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[Karakand]

Really can't think of the last time the electorate bailed out the legislature by agreeing to tax increases at the ballot box. I'm surprised it's even as close as it is.

If the legislature wasn't crippled with minority rule wrt taxation there wouldn't have even been the need to go through this in the first place.

hey konex how's it going?

 

[numble]

Measure J looking like it's not going to make it, or it will be closer than 2008. Down 2% at 64.69% with 49% precincts reporting:
http://rrccmain.co.la.ca.us/charts/0012/0012CMMJJ.htm

Measure R had already passed the 66.67% threshold at this point in 2008.

 

[remnant]

they weren't going to decimate education if it didn't pass. they can't decimate education.

Except that the money isn't going to education. CA voters are idiots confirmed.

 

[nhlducks35]

Does a proposition need 50.1% to pass or what?

 

[AniHawk]

http://vote.sos.ca.gov/returns/ballot-measures/

So basically everything looks good so far. Except for the death penalty one.

yeah what the shit wrt the death penalty one.

that sucks.

on the other hand, my parents will be pleased with 30 and 32. they were more concerned about that than the presidential stuff (both teachers).

 

[davepoobond]

i'm disappointed with death penalty not passing, but i can live with it.

i am VERY disappointed in LA county most likely passing the condom rule. porn is just going to move elsewhere. not going to solve anything and will be bad for LA.


as long as 30 passes, i can accept the rest of the decisions.

 

[akachan ningen]

the DP measure would have saved us more money than anything else. IDIOTS.

 

[Black Mamba]

i'm disappointed with death penalty not passing, but i can live with it.

i am VERY disappointed in LA county most likely passing the condom rule. porn is just going to move elsewhere. not going to solve anything and will be bad for LA.


as long as 30 passes, i can accept the rest of the decisions.

Yeah, I don't get why we're voted to pay to monitor condom in porn. such a waste.

 

[GrotesqueBeauty]

Proposition G
Establishes city policy that corporations should not have the same constitutional rights as human beings and should have political spending limits (requires majority vote).

YES 158992 votes 80.56%
NO 38367 votes 19.44%

http://sfappeal.com/news/2012/11/sf-propositions.php

Go San Francisco!

Also, prop 37 has been slowly gaining steam as more results come in. It's up from around 42% when I first checked this evening to 46.6% with 84.22% or precincts reporting. Hope against hope.

 

[AniHawk]

san bernardino, riverside, and la counties are the biggest ones in ca not fully reporting in. riverside and sb counteract each other. la already has a 40 point obama lead with 75% of the precincts reporting in.

i didn't expect san diego to counteract orange county.

 

[ivysaur12]

Thank baby jesus - the AP has called Prop 30 as a pass.

So disappointed we didn't get rid of the death penalty, but so happy to see this and scrapping the 3 strike law pass.

BUT WE'RE GOING TO LOSE OUR PORN BUSINESS NOW WHY

 

[InsaneZero]

Woke up to the news that Prop 30 has just passed.

This morning couldn't have started off any better.

 

[hitsugi]

CA votes taxes on themselves again. Lets see if any of that money actually goes to improve education, or if costs just continue to go up for students while we remain in the bottom for English and Math with a 50% HS dropout rate.

 

[t26]

Damn Measure B won

 

[Babalu.]

Final Tally:

Sad about 35 and how overwhelming it was as a yes. Most idiots just vote NO for everything but then they saw 'omg human trafficking' and voted yes on this? I hope this prop doesn't end up as bad as it sounds.

And porn in condoms? Ya lets just send the porn industry packing from this county. That will surely help the local economy. wtf...

I'm happy about 30, 36, and 39 as those were the ones I felt were most important for this state.

 

[Ra1den]

Shocking victory for Monsanto and Big AG with prop 37. Looks like that $40 million ad campaign paid off. Sickening.

 

[Cyan]

Thank God on 30. Too bad 34 missed, was really hopeful on that one.

 

[harSon]

Yeah, really disappointing that Proposition 34 and 37 failed to pass

 

[overcast]

Damn, 34 wasn't too far from passing too. Disappointing.

 

[desh]

Thank God on 30. Too bad 34 missed, was really hopeful on that one.

I was on the fence about Prop 30, but after voting for it, and watching the results come in, I'm really glad it passed. I just hope they use the money wisely.

