SB 51: the California politics thread

a ballot measure can only be overturned by another ballot measure. so there's a ratchet effect until you can't do anything without a ballot measure.

also good luck *ever* regulating the service economy if 22 passes

Prop 22 establishes a batshit, completely unprecedented 7/8ths voting threshold that legislators would have to meet in order to pass any labor law related to this industry.

This fucks over ALL Californians.

(11/n)

— Sasha Perigo (@sashaperigo) September 15, 2020

I've been wondering about the details of prop 22 after seeing a sudden surge of pro-22 ads lately ("I'm just a simple uber driver who wants to be able to continue providing for my family, why won't you let me do that?"). I'm inclined to oppose it, but I realized I'm not entirely sure why. Something about I support organized labor. I guess it's time I read the whole thing on ballotpedia.

https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_22,_App-Based_Drivers_as_Contractors_and_Labor_Policies_Initiative_(2020)

I think there are gig economy people who are happy with the make-your-own-schedule part of the job. Seems like national healthcare (or forcing gig companies to provide healthcare, sure) would make this less of a scary choice.

well possibly (not really) but in any case national healthcare isn't one of the choices on the ballot.

what *current* drivers want is pretty complicated (https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3488009), but it's also not the only thing that matters fwiw. fracturing of the future workforce into people who earn above minimum wage and people who earn below it (and have no benefits) is not good for anyone.

also the specifics of proposition 22 are unbelievably undemocratic (see above, plus take a look at how much money is being spent) and if it passes it will cause long term damage to *governance* in california. if you don't like AB5 then work on changing AB5 rather than fucking up how the state is run.

cannot stress this enough: fuck prop 22.

right, the inclusion of the 7/8ths thing is very concerning. I don't like that this is simultaneously a referendum on a new category of labor law and a referendum on ballot referendums themselves.

I think there are gig economy people who are happy with the make-your-own-schedule part of the job.

and they can still have that and be employees. ... I read something recently from a pro-22 person that was like, "they're not going to like being employees because they will be unable to write off their mileage and car expenses" which really struck me with its myopia ... if the drivers were employees, they could be reimbursed for the mileage and expenses AND get paid a legal wage.

I'm convinced pro-22 people simply think employers shouldn't be obligated to provide benefits to full-time employees in the first place. They're more concerned with their right to flexibility than they are with another driver's right to benefits if that driver wants to drive full-time.

yup

Lot's of deceiving propositions on this year's ballot. I'm afraid that one of 19, 22, or 24 is going to pass based on misinformation and laziness.

um, 24 should pass and 19 is complicated but i wouldn't call it deceptive

Now the Guv has banned all new gasoline powered cars & trucks.. well, in 15 years.

I’ve been doing way too much Prop 15 phonebanking these days. On behalf of the official campaign, my union, and the statewide DSA effort.

https://jacobinmag.com/2020/09/california-proposition-15-ballot-measure-neoliberalism

I will be becoming a Californian just in time to vote in this election! Thread bookmarked. Tell me how to votes pls. Yes on 15, what else?

This is all very exciting/overwhelming after 20 years as a mostly disenfranchised DC resident with only the rare ballot measure to vote on.

Spouse is completely slammed with work on the pres election and anticipated fallout, no time to devote to CA politics, so I will just tell him how to vote. So you are getting two votes for the price of guiding me.

xxp - the only remotely valid concern I've heard from the Anti-Prop 15 side are worries about property tax increases being passed through to commercial tenants, which there really isn't that much to say about. Will property owners do this? If the leases with their tenants allow it, then probably.

Quincie

here are my ballot measure endorsements if you want to vote the caek slate

15: eliminate part of california's insane, unique property tax break, yes
16: repeal law banning affirmative action, yes
17: allow people on parole to vote, yes
18: allow people who will be 18 years old by general to vote in primary, yes
20: classify more crimes as felonies, collect more DNA, no
21: allow more local rent control, yes
22: undo law that made uber/lyft/etc. drivers employees, no
24: more privacy online, yes
25: replace cash bail (which sucks) with (algorithmic?) risk assesements (which also suck, but maybe a bit less), yes

no opinion: 14 (stem cell money), 23 (dialysis clinics), 19 (technical thing about inheritance of property tax breaks that bundles in some weird stuff about fires and honestly seems kind of weird given who is supporting it)

I’m now a weak yes on 19 and an even stronger no on 22 than when I wrote that.

thanks for reposting that summary, caek

California AB5 is a shitshow, and the condescension of its primary sponsor has been irritating in the extreme. kudos to the authors of Prop 22 for coming up with something so much worse I can't wait to vote it down.

yes thx caek, helpful to have things summarized down to their essence

you now have to press "confirm" below a message that says "yes on prop 22" to use uber. holy shit https://t.co/8WVgtQuqh7

— chris arvin 💕 🌁 (@chrisarvinsf) September 28, 2020

ugh

heil uber ...

