VOTER INFORMATION ARTICLES

League of Women Voters^®
of North and Central San Mateo County

Some Articles from Current Voter & Other Information

Membership Information--New Members and Board Highlights. State Housing Chief Seeks Ideas for Financing Affordable Housing. LWVC'S View of Governor's May 2008 Budget Revision Proposal. Local Action Goes National. Important Points about the California Voters first Initiative. What's the Forecast for SB 840 and Health Care Reform in 2008?. Legislative interview: Assemblyman Gene Mullin, 19th Assembly District on April 4. Judicial Independence News. Legislative Interview with Senator Leland Yee, 8th District LWVN&CSMC March 21, 2008. Energy: Now and in the Future.

Membership Information--New Members and Board Highlights

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS: Jacqueline S. Daly, Pamela Mayer, Kelly Moran, Mark Eliot, Gina Papan, Ina Stewart
EVERY MEMBER COUNTS: Our annual membership dues renewal envelopes were mailed at the end of May. Please renew your membership for 2008-2009 and help continue the League's work in an important election year. We appreciate each and every member's support.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: TOUR OF THE WOMEN'S JAIL, TUESDAY, JUNE 17, 2 PM
We have an unexpected opportunity to tour the notoriously overcrowded San Mateo County Women's Jail on Tuesday, June 17, at 2 p.m. Many participants in February's joint LWV/AAUW meeting on incarceration of women in the county expressed a desire to tour the jail to see why all the speakers urged support to replace the completely inadequate facility.
Lt. Deborah Bazan of the San Mateo Sheriff's Department has given permission for 15 to 20 of our members to have a personal tour. Lt. Bazan must have the names of all persons planning to go on the tour well before the actual date, so anyone desiring to attend should call Betty Bernstein at 343-9137 before June 10.
Books for the Women's Jail and Juvenile Service Center
We are continuing to provide books for the libraries of both the women's jail and the juvenile service center, so feel free to call me if you desire to contribute books to either facility.
Betty Bernstein, Director

2008-2009 General Meeting Kick-off Tuesday, September 16, 2008, 7 - 9 p.m. Dave Chetcuti Community Room 450 Poplar Ave., Millbrae Guest Speaker: County Manager John L. Maltbie State Budget Cuts and their Impact on the County Look for more information in the September Voter
BOARD HIGHLIGHTS:
At its May 19 meeting, the Board

Heard Marie Baldisseri's report on her attendance at the LWVC Presidents Leadership Council
Decided that Board meetings would be on the second Monday of the month from 5 to 7 p.m.
Decided that General Meetings will be on either the third Tuesday or the third Thursday of the month, depending on when we can get a location
Approved Afsoon Shahrdar and Jackie Jacobberger for the Nominating Committee
Approved Marie Baldisseri, Kathee Tyson, Betty Fleming, Don Jacobberger and Betty Bernstein for the Executive Committee
Heard suggestions for expanding distribution of the Voter to civic leaders and groups we partner with
Reviewed the Advice to the Board from the Annual Meeting and agreed to discuss a proposal for a laddered fee structure
Heard that we have a total of 255 members
Heard about our participation in the student voter registration activity at Skyline College
Heard about our Candidates Forum for the Democrats running in the June 3 primary for the 19th Assembly District
Considered a joint meeting with Sustainable San Mateo County
Heard about our need to have a program planning meeting to design meetings that are based on our members and the public's interests.

