Healthcare struggle ahead

President Obama has promised to bring forward a healthcare plan that will enable Americans to get the kind of healthcare they deserve, but it won't be easy. The struggle to unite insurance companies, the government, the medical profession and the general public promises to be a long one. Already supporters of single-payer healthcare are turning to demonstrations and civil disobedience to protest the lack of a public option in the bill currently proposed. Some Californians, despairing of action on the national level, prefer to support Sen. Mark Leno's proposal for single-payer insurance in California. The state legislature has supported this approach before, but Governor Schwarzenegger has vetoed each bill passed. This is a crucial area for most Californians and the League of Women Voters, plans to provide informative forums and other programs to allow voters to learn more about the plans supported by various groups. The first forum was held on May 27, and another one is planned for early September. Keep tabs on what is happening by visiting www.sfvotes.org frequently for the latest updates.

Only temporary?

Castro Street and much of the city was alive with protest last night after the California Supreme Court decision to uphold Prop 8 was announced. The proposition, passed by a small majority of voters, rescinded the right of same-sex marriage in the state, while at the same time upholding the validity of thousands of same-sex marriages performed before November 2008. Today this decision is making headlines all over the country and has been the subject of an editorial in the N.Y. Times. Despite the high emotion shown by both supporters and opponents of Prop 8, the underlying question of making changes to the state constitution is perhaps the most important issue to emerge from the case. The California constitution has been amended more than 500 times, making changes both trivial and major to the document. What kind of a constitution needs constant tinkering over the years? Surely one of the most important lessons learned from this case is that it's time to hold a constitutional convention and take a long, rational look at howthe state wants to govern itself. The opponents of Prop 8 are surely right that the set-back yesterday is only temporary, but the weakness in our constitutional procedures will be enduring unless we do something about them, and do it soon.

Is California leading the nation to chaos?

From the tranquil green campus of Princeton University, Paul Krugman today writes about the dire state of California. Even though Californians have been making bitter jokes about how the state has lost its way, it is chilling to know that on the other side of the continent a leading economist thinks that if California really still is "where the future happens first" then "God help America". Krugman is worried because the political system in our state simply is not functioning. He points to Prop 13 as the ballot measure that started the trend toward unworkable budgets and an unstable government. Our dependence on income tax to fund almost all government functions leaves us vulnerable to every swing in the economy. And what are we doing about it? So far not much. Everyone knows we need changes in Prop 13 to enable us to make property taxes more equitable. We need to stop allowing a minority of lawmakers to hold our budget process hostage to the need for a two/thirds majority. As citizens we need to take responsibility for supporting change. It's time for every one of us to support the call for a Constitutional Convention and to hold our lawmakers accountable for their decisions. The longer we wait the worse the world will be for our children and grandchildren.

Fixing a tax loophole

The fiasco of the Special Election on May 19 has made it clear that California must make some changes to its budget process. Prop 13, the ballot measure passed in 1978, has been an impediment to sensible budget planning for thirty years, but no legislator has faced up to the challenge of changing it. Now Phil Ting, San Francisco's Assessor-Recorder presents a plan to close at least one large loophole. According to Ting, the people who get most from Prop 13 are large corporations which no longer bear the brunt of property taxes. Commercial property owners paid only 43 percent of property taxes in 2008, while residential property owners paid 57 percent. If the rules were changed so that corporations paid their fair share, California would benefit from increased revenue and a large burden would be removed from many middle-class citizens. The League of Women Voters supports this reform. Let's hope the legislators have the courage to stand firm against corporate lobbyists and make Prop 13 work the way it was intended to work, protecting homeowners, not businesses.

What are they doing with our money?

Year after year voters approve bond issues but often they lose track of how the money is being spent. Starting today San Franciscans will have a convenient way of keeping track of how the city's bond money is being spent or perhaps not spent. The website of the League of Women Voters of San Francisco www.sfvotes.org has a section called Bond Watch in which Kristin Chu, a member of the League and also of the city's Bond Oversight Committee. will provide quarterly reports of bond activity. The May report details the status of the 2000 Neighborhood Recreation and Parks Bond and the 1999 Laguna Honda Hospital Bond. Don't lose this opportunity to track how the city is spending money the voters approved for public projects.

Now's the time to vote!

This is a very slow election day. Some of the polling places are almost empty. Now is the time to go out and vote so our officials know we really do care.

