This is a guide for voting in California, skewed even further to Irvine 'cause that's where I, @keithzg, vote. ---- == Ballot Propositions == === Proposition 19: {icon times, color=red} No === The Yes campaign is heavily funded by the California Association of Realtors, so . . . yaknow. === Proposition 21: {icon check, color=green} Yes === There are folks out there that argue rent control causes more issues than it solves. Those people are appealing to the idea that the free market can sort such things out; well okay then, so lets pass this proposition and allow cities to set rent controls if they want and see how it plays out! California is more populous than the entire country of Canada; lets get some natural experiments going, shall we? Read more at: * [[ https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_21,_Local_Rent_Control_Initiative_(2020) | Ballotpedia ]] === Proposition 22: {icon times, color=red} No === An attempt by gig economy VC-backed firms like Uber to do an end-run around legislation that would force them to actually treat employees fairly rather than pretending they're "independent contractors", this proposition stands a dangerous chance of succeeding because on the face of it it sounds like it helps people. It's really just to preempt better, deeper help and restructuring of employment laws, which is why [[ https://twitter.com/arielboone/status/1308106309955248128 | the Yes campaign is so heavily funded ]] (not to mention some [[ https://twitter.com/codehawkfalcon/status/1310658358425264128 | pretty direct advocacy ]]). The CA Dems are against it; the CA GOP is for it. Read more at: * [[ https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_22,_App-Based_Drivers_as_Contractors_and_Labor_Policies_Initiative_(2020) | Ballotpedia ]] --- == External Links == * https://ballotpedia.org/California_2020_ballot_propositions * http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2020/09/2020-vote-info-1-indexlinks-introduction-calendar/ * http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2020/10/2020-oc-endorsements-1-12-statewide-propositions/

This is a guide for voting in California, skewed even further to Irvine 'cause that's where I, @keithzg, vote. ---- == Ballot Propositions == === Proposition 15: {icon check, color=green} Yes === An old proposition 13 back in made property tax valuations in California deeply weird. Taxes are only reassessed for a property when it is sold, not on any sort of regular schedule, and the maximum rate increase per year is 2%. This is already a bit weird for individuals and has the possibility of creating some major inequities; the black family in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air invariably was paying much higher property taxes than their white neighbors who had been in the neighborhood longer, to give a pop culture example soas to seem quirky at first before the ugliness unspools in the imagination. But it gets much, much worse when you consider that //corporations can live forever//. I have the impression that the old prop 13 was sold as a "don't force old people out of their homes!" measure, and it is perhaps with that sort of counter-anecdote in mind that this proposition does not modify how property taxes are handled for residential properties, merely for commercial and industrial properties. There are corporations that still pay a rate based on at most 2%-per-year increased from 1975, despite the vastly higher level of inflation (at multiple levels!) on their properties. And even just the //initial// rollback in 1979 back to 1975 prices put many local governments into fiscal crisis.: > After Proposition 13, county property tax revenues dropped from $10.3 billion in 1977-78 to $5.04 billion in 1978-79. As a result, many local governments were in fiscal crisis. Keeping local governments in operation the first two years following Proposition 13 required legislative “bailouts” to offset property tax revenue losses. A first-year stopgap measure costing $4.17 billion in state surplus funds was necessary to directly aid local governments. A second-year bailout, a long-term fiscal relief plan, cost the state $4.85 billion. Staring down a financial crisis as we are right now, it seems prudent to do the opposite of the Reagan era of American politics. Read more at: * [[ https://www.boe.ca.gov/proptaxes/pdf/pub29.pdf | California Property Tax by the California State Board of Equalization ]] * [[ https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_15,_Tax_on_Commercial_and_Industrial_Properties_for_Education_and_Local_Government_Funding_Initiative_(2020) | Ballotpedia ]] === Proposition 19: {icon times, color=red} No === The Yes campaign is heavily funded by the California Association of Realtors, so . . . yaknow. === Proposition 21: {icon check, color=green} Yes === There are folks out there that argue rent control causes more issues than it solves. Those people are appealing to the idea that the free market can sort such things out; well okay then, so lets pass this proposition and allow cities to set rent controls if they want and see how it plays out! California is more populous than the entire country of Canada; lets get some natural experiments going, shall we? Furthermore, remember from Prop 15 that property taxes are //already// controlled; if the taxes landlords are paying aren't tied to the market, why should rent be mandated to be by law? Read more at: * [[ https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_21,_Local_Rent_Control_Initiative_(2020) | Ballotpedia ]] === Proposition 22: {icon times, color=red} No === An attempt by gig economy VC-backed firms like Uber to do an end-run around legislation that would force them to actually