2010 Elections Ahead

posted 4-11-10
June, 2010 Elections: driving voters to militant apathy

The Primaries are on June 10th, though some military and other voters are getting their ballots soon, and Sierra County voters will get theirs on May 10^th.

The Prospect Elections Editor touched up the points on a couple of toothpicks and wedged them between cheek and gum and delved into the upcoming state elections. The tooth picks were not only to keep the editor awake and alert, but to remind him that working on a newspaper isn’t all farts and giggles.

The big race, according to the free polls we have access to, is between one-time Ebay exec Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown for governor. Two problems: First, that race isn’t until November; and second, Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman? Is this the best California can do? There are some pretty strange also-rans, but they’re more for decoration than the main race. Still, unless someone comes from behind in the June primaries, it looks like we’re going to have one of those "meh" elections which might well cause Arnie to come out of retirement and take over the governorship again. Let’s play a little game and broaden the governor’s race to Whitman, Brown, and Grey Davis. No wonder we feel like a cow standing on her own tit so much of the time in this state.

Most polls indicate that if a race between Brown and Whitman were held today, most voters would select either "none of the above" or "start California self destruct sequence now".

There are some initiatives on the ballot in June, as well.

Here they are:

• Prop 13: Limits property tax assessment on some types of new construction for seismic improvement; changes the law to remove un-reinforced concrete walls from exclusions "newly constructed" on new construction, though continues the exclusion for other seismic retrofitting, and broadens the something something something.
• Prop 14: Senate Constitutional Amendment 4 of 2009. An open primary bill authored by political cross-dresser and heir apparent to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Senator Abel Maldonado. Called the "Top Two Primaries Act," the law would create open primaries. It’s an idea with good arguments on both sides, leaving us deeply undecided and even conflicted.
Senate Constitutional Amendment 4 of 2009. An open primary bill authored by political cross-dresser and heir apparent to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Senator Abel Maldonado. Called the "Top Two Primaries Act," the law would create open primaries. It’s an idea with good arguments on both sides, leaving us deeply undecided and even conflicted.
• Prop 15: "This bill would (repeal part of the Act of 1978 and) enact the California Fair Elections Act of 2008, which would authorize eligible candidates for Secretary of State to obtain public funds according to specified procedures and requirements, provided that certain thresholds are attained…"

At this point the toothpicks became too soggy to hold a good point, and the pain was starting to cause endorphin release, blurring the lines between pain and pleasure and proposition.

• Prop 16: Requires a two-thirds vote approving a publicly owned utility starting or increasing electrical service?
• Prop 17: Ensures that, as long as you maintain coverage, you can change auto insurance companies without losing the discount that comes with remaining insured, thus ensuring the discounted insurance of the insured. To be sure.

That’s the bulk of the coming election. There are other candidates running in the primaries, for example some green candidates and independents, and some also-ran Repub and Dem candidates. If news gets slow enough, we’ll look into some of those by way of political oddity entertainment, but we all know it will be down to the front runners of the two tired old political giants, Elephant and Donkey.

Thank God our local elections are more interesting. Stay tuned!

Who’s running? From our favorite Secretary of State, the smart and perky Deborah Bowen.