MEET YOUR NEW 2008-2009 BOARD AND NOMINATING COMMITTEE:
Officers: President: Marie Baldisseri: Vice President, Program: Betty Fleming Vice President, Voter Service and SmartVoter
County Coordinator: Kathleen Tyson: Secretary and San Mateo County Voter
Registration Contract Coordinator: Jean Johnson Treasurer: Donald Jacobberger
Directors: Beth Bhatnagar Betty Bernstein Karen Bertrand Jackie Jacobberger Shirley Roberson Afsoon Shahrdar Diana Stevens May-Blossom Wilkinson
Nominating Committee: Chair: Joan Neff Jean Matsuura: Off-Board Member Jackie Jacobberger: Board Member Afsoon Shahrdar: Board Member
Congratulations to you all! Thank you for accepting these important League leadership positions.
TRAINING IN FACILITTING ORGANIZATION ELECTIONS In the last Voter and at Annual Meeting I announced that we would hold a training session for members who are willing to help with elections for homeowners associations and other organizations. Several members have already responded, and it appears that we can develop a good group to provide this service to the community.
This training will be scheduled for the latter part of August, and a definite date will be set when the board does its calendar planning in June. Depending on the number of participants, we may offer alternate dates so that all who are interested can be accommodated.
Thanks to those who have already contacted me. I look forward to hearing from others. Helping at one of these elections is a short-term commitment, requiring just a few hours of your time. Jackie Jacobberger, Director
WATER-WISE GARDENING IN THE BAY AREA At our annual meeting, Tina King, Director of Education and Outreach for Sustainable San Mateo County, inspired many of us to think of ways that we can conserve our resources to build a more sustainable community, including changing our landscaping to use less thirsty plants.
The Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) offers a new CD-Rom called Water-Wise Gardening in the Bay Area. It is a great guide to landscaping that will conserve water. You can view various landscaping situations and plants, with pictures and descriptions, and even make a shopping list to take to the local nursery.
The software is free and easy to install and use. Request a copy by going to the BAWSCA Web site, http://www.bawsca.org.

State Housing Chief Seeks Ideas for Financing Affordable Housing

Many of San Mateo County's political leaders and neighborhood activists had an opportunity to share ideas about creating and financing more below market rate housing when they met with Lynn Jacobs, State Director of Housing and Community Development, during this year's Affordable Housing Week. Jacobs, an enthusiastic and energetic state official, followed her keynote luncheon address with a two-hour give and take session under the auspices of HEART, San Mateo County's Housing Endowment and Regional Trust. The urgency of her visit to our county and other California areas comes from the fact that money from the second of two state housing bond issues, Proposition 1C passed in November 2006, will be exhausted in the next two years.
With other state housing bond issues unlikely to replace it in the foreseeable future, Jacobs is eager to find a variety of acceptable income-producing sources to replace the more than half a billion dollars the state has been able to dole out annually for housing construction and many other uses to counties, cities and other public and private entities. Her talk elicited a variety of ideas from the eager participants, some feasible and others highly improbable. They included a fee for all real estate documents recorded in each city and county, a special fee on all high priced sports and entertainment events, a flat $25 fee on all mortgage brokers, a real estate transfer tax, and a commercial linkage fee, such as one successfully enacted in Menlo Park.
Jacobs joked about the ever present NIMBY (not in my back yard) opposition that greets most efforts to build below market rate housing in communities like ours. She said that where she comes from, Ventura County, builders face opposition from an even more vocal group, NOPE (Not on Planet Earth!). She encouraged everyone to seek multiple funding sources and not just try to rely on a single source. One possibility favored by many in the audience was for state legislation to enable counties to pass their own individual fees.
Jacobs offered a few suggestions, such as building on small under-utilized infill lots or putting housing at
DMV sites or excess space at schools. She praised the San Mateo County Community College District for constructing affordable low cost housing on a parking lot at CSM and was hopeful that other community colleges would follow this example.
Overall, all present anticipate that it will be difficult to build sufficient housing to meet the needs of California's ever increasing population, especially in light of the state's massive budget deficit and the growing rate of foreclosures and rent increases. However, Jacobs seemed hopeful that if state and local governments can work successfully with private non-profits, much could be accomplished. Betty Bernstein, Housing Director