 

[eudaemonic]

Final Tally:

Sad about 35 and how overwhelming it was as a yes. Most idiots just vote NO for everything but then they saw 'omg human trafficking' and voted yes on this? I hope this prop doesn't end up as bad as it sounds.

Yeah, it took some digging to really get into the cons of 35 and it ultimately made me say no. Seemed very gung-ho on nailing traffickers with it's wording but seemed to give less to the victims and muddled some of processes you could use to convict the guilty.

The death penalty failing kinda shocked me. I don't trust people to always make the right decision when it comes to executing people and I thought, as a state, we would lean more towards that way.

And I have no problem saying I voted no on 37 even though I hate Monsanto. Just labeling something as a GMO was so vague and there are good GMOs out there. I don't trust people to educate themselves on the type of modification that went on - I do count on them to have a knee jerk reaction to seeing that sticker on there. Plus, I wanted it to go further. Tell me what pesticides, antibiotics, and growth hormones are going into my food.

Glad to see 30 passed as well. I also voted on measure M which would give money to the local colleges to clean stuff up and help create a better system for our vets who will be looking into education as they get back.

 

[CountAntonius]

Yes! It passed!

 

[Gentleman Jack]

Shocking victory for Monsanto and Big AG with prop 37. Looks like that $40 million ad campaign paid off. Sickening.

Big AG would have won with 37 passing, considering beef and dairy were exempt from the law.

 

[GrotesqueBeauty]

So 37 gained ground, but it still didn't pass. I can't believe how easily public opinion is manipulated, or the specious arguments people will adopt if they just hear it repeated enough times. How depressing.

 

[Zhengi]

More money for schools is always a good thing.

If the money is actually used for schools. Nothing in the prop mandates that.

Congrats on passing Prop 30

CA votes taxes on themselves again. Lets see if any of that money actually goes to improve education, or if costs just continue to go up for students while we remain in the bottom for English and Math with a 50% HS dropout rate.

This is what worries me. If the legislature comes back in the next few years and asks for another tax hike for education, it just goes to show how messed up the state really is and how gullible people in California can be.

 

[Auron_Kale]

Happy about 30 & 36, disappointed with 34, 35 & 37, and pretty happy about 31, 32, 33 & 38 failing.

It's actually better than I thought the outcome would be.

 

[GlassBox]

Yay, more money given to California incompetence that will likely misspend all of it.

 

[MorisUkunRasik]

Yay, more money given to California incompetence that will likely misspend all of it.

If the money is actually used for schools. Nothing in the prop mandates that.

Congrats on passing Prop 30

My school won't be automatically dropping nearly half of next semesters courses and setting back hundreds of kids from tranferring, enrolling or completing certification.

I'd say its well worth it.

 

[Zhengi]

My school won't be automatically dropping nearly half of next semesters courses and setting back hundreds of kids from tranferring, enrolling or completing certification.

I'd say its well worth it.

And what school are you going to? Can you point to anything that says they were going to automatically drop nearly half of next semester's courses?

At all the schools I am at and privy to information about, none of them were automatically going to drop nearly half of their courses next semester.

And as I mentioned above, nothing in Prop 30 mandates that the new tax revenue will be used in education. The legislature is free to use that money freely elsewhere as well.

 

[GlassBox]

And as I mentioned above, nothing in Prop 30 mandates that the new tax revenue will be used in education. The legislature is free to use that money freely elsewhere as well.

Lol, and we all know how good the CA government is about spending money wisely

I'm guessing there will be absolutely no pension reform at all given the union influence in the legislature either. CA is so fucked.

 

[CountAntonius]

And what school are you going to? Can you point to anything that says they were going to automatically drop nearly half of next semester's courses?

At all the schools I am at and privy to information about, none of them were automatically going to drop nearly half of their courses next semester.

And as I mentioned above, nothing in Prop 30 mandates that the new tax revenue will be used in education. The legislature is free to use that money freely elsewhere as well.

My sisters school district Norco-Corona was going to cut 3 weeks of classes of this didn't pass. For starters.

 

[xbhaskarx]

Shocking victory for Monsanto and Big AG with prop 37. Looks like that $40 million ad campaign paid off. Sickening.

So 37 gained ground, but it still didn't pass. I can't believe how easily public opinion is manipulated, or the specious arguments people will adopt if they just hear it repeated enough times. How depressing.

