Posted on 02/07/2005 7:44:40 AM PST by SmithL
If Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger calls a special election this fall to pass his package of budget initiatives, he could find the ballot jammed with measures he'd rather ignore.
A record 63 proposed initiatives poured into the secretary of state's office in January, as conservatives, liberals and interest groups of all stripes scrambled to get their plans in front of California voters.
"This is going to be the apocalypse of direct democracy,'' said Lewis Uhler of the National Tax Limitation Committee, a veteran of the state's initiative battles. "The election will be unique in the annals of California.''
Contentious initiatives banning illegal immigrants from receiving driver's licenses, requiring parental notification before minors can receive abortions, raising property taxes for businesses and increasing the minimum wage are among many that could end up overshadowing the governor's budget proposals.
"In a perfect world, (Schwarzenegger) would just want his measures on the ballot to make it a referendum on him and his policies,'' said Mark DiCamillo, director of the Field Poll. "But that's not close to reality this time.''
No measures have qualified for a fall ballot, and most of the proposed initiatives can't even begin gathering signatures until early March. But initiative backers already are looking for the financial and political help they will need to collect the hundreds of thousands of required signatures by the mid-April deadline.
Opponents of the governor, such as Democratic Party leaders, union officials and the California Teachers Association, have promised to block Schwarzenegger's efforts to limit education spending, trim pensions for public employees, redraw the state's political boundaries and change the way teachers are paid.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Denny Crane: "There are two places to find the truth. First God and then Fox News."
The list below reflects those proposed measures that have been submitted to the Attorney General for preparation of the title and summary that will appear on the initiative petitions. This process takes approximately 60 days; however, if amendments are submitted by the proponent the time period is lengthened. When the official summary is complete, the Attorney General forwards it to the proponent and to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State then provides calendar deadlines to the proponent and to the county elections officials.
Yep.
If there's no Secretary of State, and the legislature rejects all appointees to replace the SoS, can the state still hold an election? Is there going to be an acting SoS, like the Controller would be in an attempt at a recall of the SoS?
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