LWVC'S View of Governor's May 2008 Budget Revision Proposal

In the May Revision to the state budget proposal, Governor Schwarzenegger has again proposed a "cuts-only" budget that would be devastating to California's families and our state's future. We strongly oppose the "cuts-only" approach to the budget.
Ignoring the concerns of millions of Californians, the Governor's revised budget simply proposes more of the same, making deep cuts to health care, senior and disabled services, and investments in children.
The revised budget cuts are even deeper than in the Governor's original proposal in some critical area, such as health care. If enacted, these cuts would jeopardize the safety and security of California's children, families, seniors and the disabled.
The proposed cuts will impact California families in multiple ways, often compounding problems. Communities will receive cuts to their local schools, hospitals, in-home care programs for seniors, and foster care service for kids. The Governor's short-term approach will have long-term, negative human and fiscal consequences.
The Governor's budget also includes a distracting "power-grab" proposal that already has been overwhelmingly rejected by California's voters and that doesn't address the real concerns of California families. In fact, it undermines our system of checks and balances by giving the Governor unprecedented power to make cuts without approval from our legislators.
Our legislators and our Governor need to find real solutions that don't jeopardize the education of our children, health care for the sick and elderly, or the environment.
We believe that California is ready to invest in our shared future and seek balanced solutions.
We are working together with all Californians to hold our governor and legislators accountable and make that happen. League of Women Voters of California

Local Action Goes National

Good news! The Leagues of Women Voters of California and of the United States have approved our Local League's petition to send letters to Senator Barbara Boxer, Senator Diane Feinstein and Representative Anna Eshoo requesting federal funding for a new state-of-the-art Jail Management System in San Mateo County.
The letters urge our elected representatives to do all they can to assist the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office to secure federal funds of $1,690,000 in the 2009 fiscal year to implement a state-of-the-art Jail Management System (JMS) at the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office's correctional facilities. The letters explain that due to financial constraints, San Mateo County is one of the few counties in the nation that has been unable to undertake this important initiative. The letters further explain that with their assistance, a JMS system could be implemented that would greatly increase the efficiency of the county's criminal justice system and increase public safety for every resident.
Background: The JMS project would be part of a larger Countywide Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) upgrade which would result in the ultimate sharing of data with all of the San Mateo County Criminal Justice Agencies and other identified law enforcement partners. The main benefits of the system include:
Elimination of multiple labor-intensive manual systems currently employed for maintaining jail records.
Reduction of the unnecessary waste of valuable staff time currently needed to re-enter data in multiple databases.
Enhancement of the ability to analyze the inmate population to better assign, manage and direct inmates into rehabilitative programs.
Significant fiscal savings.
The ability to automate processes and reports that currently take an inordinate amount of staff time to compile.
Improvement of capabilities to improve information sharing and enhance investigative efforts among and between all federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in the region.
This initiative is critical to improving the effectiveness of jail management and ensuring coordinated local, state and federal law enforcement efforts in San Mateo County. Our County Position on Correction Systems has enabled our League to give its support proudly to this important effort.

Important Points about the California Voters first Initiative

Under current law, California legislators draw their own political districts. Allowing politicians to draw their own districts is a serious conflict of interest that harms voters
Not surprisingly, 99% of incumbent politicians were re-elected in the districts they had drawn for themselves in the last election. In the election before that, 100% of incumbents were reelected.
Politicians draw districts that serve their interests, not those of our communities. For example, cities such as Long Beach, San Jose and Fresno are divided into multiple oddly shaped districts to protect incumbent legislators. Voters in communities like Korea town in Los Angeles and La Jolla in San Diego have no political voice because they have been split into as many as four different districts purely to protect incumbent legislators.
This reform will make the redistricting process more open and transparent so it cannot be controlled by one party or another. It will give us an equal number of Democrats and Republicans on the Commission, and it will ensure true independents can participate + a voice that is completely shut out of the current process. In addition, this reform requires support from Democrats, Independents and Republicans for approval of new redistricting plans.
The Independent Citizens Commission will draw districts based on strict, non-partisan rules designed to ensure fair representation. The reform takes redistricting out of the partisan battles of the legislature and guarantees that redistricting will be debated in the open with public meetings, and all minutes will be posted publicly on the Internet. Every aspect of this process will be open to scrutiny by the public and the press.
In the current process politicians are choosing their voters instead of voters having a real choice. This reform will put the voters back in charge.