Scientific American: Prop 37 Loses, Scientists Cheer

The rallying cry for supporters of this proposition has been “The Right To Know.” It sounds so simple: why shouldn’t people know if their food is genetically modified? What does Monsanto have to hide? But couching the issue in terms of knowledge assumes one thing: that labeling will be in any way informative. In the case of Prop 37, it simply wouldn’t have been. Michael Eisen put it perfectly:

This language reflects the belief of its backers that GMOs are intrinsically bad and deserve to be labeled – and avoided – en masse, no matter what modification they contain or towards what end they were produced. This is not a quest for knowledge – it is a an attempt to reify ignorance.

The simple fact is that there is no evidence that GMOs, as a blanket group, are dangerous. There’s a simple reason for this: not all GMOs are the same. Every plant created with genetic technology contains a different modification. More to the point, if the goal is to know more about what’s in your food, a generic GMO label won’t tell you. Adding Bt toxin to corn is different than adding Vitamin A to rice or vaccines to potatoes or heart-protective peptides to tomatoes. If Prop 37 was really about informed decisions, it would have sought accurate labeling of different types of GMOs so consumers can choose to avoid those that they disapprove of or are worried about. Instead, anti-GMO activists put forward a sloppily written mandate in a attempt to discredit all genetic engineering as a single entity. The legislation was considered so poorly worded that most Californian newspapers rallied against it, with the LA Times calling Prop 37 “problematic on a number of levels”.

By all means, boycott Monsanto, or any food containing their products. Despite rumors to the contrary, I do not support Monsanto in any way (nor do they, in any way, support me). Like many big companies, I think they have had shady business practices at times and are more concerned with their own bottom line than the good of the people or the environment. I’ve already come out strong against RoundUp Ready crops. But my lack of love for Monsanto doesn’t tarnish the fact that GMOs have the potential to dramatically benefit people across the world by providing balanced nutrition and enhancing production in struggling areas. GMOs aren’t inherently evil, and they have the potential to address many of the very real concerns about our current and future food supply.

There’s also another reason that GMOs aren’t considered dangerous: decades of scientific research support their safety. As Pamela Ronald, a UC-Davis plant geneticist, phrased it last year in Scientific American: “There is broad scientific consensus that genetically engineered crops currently on the market are safe to eat. After 14 years of cultivation and a cumulative total of 2 billion acres planted, no adverse health or environmental effects have resulted from commercialization of genetically engineered crops.” Or, as Ingo Potrykus, career plant scientist, put it in a review article for the Journal of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology, “GE-technology has an unprecedented safety record and it is far more precise and predictable than any other “traditional” and unregulated breeding technology.”

And, despite the call to arms against GMOs on environmental grounds, a 20 year study published in Nature found that some GM crops can actually improve biodiversity. Because Bt crops reduce pesticide spraying, scientists saw increases in populations of ladybugs, lacewings and spiders. Even more impressive, these benefits weren’t just seen in Bt fields—these upsides spread to the fields near them. And it’s just one of many studies refuting the ecological argument against GMOs.

Based on the growing body of scientific literature, numerous scientists and scientific organizations have come out in defense of genetic engineering technologies and against labeling initiatives like Proposition 37, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the American Medical Association, the National Academy of Sciences and the World Health Organization. The AAAS statement put it succinctly: “Legally mandating such a label can only serve to mislead and falsely alarm consumers.”

The proponents of Prop 37 sought to use rhetoric and language to sway against science. They used the word “right” to smother dissent—after all, how can anyone debate against someone’s “rights”? They tried to capitalize on people’s lack of knowledge of the science of genetic engineering to push their own political agenda. Instead of stimulating discussion and understanding of genetically modified foods, they sought to guilt or scare people into making rash decisions. So yes, I’m happy to see that they have failed. Californians have stood in defense of science, and should be applauded for it.

More:
Nature: The Oddness of California Proposition 37

Bjørn Lomborg: When Good Intentions Go Bad

Michael Eisen: Prop 37 and the Right to Know Nothing (Eisen is a biologist at UC Berkeley)

Spoiler

I don't normally get involved in silly political discussions on GAF, but I have heard quite a bit about this particular ballot initiative since my mom is a tenured professor of molecular / plant biology at a university that is ranked in the top 20 for biological sciences, with two Masters degrees and a PhD from UC Berkeley, who has been published in both Science and Nature multiple times....

