The Judicial Elections Evaluation Committee for the Los Angeles County Bar Association investigates and analyzes candidates who are running for judicial office on the Los Angeles County Superior Court. The Committee spends a significant amount of time each election season investigating, interviewing, analyzing and ultimately rating all of the candidates. A member of the committee shared the results of this and the ratings given by our Committee. There are four ratings: Exceptionally Well Qualified, Well Qualified, Qualified and Not Qualified. Please consider the ratings below when you go to the voting booth on June 5, 2018.
The graphic is difficult to read. You can find the full report here: www.lacba.org/2018-JEEC
Chamber Board and Legislative and Government Affairs Committee considered measures for impact on local businesses, Pasadena economy and Chamber member companies.
The Board of Directors of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce considered the array of initiatives on the ballot on June 5th. In deciding whether or not to take a position, the Board analyzed whether a particular measure would impact the local economy, local businesses as a whole, or individual Chamber members.
The Board took these positions on the statewide and county initiatives:
State of California
Proposition 68: Drought, Water, Park Bond. SUPPORT. The proposition would allow for a $4 billion bond sale and reallocate $100 million for drought prevention, water sustainablity projects and parks.
Proposition 69: Motor Vehicle Fees. SUPPORT. The proposition restricts gas tax funding expenditures to transportation and transit projects and removes the ability of the state legislature to reallocate these funds.
Proposition 70: Greenhouse Gas Reduction Reserve Fund. SUPPORT. The proposition requires all Cap and Trade funds be deposited in a dedicated account and requires that all appropriations require a 2/3 legislative majority vote in 2024.
Proposition 71: Effective date of ballot measures. SUPPORT. The proposition requires that statewide ballot measures take effect five days after the Secretary of State certifies election results.
Proposition 72: Property Tax exclusion. SUPPORT. The proposition would exclude new construction for rain water capture systems from re-assessment for property tax.
City of Pasadena and Pasadena Unified School District
Ballot Measure AA: Adjusts the City Election Calendar. NEUTRAL/NO POSITION. The measure would align the city elections, as required by state law, to match statewide election cycles. While this is required by law, the means the City Council chose to implement the rules is non-sensical. Unlike the Pasadena Unified School District, which will go to plurality voting where the candidate with the most votes wins in the primary election, the City Council chose to maintain the primary election and general election cycles, where if no candidate receives a majority of votes in the primary, there will be a run-off election between the top two vote getters at the next statewide cycle, which would be in November. The City election cycle could, possibly, begin in advance of the March primary and not conclude until the following November. While the Chamber Legislative and Government Affairs Committee found this extended election cycle to be prohibitively expensive, unduly favorable to incumbents and simply too long for voters to remain engaged, the Board chose a neurtal position anticipating that, should the realignment prove unworkable, the City Council could place another measure in front of voters to move to plurality voting.
Ballot Measure BB: Adjusts Pasadena Unified School District Election Calendar. SUPPORT. The measure puts PUSD in compliance with state law and allows for plurality voting, where the candidate with the most votes in the election wins outright, whether they receive a majority of votes or not.
Ballot Measure CC: Commercial Cannabis Regulations. NEUTRAL/NO POSITION. The measure put forth by the City Council allows for only six retail outlets in Pasadena and imposing severe restrictions. While the The Legislative and Government Affairs Committee appreciated keeping distance requirements for recreational marijuana sales from schools, residences and homes, they felt the small number allowed would simply mean the status quo would prevail, where illegal street sales (and the additional criminal activity that generates) would remain for the local marketplace, or retail operators would set up in neighboring communities. The overwhelming majority of Pasadena voters, about two-thirds, supported the legalization of recreational marijuana, and the Chamber Board listened to City representatives and, while they could not support the measure, chose a neutral position understanding that the City Council would have the authority to amend the regulations, should they choose to do so.
Ballot Measure DD: Cannabis Business Tax. SUPPORT. The measure allows for collection of business taxes and fees from retail cannabis operations. Funding would support regulation enforcement and potentially provide funds for city operations.
The Pasadena Chamber of Commerce does not endorse individual candidates for office.
Additionally, the Chamber Board took positions on the following bills in the California Legislature:
1. CEQA EXEMPTIONS FOR INFILL DEVELOPMENT. SUPPORT AB 1804 (Berman). Which enables faster approval for infill housing projects.
2. BAN ON GAS MORATORIUMS. SUPPORT AB 1879 (Santiago), which prohibits the CPUC from imposing a moratorium on new natural gas service connections.
3. WILDFIRE MITIGATION PLANS. SUPPORTSB 901 (Dodd), which requires electric utilities to adopt policies for de-energizing power lines during extreme weather.
4. BIOMETHANE PROCUREMENT PROGRAM. SUPPORT SB 1440 (Hueso), which requires gas corporations to establish goals to procure their share of the statewide total of biomethane.
5. HEALTH CARE PRICE CONTROLS. OPPOSE AB 3087 (Kalra), which establishes a commission to impose price controls on providers and insurers and determines individual’s copays and deductibles.
6. ACCESS TO CREDENTIALED TEACHERS. SUPPORT AB 2609 (O’Donnell), assisting scientists who want to become teachers in mid-career transition to k-12.
7. CA AEROSPACE & AVIATION ACT. SUPPORT AB 427 (Muratsuchi)- establishes a 17-member aerospace commission to promote the industry and provide a pipeline to state government for the industry.
8. INLAND PORTS DEVELOPMENT. SUPPORT AB 1561(Quirk-Silva), expanding the definition of port facilities eligible for funding to include hubs inland from the ocean.
9. COMMUTER TAX BENEFIT. SUPPORT AB 2548 (Friedman), establishing tax benefit policy that saves businesses money for transit riding employees.
10. FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS FOR CANNABIS. SUPPORT SB930 (Hertzberg), allows for the creation of banking institutions for the Cannabis Industry.
11. CA DEFERRED DEPOSIT TRANSACTION LAW. OPPOSE AB 3010 (Limon), which creates bureaucratic data base of borrowers' personal information.
12. CA SEISMIC INSPECTION. SUPPORT AB 2681 which requires municipalities to inventory certain vulnerable buildings for seismic stability. Dependent on funding from the state.