What's the Forecast for SB 840 and Health Care Reform in 2008?

OneCareNow's 15-member State Strategy Group, which includes the LWVC, has built strong support for single-payer health care among Californians. League members were among the 200 plus strategy group members who attended a two-day planning summit in February. The resulting second-year campaign strategy will build on the success of the 365-City Campaign in 2007. This campaign commits us to continue building grassroots support for single-payer health care. We will be working to move SB 840 to the Governor's desk this year. You can become involved in this effort.
Attend a Health Care Workshop Saturday, May 17, at the Leadership Council in Sacramento. This
workshop will provide advocacy tools for League members, effective strategies to continue expanding statewide support for single payer and answers to these critical questions: Is our strongest opponent really the insurance industry? Who are the major untapped supporters for SB 840? What can we do to veto-proof SB 840?
Health Care for All-California (HCA-CA) Executive Director Andrew McGuire will present our workshop. He developed the 365-City Campaign and recruited other single-payer organizations to form a coalition that is now the State Strategy Group. Fighting giants like the health care industry is not a new experience for Andrew. He stood up to the tobacco industry and won. He organized the Million Mom march on Washington, DC. NOVA won its first EMMY award when it aired Andrew's first documentary film, Here's Looking at You, Kid, nationally on PBS. In Andrew's words, "We are the people who will win single payer health care in California". Workshops are open to members and non-members. To register, please visit: http://www.lwvc.org
Join us in San Francisco at noon on June 19 for a rally led by CARA (California Association of Retired Americans) in support of HR 676 (Conyers) and SB 840 (Kuehl) at the health insurance industry meeting at Moscone Center. The American Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) will be meeting at Moscone Convention Center West from June 18 to June 20. Its Thursday, June 19, program features former U.S. Senators John Breaux and Jim Frist; past Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson; former Counselor to President Bush, Dan Bartlett and former Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Terry McAuliffe. All these speakers oppose health care proposals that remove the insurance industry from our health care.
For further information and directions to the rally, call (650) 368-0880.
It becomes a contest of power: those who have money and those who have people. We have nothing but people. +Saul Alinsky Del Silverman, Health Care

Legislative interview: Assemblyman Gene Mullin, 19th Assembly District on April 4

