CODE BLUE II: best plan to revoke 2/3's rule

[padia]

Okay that is my opinion, but wanted a snazzy hook line. The best plan for getting rid of the 2/3's rule is get the 2/3's filled by Democrats & then vote to move to a simple majority. Fresno is having its 2nd "Code Blue" our name for a voter registration drive Saturday through Monday 10-17thru10-19. Once again we will have door-to-door canvasing Saturday (10-17) & Sunday (10-18) with a wrap up event at the new citizen, Naturalization ceremony on Monday (10-19). Based on the County Clerks report 9-28 Fresno is under 1% the number is 3438, with the lag time of the processing & the time passed we are under 3,000. Our Fair is in progress which is a big event for us,it ends 10-18. At the rate the numbers have been moving we should be able to flip Fresno county that weekend with enough boots on the ground.
Let me get back to why is Fresno crucial for breaking the 2/3's rule there are 3 assembly seats that run through Fresno and none of them are held by Democrats. There are 2 state Senate seats that run through here and one is held by repug Cogdill. at least 1/2 of the seats we need to break the 2/3's rule for CA. are here in Fresno.
If you are interested in coming out to help us make history by flipping Fresno you can PM me and I will give you the RSVP info. We are looking into getting some housing to offset cost for those who do not live close enough to drive here everyday. if you can't make it tell some body who can. Come meet local candidates & their staff, activist, Central Committee members, some CDP officers have already committed to go door knocking.

[padia]

1. some new info for RSVP'ing

there is a link up at www.sanjoaquinvalleydemocrats.org also the fresno central committee has a face book page called friends of fresno democrats, both of these can get you in touch with our campaign services chair also another DUer. I look forward to meeting all of you while we make the repugs pucker.

[Xithras]

2. The question is: Could we get a majority vote after that?

Changing the California Constitution requires a 2/3rds vote in each house AND a majority vote from the population. Even with a 2/3rds vote in the houses, I'm pessimistic that California voters will go for it. Every TV and radio station in the state will be blasting nonstop ad's claiming that "A vote for a 50% tax hike is a vote to raise YOUR taxes". Prop 13 isn't treated as a Third Rail for no reason...even a majority of Democrats in this state oppose its repeal. You would literally have the party leadership squaring off against its own voters. That is NEVER a good situation for a party to be in.

A better solution is simply to obtain and maintain a 2/3rds majority in Sacramento, making Prop 13 moot.

[padia]

3. I am not understanding the prop 13 connection

I do think though the people of CA would go for the a majority vote for the state budget. The campaign would only have to be based on "do you like the harm that not having a budget does....?" and make it a clean simple bill of remove the requirement of a super majority. As I am sure you know this crap of having a 65% majority and having to tip toe around to get stuff done is insane.

[Xithras]

4. Because a majority budget with a 2/3rds tax requirement is pointless.

Even if you were to amend Article 16 to permit a majority to pass a budget, you'd still be faced with the impassable wall that Prop 13 represents.

Section 3. From and after the effective date of this article, any changes in state taxes enacted for the purpose of increasing revenues collected pursuant thereto whether by increased rates or changes in methods of computation must be imposed by an Act passed by not less than two-thirds of all members elected to each of the two houses of the Legislature, except that no new ad valorem taxes on real property, or sales or transaction taxes on the sales of real property may be imposed.

So a majority could PASS a budget, but they would be handcuffed in that they could only do so within the bounds of CURRENT state revenue. In our current budget situation, that would offer little help. Our party would have the ability to better define where the cuts would happen, but we would still be facing slash and burn budgets with no new revenue. In order to raise taxes or fees to actually PAY for that new budget, you would still need a 2/3'rds majority per Prop 13. You can't raise sales taxes, income taxes, or property taxes under Prop 13 without a 2/3rds majority.

As for support, I have to remind you that Prop 56 tried to repeal these requirements in 2004 and only garnered about a third of the vote...it wasn't even close. Californian's, even liberal ones, have long suffered a cognitive dissonance when it comes to state taxes and services. We want those services, but we don't want to pay for them ourselves. Polls have repeatedly shown that there is a statistical dead heat in California on the 2/3rds requirement for budgets, but that the 2/3'rds requirement for taxation increases still has fairly solid support among voters. Even the Republican leaders have publicly said that they'd give up the 2/3'rds budget requirement if they had to, but that they'd fight like hell to keep the 2/3'rds tax rules. They know that's where the real power, and problem, with our budget is located.

There's no advantage in passing a budget you can't pay for.

[padia]

5. thanks for the clarity

when I woke up this morning around 5:00 it dawned on me that the connection was not the budget but masses voting on tax increases.

[padia]

6. just to follow up

there is still time to RSVP. Also according to the County Clerks office as of 10-12-09 (Monday)we were at 2847 or .745% difference considering the lag time that means a week later we are most likely under the 2,500 mark. This 10-12-09 report shows that the rolls shrunk as did the number of decline to states, repubs while the biggest number movement was the increase in democrats.

[padia]

7. no new numbers

yet from the county clerks office. Our pace of 43 a day is holding. We had a dismal turnout for the event. We have been getting about 100 cards over each of the past few weekends from all of the different projects. We are noticing that the repugs are trying to pick up their activities but no paid hit man in the area.

[padia]

8. county clerk posted new numbers this morning

the gap is now 2426. the %'s are 40.790 dem & 41.424 repug making the gap 0.634%. Our pace has fallen to 30 a day. At this rate we will pass them some where around the first of the year at 41% we are closing in on the state average of 73%. All of this just means we have to work harder as we wake them up & run out of people to put on the roles.