My Guide for Progressive Voting Nov. 4

Here's a cheat sheet to take with you to the polls, or more likely to use on your absentee ballot this fall. I've compiled information from groups I trust like the California League of Conservation Voters (CLCV), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the Consumer Federation of California (CFC). Please vote and please pass this along.

A run through the Props:
Yes on 1A = Yes to Green Jobs and Green Transportation: CFC says, "High speed rail bonds - Authorizes $10 billion in bonds to begin construction of a 220 MPH train to connect San Francisco to Los Angeles. Trains will be powered by renewable electricity and create an estimated 160,000 jobs over the next 10 years. Prop 1 is a historic opportunity for Californians to invest in a cleaner and more efficient transportation future that will pay for itself many times over."
This will help up catch up to Europe when it comes to cutting down greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.

Yes on Prop 2 = Better Health for Humans and Animals: This video from the Humane Society explains it best.


NO on Prop 4: ACLU says, "Amending the California Constitution to restrict teens’ access to reproductive health services would put millions of young people at risk. By voting "no," you are defending teen safety, especially for young women who are vulnerable to abuse at home."
Let's not go back to the dangerous days of bloody back-alley abortions or dumping of unwanted newborns in the trash.

Yes on Prop 5: CFC says, "Drug diversion and alternatives to incarceration - California's failure to develop a comprehensive public health approach to address drug abuse, addiction and mental illness threatens the health of millions of state residents, crowds our jails with non-violent criminals, and costs taxpayers billions. Prop 5 would mean less overcrowding, better opportunities for rehabilitation, and decreased transmission of disease, while saving the state over $1 billion a year."
Enough overcrowding of our prisons with non-violent offenders. Having a drug addiction isn't a crime; it's a health problem.

NO on Prop 7: CLCV says, "Protect small solar producers and encourage solar energy production - Prop 7 fails to address the obstacles that have been identified by conservation groups, energy agencies, the renewables industry, and others as barriers to reaching our renewable energy goals. In addition, the proposal jeopardizes achievement of the current requirement of California law, which requires that 20 percent of electricity sold to customers be renewable by 2010. The proposed change puts the entire spectrum of small-scale renewable generation technologies at risk."

NO on Prop 8: ACLU says, "The right to marry is a fundamental freedom – not one for the government to grant to some Californians and deny to others. By voting 'no,' you are taking a stand for basic fairness."

NO on Prop 10: CFC says, "Alternative vehicle and energy bonds - A fossil fuel corporation owned by Texas oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens spent over three million dollars to put Prop 10 on the ballot. That corporation will reap a bonanza if Prop 10 passes. Every major environmental group in the state - The Sierra Club, NRDC, CLCV, Union of Concerned Scientists, and Environment California - opposes Prop 10 because it would do nothing to clean the air or reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

NO on Prop 11: CLCV says, "Stop the flawed redistricting plan - Prop 11, the latest attempt to “reform” California’s redistricting process, doesn’t solve the problem it claims to fix. According to a recent study by the respected Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), this initiative would have little impact on reducing partisanship. 'If the ultimate goal of redistricting reform is to increase bipartisanship in Sacramento, other avenues may prove more fruitful,' wrote report author Eric McGhee, a research fellow at PPIC. 'Campaign finance reform, open primaries, and the mobilization of complacent middle-of-the-road voters would probably be more effective.'"


President: Barack Obama
Oakland City Council at Large: Rebecca Kaplan - She's a huge supporter of improved and expanded transit service and bike lanes as well as a strong advocate on housing rights.

For endorsements on other offices, check out CLCV's endorsement page.