Voting is a Moral Act

2014 General Election Ballot Proposition Recommendations

The California Council of Churches IMPACT board, after careful study and prayerful discernment,
recommends these votes on this years ballot propositions.

Summary
Prop. 1 Yes
Prop. 2 No
Prop. 45 Yes

Prop. 46 No
Prop. 47 Yes
Prop. 48 No

Proposition 1 Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure YES

Prop. 1 would fund drought-alleviation measures including recycling, rainwater harvesting, and
potable water supplies in those communities facing contamination. It would help provide treatment and
control in impoverished communities most likely to face pollution problems. While the $7 billion cost
ultimately may be repaid from the hard-pressed state General Fund, it would require non-state
matching funds from projects and user revenues to markedly reduce taxpayers costs and erosion of the
annual budget revenues.
We dont like that it would direct $2.7 billion to dams and reservoirs. But this funding would not
locked in, and some could be diverted to other needs. It would not fund the Delta Tunnel project that
would cut 35-mile tunnels through the fragile Delta farmland and ecosystem to drain northern
California for agricultural interests that, to date, are not required to conserve.
We think Prop. 2 is too vague, relying on capital-intensive projects that may not be useful, does not
specify which communities truly need water remediation, and does not lay out enough controls on
spending of bond revenue. However, we believe it is most likely the best version we will get. We
support the goal and know it will require eternal vigilance from us all to assure appropriate use of these
dollars.
Proposition 2 State Budget. Budget Stabilization Account N0
In 2004, a proposition backed by Governor Schwarzenegger established a rainy day fund for use in
lean budget years. The net result has been a relentless chopping of social services for those already
living in peril.
Prop. 2 would make it worse. It would require deposit of 1.5% of general revenue into the rainy day
fund, plus all capital gains revenue in excess of 8% of the General Fund revenue. In addition, schools
would be required to spend all their money each year in which the state has a surplus, without having
full knowledge of where and how much the next budget allocation would be.

Most important, Prop. 2 would worsen the loss in revenues needed to restore essential health and
welfare programs. This is the classic issue of the budget as a moral document, and this fails the test
miserably.
Proposition 45 Healthcare Insurance. Rate Changes - YES
Prop. 45 would give the elected state insurance commissioner authority to approve or deny health
insurance rate increases, just as the he or she already does with auto and homeowner insurance rates.
Citizens would be able to challenge proposed increases.
It also would end the flawed rate standard requiring pre-existing coverage, which allows auto
insurance companies to justify rate differences for the previously uninsured.
Proposition 46 Drug & Alcohol Testing of Doctors. Medical Negligence Lawsuits NO
Prop. 46 would require drug and alcohol testing of all doctors, making a presumption of their guilt. Yet
the Medical Board already routinely suspends or disciplines impaired physicians.
Furthermore, Prop. 46 asserts there shall be a presumption of professional negligence in any action
against a health care provider arising from an act or omission by a physician or surgeon who tested
positive for drugs or alcohol even if it has nothing to do with anything the provided did or didnt do.
There would no diversion and treatment alternative for those who do have problems; suspension and
dismissal would the only remedies, even where no harm was done.
The positive side of Prop. 46 is that it would raise the 1975 cap on pain and suffering awards in
medical malpractice suits. But overall, Prop. 46 targets the wrong issues and would impede good
health care and simply inject more distrust and fewer solutions in our health and judicial systems
Proposition 47 Criminal Sentences. Misdemeanor Penalties - YES
Prop. 47 is perhaps the single biggest opportunity to end the cradle to prison pipeline and the horrific
increase in our prison population. It would convert non-violent offenses such as shoplifting and lowlevel drug possession from felonies to misdemeanors, ending years-long prison sentences. It would
assure that those convicted of violent crimes will not get this sentence reduction. It would save money
now spent on prisons and divert it to crime prevention and victim assistance.
This is a sensible alternative to the prison industry that has grown out of all proportion over the past 40
years. It would level the incarceration discrepancies between races by keeping all such offenses for
non-violent offenders as misdemeanors rather than subjecting people of color to the kinds of
discretionary sentences for minor crimes that lead to long felony records.
Proposition 48 - Indian Gambling Compacts NO
Prop. 48 would ratify two existing game compacts between the state, the US Bureau of Indian Affairs,
and the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians and the Wiyot Tribe. It includes a total exemption from
the California Environmental Quality Act.
We support the rights of First Nations people to determine their own lives, but not to the elimination of
factors that impact both them and their neighbors on common environmental issues.

The last day to register to vote is October 20. Go to RegisterToVote.CA.gov

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