Prop 6 - this year's ballot box budgeting measure

Prop 6 is a measure to require the state to spend almost a billion dollars a year on a set of projects, supposedly to improve law enforcement. The principle of restricting expenditures in the budget (Proposition 98,99) is horrible policy. This would add to the problems the state faces in making choices among competing priorities. The measure also adopts a series of new criminal standards, which I believe was meant to sweeten the pot. On their face some of the ideas sound good - but they would be better tested in our dysfunctional legislature. Part of the reason for that dysfunction is the number of measures like Proposition 6 that limit the ability of our elected representatives to think about alternatives.

The full arguments, such as they are are at the Secretary of State's website.

Even if the new policies are helpful, I will vote no on the measure because of its' further constriction of the budget process.