interests of all 11 counties in the 4th district. “Every county has its own problems, but I would have of- fices throughout the area where people could come and express their concerns.” To contact Staff Writer Matthew Renda, email [email protected] or call (530) 477-4239. 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