Nov. 8 initiatives will reform state spending

The upcoming special election for California contains several
important voter initiatives.

Several critical issues, such as fiscal discipline and education
reform, are to be decided by this election, so responsible
Californians, especially UCLA students, should back the following
measures in order to strengthen the state’s future.

Proposition 74 is a measure that would help reform our
state’s broken education system.

The measure would extend the probationary period of newly hired
teachers, during which they are placed under closer scrutiny, from
two to five school years.

This proposition would also establish two consecutive
unsatisfactory evaluations as sufficient grounds for the dismissal
of a tenured teacher. If passed, Proposition 74 would make it far
easier for the state to weed out incompetent teachers who do not
belong in the schools.

While good teachers would have nothing to fear, Proposition 74
allows the state to hold those accountable who have consistently
failed their students. It is high time we reform education in
California by tackling a real problem with the system instead of
blindly throwing more money at our schools with the naive hope that
the problem will go away.

On the subject of throwing away money, fiscal discipline seems
to be a major problem for California’s Legislature.

Proposition 76 seeks to remedy this by limiting the growth of
state spending each year to the growth of state revenue and by
granting the governor more discretion in curbing spending.

The measure is appropriately being called the “Live Within
Our Means Act.” It simply places into law what should be a
common sense principle: Don’t spend more than you have.

Proposition 77 would redraw California’s Assembly, Senate
and congressional electoral districts. Currently,
California’s districts are a disgrace. They are drawn up by
legislators who have a keen interest in ensuring that their seats
are safe.

When incumbent legislators are allowed to draw their own
districts, they are able to handpick their voters, resulting in
very predictable elections in which the people are given little
democratic choice. In November 2004, 153 seats at both the state
and federal level were up for election, and not a single one
switched parties.

One merely has to look at a map of California’s districts
to realize that they are horribly gerrymandered. One of San
Diego’s Assembly districts extends along a remarkably thin
strip through Riverside all the way up to San Bernardino
country.

Proposition 77 gives the duty of drawing fair districts to a
panel of three retired judges. These judges would have no personal
stake in the districts they draw, and they would be much more
likely to produce an electoral map that makes sense and holds
legislators accountable to the people who voted for them.

Proposition 75 would make it unlawful for a union of state
employees to use membership dues for political campaigns without
the expressed written consent of each individual worker. Since many
state employees are compelled by law to pay dues to labor unions
that typically engage in political activities, individual workers
are unjustly forced to contribute their hard-earned dollars to
political causes they may not personally support.

Proposition 75 protects worker’s rights by ensuring that
individual workers, not union bosses, have the final say on how and
if their money should be spent on political campaigns.

Nov. 8 is an important day for all Californians, and we should
not miss the chance to reform our government and restore some
semblance of sanity to this great state.

Ellis is the treasurer for Bruin Republicans.