What's On Your Ballot

by Lorine Parks

Downey votes on November 8. It’s true, that in Rotary politics are not discussed. It’s a relief to come to a place where the baggage is left at the doorstep and lunch can by enjoyed with friends, where one can raise one’s fork without also raising one’s blood pressure.

So it was in the spirit of civic-mindedness that Mario Guerra undertook to explain, not campaign for or against, the many State Propositions on the ballot; not to tell us how to vote, but to give us information.

California differs from other states in that most of our tax increases come from the ballot and not from the legislators. Our own Downey Proposition S does exactly that. It proposes to add a one half of one half of one percent to each sale conducted in Downey, excluding food and medicine. A review of this Prop was aired at a club meeting a few weeks ago and reviewed in the Bub.

In a year of weird ballot measures – should porn actors be required to wear condoms? –. by the time California voters weigh in on a ballot measure, they’ve typically been bombarded by millions of dollars of advertising for and against.

Mario wanted us to be sure to know what each item meant, and occasionally Program Chair Roger Brossmer chimed in. From the issue of the recreational use of marijuana, to plastic bags, to the death penalty, “Be informed. It’s your voice and your vote.” Thank you, Mario.