Running scared

The Bay to Breakers run tomorrow will attract hordes of participants and viewers on what is predicted to be one of the hottest days on record for May. Runners are already being warned to be scared of dehydration and sunburn and to avoid them by drinking lots of water and slathering on sunblock. If only there were simple prescriptions for the rest of us to avoid the dangers of an unbalanced budget causing layoffs that will injure many people in the city. Mayor Newsom announced that 1000 city workers will be laid off, many of them in the Public Health Department. Why is the city in such a fix? The overall recession is hurting all of us, of course, but the pain could be moderated if it were shared by everyone. Instead, we are treated to the same old political squabbles and the same greedy refusal to help our neighbors that shows up year after year. Running this city is becoming more and more like monitoring a schoolyard full of six-year-olds. But kids grow up and learn to share, while it sometimes seems that our politicians never will.

Thinking about the Supreme Court

The appointment of a new Supreme Court Justice is always a big news event, but this year's nomination is being more closely watched than ever before. At least it seems that way. According to a CBS/NYTimes poll, most Americans (55%) trust President Obama to nominate a good candidate, but there are lots of different ideas about what kind of candidate is a "good candidate". Many womens groups and some government officials, such as Senator Barbara Boxer, have pleaded with President Obama to nominate a woman. Other groups urge the naming of a Latino or a "strong liberal". A majority of Republicans (66%) are anxious about the choice, while the overwhelming majority of Democrats (80%) believe whoever Obama chooses will be someone they can support. Perhaps its time for all of us to take a deep breath and let the process move ahead without so much scrutiny and worry.

Scary election

Every day brings new news and opinions on what is going to happen after the May 19 election. In the S.F. Chronicle today, you'll find a round-up of cuts being planned if the six ballot measures are not passed--and all indications are they will not be passed. You have probably also seen the ads on TV of firefighters worrying about whether they will be able to keep up the annual fight against wildfires and of teachers worrying about whether they will keep their jobs. Despite all the news and media concern, the average citizen often takes one look at the long, dull ballot measures and decides the figures are too much to cope with. Turnout is expected to be very low, but no doubt complaints will be very loud no matter which way th vote goes. If you want to give any credibility to your complaints, you have to get out there and express your opinion in the vote. Check on the links on this website www.SFvotes.org get the information you need, and cast your vote on May 19.

What's happens on May 20th?

According to polls and anecdotal evidence, it seems that the voters will turn down every one of the six ballot measures being proposed for the May 19th special election. The long delayed budget compromise that was passed in February depended on the passage of these measures. What will happen if they are defeated? According to an article in the S.F. Chronicle, city governments will suffer if the measures fail. Most cities, including San Francisco, are already in bad shape financially and the loss of $80 million to $100 million in state funds will push many programs to the brink. State-mandated programs have to be paid for by the city no matter whether the funding is available or not. But does that mean that people who run social agencies would like to see the measures passed? According to N'Tanya Lee of the Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth, it's not an easy decision. "We're sort of between a rock and a hard place," she is quoted as saying. Well all the rest of us can say the same. Choosing what to do about the May 19th ballot measures is not easy, but it's an important decision for voters to make.

If at first you con't succeed...

May 19 will be an important day for the city and the state, but many voters aren't paying attention. As the S.F. Chronicle recounts today, it was five years ago that Governor Schwarzennegger persuaded voters a spending cap would solve the problem of California's debt crisis. Voters responded by enthusiastically endorsing the idea, but the last five years have not put an end to California's debt crisis. Our debt is bigger than it has ever been and on May 19 voters will be asked to approve another attempt to rein in spending. Props 1A through 1F are designed to shift money around in various state accounts and to cap government spending.The ballot measures are difficult to understand and many voters appear to be shrugging them off as too much trouble to bother with. Once again special interests will determine our future unless more voters decide to take the plunge and find out more about the ballot measures. The Chronicle has been covering them in considerable depth, and the California State League of Women's Voters has written up the ballot measures in language that is easy to understand. Take a look and make up your own mind. Let's not let our futures be taken over because we're too busy to make our voices heard.

Do we need the Electoral College?

For years the League of Women Voters has supported the idea that the President of the United States should be elected by popular vote. The Electoral College was set up by 18th century gentlemen who distrusted direct popular elections, but time has changed. People no longer need to vote for representatives to choose the person they want as candidates. Articles from many respected journals and forums such as a recent one at Harvard University have come out in support of presidential elections by popular vote. Perhaps the time has come to initiate this change. The recent election showed that people are ready for change. Now let's make the big one that will move our nation toward a more direct democracy.