QUESTION 1: The Governor's budget proposed 10 percent across-the-board cuts to all programs on the grounds of fairness. The Legislative Analyst (LAO) and others have argued that it would be better to set priorities and identify the most critical needs. How do you view these choices, and what would be your own funding priorities or areas of greatest concern? ANSWER 1: The Assemblyman rejects this strategy out of hand. As a member of both the Budget and the Education committees, he noted that he is currently holding budget hearings. In fact, he has participated in 23 hearings since January, all intended to set budget priorities. He remarked that the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) Alternative Budget has a lot of merit. He said some cuts will need to be made as well as some revenue increases to ameliorate the $8 - $10 billion budget shortfall. Assemblyman Mullin said, "We will know more after the May Revise comes out." He said the "slide continues, and we believe the numbers will be even worse." It will be very difficult to do an $8 billion solution based on cuts only. QUESTION 2: The Governor proposes to address the state budget deficit through borrowing and spending reductions, with only minimal revenue-raising proposals. The LAO and others, including the California Budget Project, the California State PTA, the League, and many other public interest organizations, have called for a balance between spending cuts and revenue increases. Would you support any new revenues, and if so, what kinds would you suggest? Would you consider reducing or eliminating any tax expenditures to realize more revenue for the state? If so, which ones would you suggest? It has been pointed out that commercial property is only reassessed when there is an outright sale of the property, but not when more than half of the actual ownership of the property has changed hands. Would you consider changes in the way commercial property is assessed to trigger reassessment when such changes in ownership occur? ANSWER 2: The Assemblyman said he would support new revenues. He is a little leery of general tax increases, but is in favor of targeting tax loopholes and closing them which would get us "part of the way." Among the tax loopholes he favors closing are ones dealing with the oil severance tax. He noted California is the only state of 23 that does not have an Extraction Tax. He said it has been voted down on the floor of the Assembly, but it can come back as a budget proposal. The Assemblyman also wants to target and modify the following loopholes: manufacturing credit investments, research and development, and the yacht tax. The Assemblyman said he feels California should close these loopholes in a way consistent with the way other states are closing their loopholes. Assemblyman Mullin indicated that the economy is entering a recession. "The failure to reinstate the Vehicle License Fee has cost us over $20 billion over the last four years, along with other tax reductions that total well in excess of an additional $6 billion." The Assemblyman added that people who say the state is spending more tend to ignore that we have had large tax rollbacks. He added that the increase in spending has been due to population increase and caseload growth. He said there are two competing political philosophies: the Democratic side, which believes we are in a budget crisis; and the Republican side, which believes it's an opportunity to shrink government. QUESTION 3: The Governor is proposing a Budget Stabilization Act that would include such provisions as automatic reductions by a formula whenever the administration projects a deficit in the budget and would give the Governor added authority to enforce reductions. Would you support such a measure? ANSWER 3: Assemblyman Mullin said he would oppose giving the Governor added authority to enforce reductions. He said he feels it would be too restrictive and provide too little flexibility. For example, he noted we do carry a surplus, however, the mortgage meltdown took our state's $4 billion surplus, and it took another $3 billion that required a special session to make cuts immediately. The state's economy is very volatile and dynamic and he again stressed the need to have flexibility. The Assemblyman pointed out that once revenues are accumulated by the state, we tend to give them back to the people. "So," he said, "when you're diligent to have a reserve, the people want it back." He also noted that not even the Governor is actively in favor of this concept anymore. Assemblyman Gene Mullin said the reason he referred to an $8 billion budget problem in '08-'09 was that the state should retain a reserve. "They are looking at creating a reserve of about $2 billion, which is very slender for a $104-$105 billion budget." Assembly-man Mullin said there are restrictions on moving monies from Fund to Fund, but they are looking at it. He also said they are also looking at possible accounting changes (accrual methodology) that would enable the state deficit to be reduced by $2 billion. QUESTION 4: The Governor has directed the sale of, and the Treasurer has sold, the remaining authorized $3.3 billion of Economic Recovery Bonds (ERBs), and early repayment of some of the bonds already sold will be suspended. Repayment of the bonds come from the state General Fund (GF), and, coupled with debt service on other bonds the state has sold, this is an increasing percentage of the GF. Are there any circumstances under which you would consider any further borrowing? The Governor has proposed $48 billion in infrastructure bonds for transportation, water, schools and other projects over the next two election cycles. Given our existing debt, would you support any of these bonds, and if so, which ones? ANSWER 4: When asked about the sale of the remaining $3.3 billion worth of Economic Recovery Bonds and about further borrowing, the Assemblyman did note that all those bonds have been sold and early repayments have been delayed. He said we have sold all the bonds authorized under Props 57 + 58. The repayments come from the General Fund, and right now, our repayment percentage is about 6% of the GF. The Assemblyman said there is a huge demand for school reconstruction, and we will probably run out of money from current bonds by 2010. We are already out of money for CSU and UC construction. The Assemblyman is in favor of further borrowing and is sponsoring AB 100, a $9.3 million school construction and remodeling bond. There is also the $9 billion high speed rail bond. Though he still has questions about additional bond debt, he does believe that AB 100 will be necessary for future school construction. He will meet with the Governor in June to decide if they should go forward with the school construction bond. He said he and the Governor will need to make a decision if the citizens of California feel more bonding makes sense. Assemblyman Mullin said the infrastructure bond money is available, and they are trying to get it out as quickly as possible, because it means jobs. He feels the infrastructure bonds will help stimulate the economy quickly by providing jobs and thus infusing money into the economy. The Budget dominates the Policy side of the house. QUESTON 5: What other major issues do you think the Legislature must deal with in 2008? What are your personal priorities? ANSWER 5: When asked what other major issues he feels the Legislature will be dealing with in 2008 and his own personal priorities, Assemblyman Mullin remarked that everything will be revolving around the budget. His own personal priorities include:

introducing a bill that will allow 17-year olds to vote in the Primary if they will turn 18 by the general election
requiring lead poisoning testing for pre-schoolers
passing a bill that will allow the City of Half Moon Bay to settle its lawsuit with a developer
passing a law that will withhold drivers' licenses from teens who drop out of school
continuing to manage the Education Committee As Assemblyman Gene Mullin will be termed out of office after this year, he said he is also trying to achieve continuity in the committees he chairs in the Assembly and a smooth transition for his office.

Judicial Independence News

The LWVUS is pleased to report the receipt of two additional years of funding for Safeguarding U.S. Democracy: Promoting a Fair and Independent Judiciary program, sponsored by the Open Society Institute! Here are some recent highlights of the League's critical work in this area: Podcast on the Importance of Fair and Impartial Courts now available: In this new podcast, LWVUS President, Mary G. Wilson, addresses the importance of a fair and impartial court system in our democracy. To listen, please visit the LWVUS multimedia section on their web page at http://www.lwv.org/faircourts. 2008 Supreme Court Elections: Five States to watch. Thirty-nine state contestable State Supreme Court seats in 21 states are on the ballot next year, potentially making 2008 the most expensive year ever for candidates seeking election to America's state courts. But threats to the fairness and impartiality of the courts may not end with elections: special interest ballot measures and legislative efforts to inject politics into nonpartisan judicial selection systems are also on the horizon for 2008. Check http://www.lwv.org/faircourts for information on five key states to watch. Colorado Citizen Survey: Judicial Independence: With Support from LWVUS, the LWV of Colorado recently conducted a survey of Colorado citizens' views on the judiciary. The poll, conducted in partnership with the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System, has yielded some interesting results which are posted at http://www.lwv.org/faircourts
What Does Judicial Independence Mean? Judicial independence was one of the original principles of the Constitution. The founders of the United States had negative experiences with the judiciary controlled by King George III. They chose to establish courts that were independent so that people would be protected from an overreaching government. The question of influence on judges remains. Courts can be pressured by the other branches of government, by the press or by the public directly. However, judges are to rule only on the basis of the facts and law in all cases before them; other elements should not affect the outcome of a case before them. Independence does not mean a lack of oversight and accountability; judges can be disciplined for serious misconduct on or off the bench. All states have some sort of commission to investigate complaints about judicial behavior. These often have lay people as members. The commissions can recommend removal from office, public or private reprimand, censure and suspension, as well as involuntary retirement. State judges may also face impeachment or recall (where elected.) Federal judges are also impeachable. Recently, some judges have been criticized by politicians and the general public because their decisions have been unpopular. They are usually unable to respond to charges because of the Code of Judicial Conduct which limits their discussion of specific cases in which they have ruled. Lately, this criticism has increased greatly, and judges have taken some action to increase public understanding of the role of judges. Some of these actions include holding court in schools or other accessible places. They support "moot" court trials which are often used in law schools and other locations, working with cable TV and radio stations on programs about courts and the law. They may also encourage use of volunteers in the court systems. Some "customer surveys" measure how the court system is seen to be working by people involved in cases before them. Some state court systems allow trials and related proceedings to be televised. It is important that people know what judges do, and that they are indeed accountable even when they issue rulings that some people will find objectionable. Judges must be servants of the law and the Constitution, not of political bosses, the media, and special interest groups. Judicial independence assures that cases will be decided on their merits and that decisions are based on what is right and just under the law, not what is popular at the moment. This protects our individual liberties and our rule of law.
Pat Brady, LWV + Fairfax Area, Virginia Justice
Committee

Legislative Interview with Senator Leland Yee, 8th District LWVN&CSMC March 21, 2008