 

[Mackenzie 92]

Will we get another shot at legalizing weed in the future, now that Washington and Colorado are leading the way?

 

[MorisUkunRasik]

And what school are you going to? Can you point to anything that says they were going to automatically drop nearly half of next semester's courses?

At all the schools I am at and privy to information about, none of them were automatically going to drop nearly half of their courses next semester.

And as I mentioned above, nothing in Prop 30 mandates that the new tax revenue will be used in education. The legislature is free to use that money freely elsewhere as well.

I'm sorry, I misspoke. Half of the business courses (my current major) would be first to go. Business classes usually get the squeeze first and have been squeezed pretty badly leading up to the trigger cuts as is.

CSULB won't be raising tuition to compensate for losing 20$ mil in funding and the elementary and high school my niece and brothers attend won't have to lob off the last 4 weeks of school.

 

[Zhengi]

My sisters school district Norco-Corona was going to cut 3 weeks of classes of this didn't pass. For starters.

That's a K-12 school. Did you check the links I provided previously? K-12 in California received an additional $3 billion in funds this year compared to last year. There were no cuts to K-12 schools. Those were lies to get people to vote for the Proposition. No way were they going to cut 3 weeks of classes especially since they received an additional $3 billion in funds.

I'm sorry, I misspoke. Half of the business courses (my current major) would be first to go. Business classes usually get the squeeze first and have been squeezed pretty badly leading up to the trigger cuts as is.

CSULB won't be raising tuition to compensate for losing 20$ mil in funding and the elementary and high school my niece and brothers attend won't have to lob off the last 4 weeks of school.

Well, again, no money is mandated by Prop 30 to be given to higher education. The legislature actually had an extra $3 billion in tax revenue this year and they decided to use it elsewhere and cut $800 million from higher education. They did not have to cut money to education at all, but they know that education is a highly political issue, so they went ahead with the cuts anyways to get people to vote for the tax increase. What makes you think they will give more money to higher education if they already HAD the money to do that and decided against it?

 

[Cyan]

Will we get another shot at legalizing weed in the future, now that Washington and Colorado are leading the way?

I wouldn't be surprised, but it'll probably be a few years before the advocates can pull together another campaign.

The last one was crazy. I remember a whole bunch of people suddenly being worried that there was nothing in the prop banning a passenger in a car from smoking weed, or something bizarre like that. Even some of my otherwise-sensible friends were repeating that one.

 

[CountAntonius]

I wouldn't be surprised, but it'll probably be a few years before the advocates can pull together another campaign.

The last one was crazy. I remember a whole bunch of people suddenly being worried that there was nothing in the prop banning a passenger in a car from smoking weed, or something bizarre like that. Even some of my otherwise-sensible friends were repeating that one.

A few of my friends in the medical weed buisness voted against it cause they didn't want it controlled and didn't want to pay taxes. They were making a ton of money how things were. I was furious at them cause I knew that bubble would burst and I think for actual patients in need the drug label needs to be dropped so more people utilize is as a medication. I really don't care about the pot head stance. Especially greedy selfish ones.

 

[pigeon]

Thank God for 30, 36 and 39.

 

[davepoobond]

im pretty happy about the way things turned out.

also, 37's labeling is mostly fear-mongering and if you know anything about genetic modification, it makes even more sense to vote no on it. i dont even care about the business costs (other than people making frivolous lawsuits that will tie up the courts even more) that would be endured. i just don't like being told i should be afraid of something without concrete proof to back it up. we wouldnt be labeling cigarettes with huge warning labels if they didnt cause health problems, right? but its obvious they do and thats why we label it. genetically modified foods are iffy at best, and the definition of "genetic modification" can be both natural and artificial.


measure b in LA County is the worst thing, though. Does anyone know if a porn company might sue the county on basis of "freedom of speech" for the condom part of the measure to throw out the whole thing?

 

[Devolution]

Death Penalty was much more close than it looked at the start of the tallying. This bodes well for future voting. I hope they keep putting that on the ticket.

 

[Badgerst3]

Except that the money isn't going to education. CA voters are idiots confirmed.

Indeed. Voters just paid for criminal realignment. Early offender jail releases to expand as jails fill up.

And increased theft and burglary coming to a community near you.

 

[See You Next Wednesday]

More money for schools is always a good thing.

