The San Francisco Chronicle Endorses Proposition 54

September 6, 2016 – The San Francisco Chronicle has endorsed Prop. 54, and “highly recommends its passage on November 8.”

Below are excerpts from the editorial, “Chronicle recommends: Yes on state Prop. 54”:

“California legislators had their chances to stop one of their sloppiest and most undemocratic practices: the passage of last-minute legislation that is jammed through before most rank-and-file lawmakers, let alone the rest of us, have a chance to read it.

…

Proposition 54 would finally deliver that reform.

…

Examples abound of the legislative leadership bypassing the normal public process to do the bidding of a special interest. There was that budget measure that limited the amount of reserves local school districts could maintain as a cushion against lean times (a gift to the teachers union, which wanted to make those dollars available for immediate spending); the 2009 waiver of environmental rules for a downtown Los Angeles football stadium (on the argument that time was of the essence to secure an NFL team … the project never broke ground); or the 2011 bill that Democrats rushed through to force all voter initiatives on the November ballot, thus breaking a deal with Republicans to put spending reform on the June 2012 ballot.

The list goes on and on.

It must be noted that such a rule is hardly novel: City councils and county boards in California are bound to post their agendas at least 72 hours before their meetings.

…The other major provision of Prop. 54 would require video recordings of all legislative proceedings….

Prop. 54 is supported by a broad coalition of good-government groups, including Common Cause, League of Women Voters, California Forward, the state NAACP, First Amendment Coalition, League of California Cities and myriad business groups.

…If Californians want greater transparency from their elected officials, then voters need to take action themselves.

Prop. 54 is that opportunity. We highly recommend its passage on Nov. 8.”

Read the entire article on the San Francisco Chronicle website: http://tinyurl.com/helct86.

To learn more about Prop. 54 or to join the coalition, visit the website at www.YesProp54.org