treat employees fairly rather than pretending they're "independent contractors", this proposition stands a dangerous chance of succeeding because on the face of it it sounds like it helps people. It's really just to preempt better, deeper help and restructuring of employment laws, which is why [[ https://twitter.com/arielboone/status/1308106309955248128 | the Yes campaign is so heavily funded ]] (not to mention some [[ https://twitter.com/codehawkfalcon/status/1310658358425264128 | pretty direct advocacy ]]). The CA Dems are against it; the CA GOP is for it. Read more at: * [[ https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_22,_App-Based_Drivers_as_Contractors_and_Labor_Policies_Initiative_(2020) | Ballotpedia ]] --- == External Links == * https://ballotpedia.org/California_2020_ballot_propositions * http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2020/09/2020-vote-info-1-indexlinks-introduction-calendar/ * http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2020/10/2020-oc-endorsements-1-12-statewide-propositions/

This is a guide for voting in California, skewed even further to Irvine 'cause that's where I, @keithzg, vote. ---- == Ballot Propositions == === Proposition 15: {icon check, color=green} Yes === An old proposition 13 back in made property tax valuations in California deeply weird. Taxes are only reassessed for a property when it is sold, not on any sort of regular schedule, and the maximum rate increase per year is 2%. This is already a bit weird for individuals and has the possibility of creating some major inequities; the black family in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air invariably was paying much higher property taxes than their white neighbors who had been in the neighborhood longer, to give a pop culture example soas to seem quirky at first before the ugliness unspools in the imagination. But it gets much, much worse when you consider that //corporations can live forever//. I have the impression that the old prop 13 was sold as a "don't force old people out of their homes!" measure, and it is perhaps with that sort of counter-anecdote in mind that this proposition does not modify how property taxes are handled for residential properties, merely for commercial and industrial properties. There are corporations that still pay a rate based on at most 2%-per-year increased from 1975, despite the vastly higher level of inflation (at multiple levels!) on their properties. And even just the //initial// rollback in 1979 back to 1975 prices put many local governments into fiscal crisis.: > After Proposition 13, county property tax revenues dropped from $10.3 billion in 1977-78 to $5.04 billion in 1978-79. As a result, many local governments were in fiscal crisis. Keeping local governments in operation the first two years following Proposition 13 required legislative “bailouts” to offset property tax revenue losses. A first-year stopgap measure costing $4.17 billion in state surplus funds was necessary to directly aid local governments. A second-year bailout, a long-term fiscal relief plan, cost the state $4.85 billion. Staring down a financial crisis as we are right now, it seems prudent to do the opposite of the Reagan era of American politics. Read more at: * [[ https://www.boe.ca.gov/proptaxes/pdf/pub29.pdf | California Property Tax by the California State Board of Equalization ]] * [[ https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_15,_Tax_on_Commercial_and_Industrial_Properties_for_Education_and_Local_Government_Funding_Initiative_(2020) | Ballotpedia ]] === Proposition 19: {icon times, color=red} No === The Yes campaign is heavily funded by the California Association of Realtors, so . . . yaknow. === Proposition 21: {icon check, color=green} Yes === There are folks out there that argue rent control causes more issues than it solves. Those people are appealing to the idea that the free market can sort such things out; well okay then, so lets pass this proposition and allow cities to set rent controls if they want and see how it plays out! California is more populous than the entire country of Canada; lets get some natural experiments going, shall we? Furthermore, remember from Prop 15 that property taxes are //already// controlled; if the taxes landlords are paying aren't tied to the market, why should rent be mandated to be by law? Read more at: * [[ https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_21,_Local_Rent_Control_Initiative_(2020) | Ballotpedia ]] === Proposition 22: {icon times, color=red} No === An attempt by gig economy VC-backed firms like Uber to do an end-run around legislation that would force them to actually treat employees fairly rather than pretending they're "independent contractors", this proposition stands a dangerous chance of succeeding because on the face of it it sounds like it helps people. It's really just to preempt better, deeper help and restructuring of employment laws, which is why [[ https://twitter.com/arielboone/status/1308106309955248128 | the Yes campaign is so heavily funded ]] (not to mention some [[ https://twitter.com/codehawkfalcon/status/1310658358425264128 | pretty direct advocacy ]]). The CA Dems are against it; the CA GOP is for it. Read more at: * [[ https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_22,_App-Based_Drivers_as_Contractors_and_Labor_Policies_Initiative_(2020) | Ballotpedia ]] --- == External Links == * https://ballotpedia.org/California_2020_ballot_propositions * http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2020/09/2020-vote-info-1-indexlinks-introduction-calendar/ * http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2020/10/2020-oc-endorsements-1-12-statewide-propositions/