NOT when they up the sales taxes on everyone!

 

[Vesmir]

And what school are you going to? Can you point to anything that says they were going to automatically drop nearly half of next semester's courses?

At all the schools I am at and privy to information about, none of them were automatically going to drop nearly half of their courses next semester.

And as I mentioned above, nothing in Prop 30 mandates that the new tax revenue will be used in education. The legislature is free to use that money freely elsewhere as well.

Humboldt State University, Department of Geography. Prop 30 passing was a sigh of relief among the faculty here, because it would have led to a large reduction in classes available for Fall '13. It was dire enough to actually consider whether to hire someone in place of a professor who passed away, and seniors that needed certain classes were also wary of whether they were able to graduate or not. Furthermore, the cap placed on units taken in a semester is probably being lifted, pending review, and students are being reimbursed for a tuition hike that passed before the school year began.

 

[Extollere]

Pretty impressed!! A couple of measured swinged opposite of how I voted, but overall I'm pretty happy!

Yeah! Voting! bitch!

 

[Lambtron]

I was hoping both Measure 35 and Measure B would be defeated. Pretty sad they both passed. Both are really, really bad for sex workers.

 

[Fenderputty]

Death Penalty was much more close than it looked at the start of the tallying. This bodes well for future voting. I hope they keep putting that on the ticket.

I don't think many people think about the subtle nuances at hand when talking about the death penalty. In principal/theory, I agree with the death penalty. It’s clear most of the voting population feels this way as well. The problem arises when it's put into practice though. The legal system is far from perfect. If we're not 110% sure that the person is guilty, then there shouldn't be a death penalty. To further this, our system is set up so that a poor person doesn't get the same trial as a rich person. See OJ simpson and many other cases for proof. If the system itself has a structural bias, I don't believe we should be putting people to death.

 

[Zhengi]

Humboldt State University, Department of Geography. Prop 30 passing was a sigh of relief among the faculty here, because it would have led to a large reduction in classes available for Fall '13. It was dire enough to actually consider whether to hire someone in place of a professor who passed away, and seniors that needed certain classes were also wary of whether they were able to graduate or not. Furthermore, the cap placed on units taken in a semester is probably being lifted, pending review, and students are being reimbursed for a tuition hike that passed before the school year began.

Ok, so does that mean that Humboldt State University was going to drop half their classes in Fall 2013 or just a few?

And notice how none of you have addressed the point I brought up. The state brought in an extra $6 billion in revenue compared to last year. They put in $3 billion into K-12 schools and had an extra $3 billion in tax revenues. Instead of putting some of that money into Higher Ed, they instead cut $800 million from the colleges. None of what you said should have happened if the legislature would have funded higher ed with the extra revenue they already had. Also, none of the extra tax revenue from Prop 30 is mandated to be used in education. Humboldt State University might find itself in the same situation in future semesters. It's all on the whim of the legislatures if they want to fund Higher Ed.

 

[davepoobond]

Ok, so does that mean that Humboldt State University was going to drop half their classes in Fall 2013 or just a few?

And notice how none of you have addressed the point I brought up. The state brought in an extra $6 billion in revenue compared to last year. They put in $3 billion into K-12 schools and had an extra $3 billion in tax revenues. Instead of putting some of that money into Higher Ed, they instead cut $800 million from the colleges. None of what you said should have happened if the legislature would have funded higher ed with the extra revenue they already had. Also, none of the extra tax revenue from Prop 30 is mandated to be used in education. Humboldt State University might find itself in the same situation in future semesters. It's all on the whim of the legislatures if they want to fund Higher Ed.

considering 100% of prop 38's funds wasn't going to higher ed and there was a certainty of cuts to higher ed if prop 30 DIDN'T pass...

i dont know what else you wanted to happen. the end product will just be the same -- legislature will have to be convinced to put the money towards higher education, and prop 30 enables them to do so with higher probability than before

 

[catabarez]

NOT when they up the sales taxes on everyone!

Isn't it still staying pretty much the same considering expiring taxes?

 

[Cyan]

Yikes. Looks like the Dems here in Cali might pick up a supermajority.

Which on the one hand would enable reasonable stuff like the tax compromise that wound up as Prop 30 to pass without the insane requirement of ballot approval... but on the other hand, it's a one-party supermajority. I find that a little unsettling.

(source)