IGS California Election Guide

May 24, 2018 - By Joel Bahr - Twenty-seven Californians are competing to replace Jerry Brown as governor in the June 5 primary, and 31 are challenging U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein. For voters who may not be familiar with all of them, or most of them, UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies has posted election guides online.

The top two vote-getters in the Senate and gubernatorial races, regardless of party affiliation, will be on the general election ballot.

The election guides also provide the pros and cons of the five ballot propositions that voters will decide, Props. 68 through 72, plus endorsements and iinks to the legislative analyst’s take on them. Here’s a quick rundown of the five:

• Prop. 68 would allow the state to sell $4.1 billion in bonds for various natural resources-related programs related to drinking water quality and parks, among other things.
  
  
• Prop. 69 would amend the state Constitution to require that the Legislature spend revenues from the 2017 diesel sales taxes and vehicle license fees for transportation purposes.
  
  
• Prop. 70 would dictate that revenue collected from the sale of state greenhouse gas emission permits would be deposited into a new special fund, starting in 2024.
  
  
• Prop. 71 would amend the state constitution so that state initiatives and referenda, as well as legislative ballot measures that change the constitution, take effect on the fifth day after the secretary of state files the statement of the vote.
  
  
• Prop. 72 would amend the state constitution to allow the Legislature to exclude the value of a newly constructed rainwater-capture systems from a property’s taxable value.
  Source: UC Berkeley