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HHS Network Partners Voice Their Support for SB 202

6 October, 2011 (18:26) | CA Action | By: admin

With three days left before the Governor must sign the bill, California needs your voice for SB 202. This important reform measure has been sitting on Governor Brown’s desk for weeks. If you have not yet sent in a letter, please do so now. Let’s show Governor Brown that Californians support initiative reform!

Below you’ll find letters of support from HHS Network of CA partners, as we shower SB 202 with support and encourage Governor Brown to sign the bill!

____________________________________________________________________________
From CAP – California Partnership

The Honorable Jerry Brown
Governor of the State of California
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814

RE: Support for SB 202 and a Healthy Initiative Process in California

Dear Governor Brown:

I am writing in support of SB 202, a common sense bill waiting for approval on your desk.  SB 202 will only place ballot initiatives on the November general elections, when we see the greatest number and range of Californian voters come out to weigh in on impactful state decisions and make their voices heard.

Now more than ever we need Californians empowered to think, debate, and weigh in on initiatives, which have a historically profound impact on our state’s health, education, taxes, and economy.  SB 202 will involve more of our state’s voters in the initiative process, which can only be a good thing for California as we work to balance our budget and set our economic priorities for the coming years.

SB 202 will also postpone a spending cap referendum to 2014, a far better time to be considering the creation of a “rainy day” fund for California.  When our economic forecast is sunnier we can debate the issue, but right now we need funds for essential public programs in California that have been slashed, cut, and whittled down to the tune of $15 billion in recent budget action. A spending cap would only limit the investment we need to make in this harsh economic time to support the core infrastructure of the state.

California Partnership is a statewide anti-poverty coalition of over 120 community based groups. We firmly believe that we must fund essential health and human services programs for the most vulnerable populations in California. We support measures that protect our safety-net and SB 202 meets that principle by postponing the spending cap that could be harmful to California’s families.

Instead of limiting our resources, if we have funds to spare, they should go towards restoring those programs that support the health, security, and education of California’s children, seniors, families, and vulnerable residents.

SB 202 will help our state keep our priorities straight by empowering our voters and maintaining healthy budget priorities.  We urge you to sign SB 202 for a better initiative process for California.
Sincerely,

Nancy Berlin
Director
California Partnership

____________________________________________________________________________
From CIPC – The California Immigrant Policy Center

The Honorable Edmund G. Brown
Office of the Governor
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814

RE: SB 202 (Hancock) – Request for Signature
Via Facsimile 916.558.3160
Dear Governor Brown,
On behalf of the California Immigrant Policy Center, I am writing to respectfully urge you to sign SB 202 (Hancock), an important elections measure that clarifies the Elections Code around the timing of initiatives that are to be placed on the ballot. Specifically, SB 202 ensures that all future ballot initiatives are placed on general elections ballots in November, rather than primary elections, when voter turnout is traditionally very low. This measure would also move ACA 4, the draconian spending cap proposal, or so called “rainy day fund” measure to the November 2014 ballot.
Due to the far reaching impacts ballot initiatives have on the day to day lives of Californians, it is absolutely essential to ensure that measures appear on ballots in which turnout is higher. Historically, new voters who have recently been naturalized, young voters, low income voters, and voters of color have significantly higher turnout in general elections. Primary election voters often tend to be older and more affluent, and don’t usually represent the changing demographics of the state of California. We believe SB 202 is necessary to ensure that vital policy decisions are made at times when higher voter participation is likely to ensure that the broad will of California’s voters is represented.
Further, we support the provision in SB 202 that moves ACA 4 to the November 2014 ballot, given our state’s continuing economic distress. In the most recent budget agreement, our state’s legislators tremendously reduced our state’s “wall of debt”, but there is still a portion of a structural deficit that will continue to carry over for the next few years. Capping spending, and funneling money into a rainy day fund at a time when our state is still suffering is certainly not the answer. In the past few years, low income communities of color have been devastated by the evisceration of our state’s safety net. SB 202 would give our state legislators the flexibility to fix some of these problems; instead of being shackled by the provisions of ACA 4.
For the aforementioned reasons, the California Immigrant Policy Center urges you to sign SB 202.
Sincerely,
Ronald E. Coleman
Statewide Policy Analyst
California Immigrant Policy Center
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