QUESTION 1: The governor's budget proposed 10 percent across-the-board cuts to all programs on the grounds of fairness. The Legislative Analyst (LAO) and others have argued that it would be better to set priorities and identify the most critical needs. How do you view these choices, and what would be your own funding priorities or areas of greatest concern? ANSWER 1: Senator Yee said the Governor's intent with the 10% across-the-board cut proposal was to "begin the discussion." He said he agrees that the state has a serious financial deficit and does admit that everyone will "feel the pain." Senator Yee believes some areas will take deeper cuts than the 10%, but others will not. The Senator noted that his own funding priorities are consistent and are the areas he has always championed --- the protection of children, education, and mental health. He said the Democratic caucus has made clear to the Governor that they will not support cuts to education. Senator Yee said he knows some funding must be cut from the education budget, but hopes to make the vast majority of cuts within the State Department of Education by cutting red tape and by eliminating duplication of services. Senator Yee hopes there will be no cuts that directly impact the children in the classroom. The Senator said they will look for savings by addressing inefficiencies and duplication of services. He is also hoping there might be a way to shift money allocated for facilities into the instructional side. Senator Yee added, however, that he couldn't guarantee that there will be no cuts in the classroom. They will try not to suspend Prop 98, but "there will be some cuts." He said the areas most likely to be cut are in social services and health care ,and more people will have to get qualified for services (eligibility will have to be renewed more frequently for a variety of services). The Senator admits we do not have many options and that there can be no more borrowing.
QUESTION - 2: The Governor proposes to address the state budget deficit through borrowing and spending reductions, with only minimal revenue-raising proposals. The LAO and others, including the California Budget Project, the California State PTA, the League, and many other public interest organizations, have called for a balance between spending cuts and revenue increases. Would you support any new revenues, and if so, what kinds would you suggest?
Would you consider reducing or eliminating any tax expenditures to realize more revenue for the state? If so, which ones would you suggest? It has been pointed out that commercial property is only reassessed when there is an outright sale of the property, but not when more than half of the actual ownership of the property has changed hands. Would you consider changes in the way commercial property is assessed to trigger reassessment when such changes in ownership occur?
ANSWER 2:
Senator Yee said the Governor knows that no more borrowing can occur. As to the Governor's proposal to address the budget deficit through borrowing and spending reductions with only minimal revenue raising proposals, Senator Yee does not think this will work. He foresees problems with mandates. He said the Democrats are willing to look at tax increases, but the votes aren't there. The Senator said that there is consideration for a November ballot measure, however the budget is due June 30, so there would still be a July-to-November funding gap that must be addressed. The Senator said he is hoping for proposed limited tax increases tied to very particular needs-- education, for example. He said this might be a way to get some Republicans on board. He does admit, however, that the Democrats do not have the necessary 2/3 majority to override a gubernatorial veto which would undoubtedly occur. Senator Yee said he is not opposed to a sales tax increase, and he would also be open to increased taxes at the higher end of the economic ladder. Senator Yee said, "Yes," he would like to take a serious look at loopholes. He said the Republicans are against this, but there is hope that some Republicans might support a targeted and trackable revenue enhancement for education. He feels strongly constituents who are represented by Republicans, must speak up for this to happen. Senator Yee said, "Clearly, Prop 13 is not going to be touched." There are not the votes to do so and any modification would have to be passed by the voters, which is very unlikely. The Senator said he is in favor of a change in the commercial transfer tax, but it's not clear the votes would be there to make that happen. He said there is a lot of discussion and interest in exploring, however. He did call California's tax structure problematic.
QUESTION 3: The Governor is proposing a Budget Stabilization Act that would include such provisions as automatic reductions by a formula whenever the administration projects a deficit in the budget and would give the Governor added authority to enforce reductions. Would you support such a measure?
ANSWER 3: The Senator said, "No. The budget must be a collaborative effort between the branches of Government." Senator Yee feels that the budget is a collaboration between the legislative and executive branches of government and strongly feels that no one branch should have control. He strongly believes in the balance of powers between the branches.
QUESTION 4: The Governor has directed the sale of, and the Treasurer has sold, the remaining authorized $3.3 billion of Economic Recovery Bonds (ERBs), and early repayment of some of the bonds that have already been sold will be suspended. Repayment of the bonds come from the state General Fund and, coupled with debt service on other bonds the state has sold, this is an increasing percentage of General Fund. Are there any circumstances under which you would consider any further borrowing? The Governor has proposed $48 billion in infrastructure bonds for transportation, water, schools and other projects over the next two election cycles. Given our existing debt, would you support any of these bonds, and if so, which ones?
ANSWER 4:
Senator Yee said, "Yes." He said he would borrow more to ensure the "vitality of the state" and to minimize the pain right now, although the likelihood of that happening may be minimal. The Senator added that although he understands that borrowing equates to saddling future generations, "if your house is burning it doesn't make sense to let it burn down and then have only ashes to leave to your children."
He noted that California is a vital state with a great future. He said if we minimize the pain now, we will have a stronger economy in the future. He also touched on the state's infrastructure and how it is necessary to sell bonds for such long-term capital projects. Senator Yee noted that we are well within our legal limit of bonded indebtedness. The Senator feels bonds give us "more bang for our buck." He said this will help the economy too (e.g. jobs).
QUESTON 5: What other major issues do you think the Legislature must deal with in 2008? What are your personal priorities?
ANSWER 5:
"System change" is the priority for Senator Yee. He said we need to deal with the systemic problems with existing programs + how to use existing dollars wisely rather than always looking to add dollars. For example, schools should "own support services as an integral part of the instructional program" and "deal with the entire child." The Senator said that this is preferred over adding more programs and then having to cut them when we hit bad economic conditions. He added that mental health is similar, and he said we need to improve delivery systems within the county. Beyond that, Senator Yee said his other priorities are kids, education and the environment. The Senator said he would prefer to see increases in revenues rather than cuts in spending. The easier way to do this (with Republicans) is through closing loopholes.

