NO on Prop. 74 - Public School Teachers. Waiting Period for Permanent Status. Dismissal. Initiative Statute. Changing a teacher's probationary period from two years to five and allowing school boards to dismiss permanent teachers without a hearing after two unsatisfactory evaluations do nothing to improve public education or deal with the real problems facing schools. The governor's measure unfairly blames teachers for those problems, ignoring the realities of underfunding, overcrowding, and the lack of materials and resources needed for effective teaching and learning.

 

NO on Prop. 75 - Public Employee Union Dues. Required Employee Consent for Political Contributions. Initiative Statute. This measure has a hidden agenda that would silence the collective voices of teachers and other public employees who oppose the governor's bad ideas for California. It would require unions to obtain oppressive amounts of paperwork before using dues for political action. It would effectively clear opposition to the governor's agenda and reduce workers' ability to respond when politicians want to harm education, health care and public safety.

 

NO on Prop. 76 - School Funding. State Spending. Initiative Constitutional Amendment. The governor's measure would undermine the state's system of checks and balances and give the governor broad new powers to cut funding for schools and other vital services without legislative oversight. It would eliminate the voter-approved Prop. 98 minimum funding guarantees for education, let the governor get away without repaying money "borrowed" from education, and allow multiple midyear cuts in funding.

 

NO on Prop. 77 - Reapportionment. Initiative Constitutional Amendment. This measure would take away the right of elected officials to reapportion legislative and congressional districts, and give it to a panel of retired judges who would draw the new lines for upcoming elections. By thwarting the will of the majority, the governor's measure flies in the face of democracy.

 

NO on Prop. 78 - Prescription Drugs. Discounts. Initiative Statute. The big drug companies are spending millions trying to fool voters into passing this measure instead of the real prescription drug relief contained in Prop. 79. This measure offers drug companies the choice to voluntarily offer discounts, but it includes no enforcement mechanism if they decide not to do so.

 

To make a difference and enact some meaningful reform, vote:

 

YES on Prop. 79 - Prescription Drug Discounts. State-Negotiated Rebates. Initiative Statute. The Cheaper Prescription Drugs for Californians Act, sponsored by consumer, senior and health organizations in the Alliance for a Better California, would provide deeper, enforceable discounts to twice as many Californians as the drug industry-backed Prop. 78. It would use the purchasing power of the state of California to negotiate the best price for prescription drugs and ensure that more people can afford needed medications now, rather than get more expensive care later.

 

YES on Prop. 80 - Electric Service Providers. Regulation. Initiative Statute. The Affordable Electricity and Preventing Blackouts Act is a common-sense consumer initiative that will help prevent energy blackouts and massive fraud by unregulated private energy producers like Enron. It will override the failed energy deregulation policies, put utilities back in the business of serving the public, and encourage development of more renewable energy sources. Ultimately, it will result in more affordable energy for all Californians.

Vote NO on the Governor's Special Interest Agenda

 

VOTE NO on PROP. 74 Prop. 74 does nothing to improve student learning, reduce class size, or provide textbooks and computers for our schools.

 

Prop. 74 unfairly penalizes teachers by extending the provationary period to five years and will make it almost impossible to recruit or retain quality teachers in our classrooms. In addition, it will cost school districts tens of millions of dollars to implement.

 

VOTE NO on PROP. 75 Prop. 75's hidden agenda is to weaken public employees and strengthen the influence of big corporations.

 

Prop. 75 does not protect teachers, nurses police officers, and firefighters. It is meant to prevent them from fighting the efforts of politicians who would harm education, public safety, and health care at a time when big corporations already outspend workers 24 to 1.

 

Prop 75. supporters are the same people who support school vouchers and who want to privatize Social Security. Voters rejected a similar proposition in 1998.

 

VOTE NO on PROP. 76 Prop. 76 guts the law voters approved to guarantee minimum funding to our schools.

 

Per-pupil funding in California is already $1,000 below the national average. Prop. 76 reduces education spending by $4 billion - $600 per student - and means the governor will never have to repay the money he borrowed from public schools. These broken promises mean teacher layoffs, larger class sizes, and fewer textbooks and materials for our classrooms.

 

Prop. 76 undermines our system of checks and balances by giving the governor broad new powers to further cut school funding and cut vital health care, police and fire services without any legislative oversight.