[SFGP Action] Have Your Say: Join Us for SFGP Endorsement Meetings 8/16, 9/13 and 9/20

[ErikaSF at aol.com]

Have your say!
Join us for San Francisco Green Party endorsement meetings 8/16, 9/13, and 
9/20.

All Green Party members are invited to attend our endorsement meetings, which 
are scheduled for 8/16, 9/13, and 9/20.  The schedule for the 8/16 meeting is 
below.  Green Party members who participate in the work of the party ("active 
greens" as defined by our bylaws) are eligible to fully participate in making 
endorsements and other policy decisions.  Decisions are made using a modified 
consensus process (consensus, with a fallback vote).

NOTE SPECIAL START TIME: 7:00. Endorsements won't start until 7:30.

Facil: JM Chandonia and Susan King; Notes: Sue Vaughan.

7:00-7:30, internal business:

Consensus process - 2 min

Accreditation of new members - 3 min

Agenda approval - 5 min

New CC nominees - Christina Olague, Jazzie Collins, Charlene Smythe,
Micheas Herman (pending their agreeing to it).- 10

Mediation & Arbitration Cte nominees - Terry Baum, Erika McDonald, and
Joe Lynn (Pat Villano if Joe doesn't agree to do it) - 5

Bylaws - 2nd reading for: - 5 min
a) renumber bylaws to arabic (not Roman) index - consent calendar, text below
b) require CC attendance at CC meetings. Text below.

*7:30- 9:30: Endorsements

1) Clean Money Act, State Prop 89- Outside Presenter arriving at 7:30
(10-20 min)

2) Candidates (60 min)
Kim Knox for SF School Board- attending
Todd Chretien for US Senate- invited
Peter Camejo for CA Governor- invited

3) Initiatives- local and state
LOCAL: Impeachment Resolution- consent calendar
LOCAL: Mayoral chat sessions- consent calendar LOCAL: Sick Pay- consent or 10 
min if discussion needed
STATE: 1A: TWG recommends yes 5 min (see below)
STATE: 1B: TWG recommends no 5 min (see below)
STATE: 87: TWG recommends yes 10 min (see below)
STATE: 1C: HLU Presentation 20 min
STATE: 83: Sex Offender 10 min
STATE 86: Cig tax, Nancy Lewis presenting 10 min

* NOTE: the agenda is longer than 2 hours, we may get some items done
quicker than the time alloted. If not, we may need to defer some of
the issues to a later endorsement meeting.

Upcoming Endorsement Meetings:

SPECIAL CC meeting (rescheduled from Sept 13 to make room for endorse
meeting): Mon, Sept 11

SPECIAL GM Endorsement meeting, Weds, Sept 13

Regular GM/Endorsement meeting, Weds, Sept 20

Issues to be Endorsed at upcoming meetings:

LOCAL Endorsements:
School Bond (outside presenter, TBA)
Elected official salary increase
Small Business Protection Act (outside presenter, TBA)

STATE Initiatives and Bonds:
1D: Education funding- need presenter
1E: Disaster funding, need presenter
84: Water Quality- need presenter
88: Education funding- need presenter

CANDIDATES:
SF Board of Supervisors, Districts 2, 4, 8, 10 - need questionnaires
SF School Board-
SF Community College Board-
Assessor

Text of proposed bylaws amendments:

a) Renumber bylaws using Arabic numeral index rather than Roman
numbers. Section I would be come section 1. The first paragraph in
section 1 would become 1.1, etc. This will allow us to refer to
specific bylaws more easily. Consent item.

b) Require CC attendance at CC meetings:

A member will be automatically removed from the Council in the event
that the member:
a) Moves out of the county; or
b) Registers with another political party or Decline to State; or
c) Is absent from at least three out of any six consecutive regularly
scheduled County Council meetings, without being excused by the
CC. Absences may be excused by the CC (business decision) in advance
of a scheduled absence or at the next CC meeting following an absence.

Transpo Working Group notes on 3 transpo-related State measures:

87 - lukewarm consensus on endorsement. $4B in bonds to promote
petroleum alternatives. Backed not by general fund, but by windfall
tax on oil companies (only CA producers). 9 member committee appointed
by various elected/appointed officials. Not necessarily the best use
of the money (some would be corporate welfare) but no obvious red
flags.

1A - consensus on endorsement. Would prevent Governor from stealing
transportation money that's going to the cities (mostly for public
transit and pothole repair). Was big loss for SF last time. Should
endorse because of our support for decentralization.

