In the final statewide installment of our 2018 L.A. Taco Voter Guide, we run down the rest of the propositions on the general ballot in California. We'll also discuss a few key Superior Court judgeships for Los Angeles County.
Proposition 3: Water Projects in the Central Valley
Both the L.A. Times and DSA LA have flagged this proposition as being a huge break for large agriculture companies in the Central Valley, and suggest a no vote. The Central Valley is where a lot of our agriculture comes from, so who should pay for the direly needed projects to sustain growth there. Water is going to become a greater political and economic issue in the coming years, and any proposition that addresses that is worth consideration. Read more here.
Proposition 4: Giving Children’s Hospitals Millions in Funding for Construction
No one is opposing this initiative that would give $1.08 billion to non-profit children’s hospitals. Though DSA LA points out, there are some problems with the prop. Read more here.
Proposition 5: Giving the Rich Another Tax Break
This ballot measure is aimed at taking money from schools and cities so that rich homeowners can transfer to new homes and keep their old, cheaper property taxes. It’s a boondoggle that would only benefit the rich and real estate companies. Read more here.
Proposition 7: Should We End Daylights Savings?
This would allow the state to control Daylights Savings for … Why? What? Who cares? Ending Daylight Savings in California would still require federal approval. Why do we have Daylight Savings Time anyway? Read more here.
Proposition 11: Giving Ambulance Workers Paid Breaks
A 2016 California Supreme Court ruling that applied to security guards and a fear of pending lawsuits launched this initiative. In the ruling, the court said guards did not have to be on call during a break. As a result, private ambulance companies are scared of a similar ruling locking them out of the current status quo, where their private EMTs get paid for their breaks but are required to be on call. It's similar to cops, firemen, nurses, and doctors. If an emergency call comes in, they have to roll. The fact that private companies bankrolled a ballot initiative to prevent a class action lawsuit is shady. But then ask yourself if you want to be in an emergency when everyone is out to lunch? The idea that companies should hire more workers to fill those gaps is great. But is there really a minimum amount of emergency workers that would be enough? Emergencies by their very nature are unpredictable. It's definitely a complicated issues that requires some thought. A "Yes" vote would keep the status quo. A "No" vote would essentially end it. Read more here.
Proposition 12: Animal in Cages
This one bans the sale of meat and eggs from animals who are confined in small cages. Read more here.
Superior Court 4: Veronica Sauceda
Veronica Sauceda is has a ton of experience as a public interest lawyer. She grew up in Southeast Los Angeles, is the daughter of Mexican immigrants, and represented low-income people for free for thirteen years. Her opponents are career prosecutors with lower ratings from the County Bar Association. Read more here.
Superior Court 16: Patricia Hunter
Patti Hunter is a prosecutor with 28 years of experience putting away criminals, her opponent has a record of defending wealthy, blue-collar criminals and her husband is president of the California Rifle and Pistol Association. Read more here.
Superior Court 60: Holly Hancock
Holly Hancock is another lawyer who has dedicated her career to defending poor people in court. She is a career public defender who is a vocal critic of the cash bail system. Read more here.
Superior Court 113: Javier Perez
Javier Perez has 11 endorsements from fellow judges, and his opponent faces ethical questions that a candidate shouldn’t really face, especially going into a seat on the court. Read more here.
Reporter Sam Ribakoff contributed to this report.
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