Energy: Now and in the Future

The energy mix-- is changing. That is, the sources of energy are changing. This is caused by a variety of reasons, including concern about global warming, economics, dwindling supplies of certain sources, the international political situation and local politics.
It is interesting to compare the energy mix in different places. Canada's Province of British Columbia uses a mix of 92.8% hydroelectric and 0% nuclear. France uses a mix of 11.3% hydroelectric and 78.3% nuclear. Both make minimal use of natural gas, oil and coal, while Canada's Province of Alberta has a mix of 4.4% hydroelectric and 0% nuclear, but 79.2% coal.
The Province of Ontario has a mix of 24.8% hydroelectric, 49.7% nuclear and 18% coal. Like each state in the United States, each of Canada's provinces has its own energy policy and energy mix. Countries that are geographically close also may have differing sources of energy. Germany uses a mix of 4.5% hydroelectric and 27.1% nuclear, and depends on coal for 50% of its energy, while its neighbor France depends on coal for only 5% of its energy.
What about California? As of 2006, PG&E's mix was 31% hydroelectric, 35% natural gas, 29% coal, 5% renewable, and less than 1% nuclear. PG&E projected a 2007 energy mix of 12% hydroelectric, 49% natural gas, 2% coal, and 24% nuclear. Renewables (solar, wind, biomass, waste, geothermal, etc.) were 5% in 2006 and projected for 12% for 2007.
What does this portend for the future? Will hydroelectric power be decreasing and nuclear energy increasing as a source of Energy in California? The increase in nuclear energy sources will not come about because we will have more nuclear reactors in California; but because PG&E will purchase more energy from those sources. We already import natural gas, and it seems that we will import even more in the future. Renewables will increase as a source of California energy, but will still account for only a small percentage of our mix. Global warming appears to be a reality, whether or not contributed to by human activity. This means that hydroelectric sources will
become less reliable. Water flows will be more sporadic and less predictable in the long run--heavy periodic rains instead of a slow snowmelt. An increase in the use of natural gas will only contribute more to greenhouse gases and global warming. The one factor left out of equation so far is conservation. We are going to need a lot more of that in the future. Donald Jacobberger

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