1B - lukewarm consensus on opposition. ~41% of $20B pork-fest bond
goes to good things, 59% to bad things. We might want to support it if
we thought this is the best deal we can get, but I suspect we want to
oppose it on principle. Too much highway construction.


Here are some summaries of the STATE initiatives we will vote on:

Propositions that are on the
November 7, 2006 General Election Ballot


Legislative Constitutional Amendment
??? Proposition 1A

SCA 7 (Resolution Chapter 49, 2006). Torlakson.

Transportation Investment Fund

Legislative Bond Act
??? Proposition 1B

SB 1266 (Chapter 25, 2006). Perata.

Highway Safety, Traffic Reduction, Air Quality, Port Security Bond  
Act of 2006

Legislative Bond Act
??? Proposition 1C

SB 1689 (Chapter 27, 2006). Perata.

Housing and Emergency Shelter Trust Fund Act of 2006.

Legislative Bond Act
??? Proposition 1D

AB 127 (Chapter 35, 2006). N????ez.

Education facilities:  Kindergarten-University Public Education  
Facilities Bond Act of 2006.

Legislative Bond Act
??? Proposition 1E

AB 140 (Chapter 33, 2006). N????ez.

Disaster Preparedness and Flood Prevention Bond Act of 2006.

Initiative Statute
??? Proposition 83

1154. (SA2005RF0092)


Sex Offenders. Sexually Violent Predators. Punishment, Residence  
Restrictions and Monitoring. Initiative Statute.
Proponent: Richard Gann, George Runner and Sharon Runner, c/o Dave  
Gilliard (916) 444-1502

Increases penalties for violent and habitual sex offenders and child  
molesters. Prohibits registered sex offenders from residing within  
2,000 feet of any school or park, and requires lifetime Global  
Positioning System monitoring of felony registered sex offenders.  
Expands the definition of a sexually violent predator, and changes  
the current two-year involuntary civil commitment for a sexually  
violent predator to an indeterminate commitment, subject to annual  
review by the Director of Mental Health and petition by the sexually  
violent predator for conditional release or unconditional discharge.  
Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of  
fiscal impact on state and local governments: Unknown net costs to  
the state, within a few years, potentially in the low hundreds of  
millions of dollars annually due primarily to increased state prison,  
parole supervision, and mental health program costs. These costs  
would grow significantly in the long term. Potential one-time state  
capital outlay costs, within a few years, in the low hundreds of  
millions of dollars for construction of additional state mental  
hospital and prison beds. Unknown but potentially significant net  
operating costs or savings to counties for jail, probation  
supervision, district attorneys, and public defenders. The portion of  
costs related to changes in the Sexual Violent Predators program  
would be reimbursed by the state.


Initiative Statute


???
Proposition 84

1185. (SA2005RF0131)


Water Quality, Safety and Supply. Flood Control. Natural Resource  
Protection. Park Improvements. Bonds. Initiative Statute.
Proponent: Stephen J. Kaufman (213) 452-6565

Authorizes $5,388,000,000 in general obligation bonds, payable from  
the state???s General Fund, to fund projects relating to safe drinking  
water, water quality and supply, flood control, waterway and natural  
resource protection, water pollution and contamination control, state  
and local park improvements, public access to natural resources, and  
conservation efforts. Provides funding for emergency drinking water,  
and exempts such expenditures from public contract and procurement  
requirements to ensure immediate action for public safety. Summary of  
estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal  
impact on state and local governments: State cost of about $10.5  
billion over 30 years to pay off both the principal ($5.4 billion)  
and interest ($5.1 billion) costs on the bonds. Payments of about  
$350 million per year. Reduction in local property tax revenues of  
several million dollars annually, about one-half of which would be  
offset by state payments to schools to make up their revenue loss.  
Unknown costs, potentially tens of millions of dollars per year, to  
state and local governments to operate or maintain properties or  
projects acquired or developed with these bond funds. (SA2005RF0131.)





???
Proposition 86

1197. (SA2005RF0139, Amdt. #1-NS)
Tax on Cigarettes. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute.
Proponent: Paul Knepprath (916) 444-8801

Imposes additional 13 cent tax on each cigarette distributed ($2.60  
per pack), and indirectly increases tax on other tobacco products.  
Provides funding to qualified hospitals for emergency services,  
nursing education and health insurance to eligible children. Revenue  
also allocated to specified purposes including tobacco use prevention  
programs, enforcement of tobacco-related laws, and research,  
prevention and treatment of various conditions including cancers  
(breast, cervical, prostate and colorectal), heart disease, stroke,  
asthma and obesity. Exempts recipient hospitals from antitrust laws  
in certain circumstances. Revenue excluded from appropriation limits  
and Proposition 98 calculations. Summary of estimate by Legislative  
Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local  
governments: Increase in new state tobacco tax revenues of about $2.1  
billion annually by 2007-08, declining slightly annually thereafter.  
Those revenues would be used for various health and tobacco-related  
programs and for children???s health coverage. Unknown net state costs  
potentially reaching the low hundreds of millions annually after a  
few years due to provisions for streamlining enrollment in the Medi- 
Cal and HFP. Unknown but potentially significant savings to counties  
on a statewide basis beginning in the near term for a shift of  
children from county health coverage to HFP, with unknown but  
potentially significant costs to the state in the long term for  
ongoing support of expanded HFP enrollment. Unknown but potentially  
significant savings in state and local government public health care  
costs over time due to expected reduction in consumption of tobacco  
products and due to other factors. (SA2005RF0139, Amdt. #1-NS.)



Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute
??? Proposition 87

1196. (SA2005RF0138, Amdt. #2-S)
Alternative Energy. Research, Production, Incentives. Tax on  
California Oil. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute.
Proponent: James C. Harrison and Thomas A. Willis c/o Remcho,  
Johansen & Purcell (510) 346-6200

Establishes $4 billion program to reduce oil and gasoline usage by  
25%, with research and production incentives for alternative energy,  
alternative energy vehicles, energy efficient technologies, and for  
education and training. Funded by tax of 1.5% to 6%, depending on oil  
price per barrel, on producers of oil extracted in California.  
Prohibits producers from passing tax on to consumers. Program  
administered by California Energy Alternatives Program Authority.  
Prohibits changing tax while indebtedness remains. Revenues excluded  
from Proposition 98 calculations and appropriation limits. Summary of  
estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal  
impact on state and local governments: New state revenues annually ???  
depending on the interpretation of the measure???s tax rate  
provisions ??? of either about $200 million or about $380 million from  
the imposition of a severance tax on oil production, to be used to  
fund a variety of new alternative energy programs. Reductions of  
unknown amounts in: local revenues from property taxes paid on oil  
reserves, potentially partially offset by state payments to schools  
to make up their revenue loss; state revenues from income taxes paid  
by oil producers; and, potentially, state and local revenues from  
gasoline and diesel excise and sales taxes. (SA2005RF138, Amdt. #2-S.)

Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute


???
Proposition 88

1189. (SA2005RF0126)
Education Funding. Real Property Parcel Tax. Initiative  
Constitutional Amendment and Statute.
Proponent: John D. Adkisson c/o Joan L. Cassman and Steven D. Miller  
(415) 777-3200

Provides additional public school funding for kindergarten through  
grade 12 by imposing a $50 tax on each real property parcel; exempts  
certain elderly and disabled homeowners. Funds must be used for class  
size reduction, textbooks, school safety, Academic Success facility  
grants, and a data system to evaluate educational program  
effectiveness. Provides for reimbursement to government entities to  
offset anticipated decrease in other tax revenue. Prohibits fund use  
for school administrative overhead. Requires school district audits  
and penalties for fund misuse. Excludes funds from Proposition 98  
calculations. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director  
of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Annual  
revenue of up to $500 million from a new, statewide parcel tax with  
the revenue dedicated to specific K-12 education programs (such as  
class size reduction, instructional materials, school safety, and  
facility grants). (SA2005RF0126.)
Initiative Statute


???
Proposition 89


1216. (SA2006RF0015, Amdt. #2-S)
Political Campaigns. Public Financing. Corporate Tax Increase.  
Contribution and Expenditure Limits. Initiative Statute.
Proponent: Deborah Burger c/o Michael Lighty (510) 273-2200

Provides that candidates for state elective office meeting certain  
eligibility requirements, including collection of a specified number  
of $5.00 contributions from voters, may voluntarily receive public  
campaign funding from the Fair Political Practices Commission, in  
amounts varying by elective office and type of election. Increases  
income tax rate on corporations and financial institutions by 0.2  
percent to fund program. Imposes new limits on campaign contributions  
to state-office candidates and campaign committees, and new  
restrictions on contributions and expenditures by lobbyists and  
corporations. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director  
of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Increased  
revenues (primarily from increased taxes on corporations and  
financial institutions) totaling more than $200 million annually to  
pay for the public financing of political campaigns for state elected  
offices. (SA2006RF0015.)

Initiative Constitutional Amendment
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