I really want 16 to win, but it seems to have little support, and Asian groups are opposing it, and this shit didn't help: https://californiaglobe.com/section-2/no-on-prop-16-campaign-highlights-anti-asian-racism-facebook-mistakenly-bans-for-hate-speech/.

This guy is worst thing that has happened to the NIKBY movement in years

LOL -- Trump claims (absurdly) that Biden will destroy the suburbs by "abolishing single-family zoning" pic.twitter.com/IyblGkivwW

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 1, 2020

*NIMBY

I don’t know about 23 or 24. Leaning towards no on 23. Of course I support internet privacy, but even the EFF is against 24?? Idk more research needed

is the EFF bad?

it's a mixed bag

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/07/why-eff-doesnt-support-cal-prop-24

This November, Californians will be called upon to vote on a ballot initiative called the California Privacy Rights Act, or Proposition 24. EFF does not support it; nor does EFF oppose it.

ah ok my bad

well, they have some pretty good arguments that it may be net a bad proposition, so i think it's worth considering.

they have a history of libertarianism though, so i'm not 100% sure how seriously to take them on things like this.

thanks, caek

This is an extremely well done piece illustrating bureaucracy https://t.co/Sqz5tg0fGX

— Eliot Brown (@eliotwb) October 3, 2020

We need to get our windows replaced, and we had to pay an “expediter” to get the permit pulled. Without her, we were looking at basically no estimate for when they could get it pulled. With her it happened in one day. Such BS.
(I’m in SF)

Who's paying for that Prop? California's $502,000,000+ ballot measure election donor list is topped by DaVita and Uber. Realtors, unions, landlords, and business associations are also big on the list.

Data is from the @CA_FPPC's Top Contributor list at https://t.co/wWsMaT35Hi pic.twitter.com/JcltL56hmE

— Alfred Twu (@alfred_twu) October 3, 2020

We need to get our windows replaced, and we had to pay an “expediter” to get the permit pulled. Without her, we were looking at basically no estimate for when they could get it pulled. With her it happened in one day. Such BS.
(I’m in SF)

I learned a hilarious thing about San Francisco and permits the other day (via a Zoning Admin hearing for a project my org is helping legalize -- my job actually involves permit expediting)-- that even if you are going to rent a commercial building (or portion), you have to get a building permit, even if you aren't going to do any construction. There isn't a separate zoning permit (clearance) process like there is in other cities (e.g. Oakland).

given what I know about San Francisco's requirements for grid-tied solar permits, that does not surprise me. don't even get me started on Daly City!

Also, my org had a similar experience with SF DBI where we submitted plans and everything for the building permit online, as per their instructions, and then later got an email saying, essentially, "we lost your stuff" that had been submitted online ...

xp sleeve -- my fave Bay Area small city story was ilxor akm's about Berkeley and the bathroom light switches.

Though back in the pre-covid era, when you would go to SF DBI in person (which I have done), I was actually impressed because they had a system where they would actually text you when your number was about to come up! Like, you weren't stuck waiting in the designated waiting area until your number was called. You could actually do other things! ... In case you had any doubt, Oakland does not have this feature. In Oakland, you sit and wait. And wait. And wait.

But even once those are resolved, the plans will still need approval from a mechanical plan checker at the Department of Building Inspection, the Fire Department, Public Works and the Department of Public Health.

This part is normal. because:
He hired an architect to draw up plans for upgraded electrical and plumbing systems, a front counter and some kitchen equipment. No structural changes were planned, and the outside of the building wouldn’t be touched.

upgrades to electrical and plumbing are basically -- you need a mechanical permit and plan check. Fire can be super simple. Health Dept -- duh -- you are serving food. Idk what Public Works has to do here that's kinda odd, but ...

sometimes i do wonder if i suffer from some sort of stockholm "this is fine" syndrome about these things tho lol

I'm still dealing with the light switch btw, almost a year later and my permit is about to expire. The ordinance mandates that the switch have an auto off and no auto on. So I failed last inspection because it had an auto on.

omg !!!!

Who's paying for that Prop? California's $502,000,000+ ballot measure election donor list is topped by DaVita and Uber. Realtors, unions, landlords, and business associations are also big on the list.

Data is from the @CA_FPPC's Top Contributor list at https://t.co/wWsMaT35Hi pic.twitter.com/JcltL56hmE

— Alfred Twu (@alfred_twu) October 3, 2020

Thread:

It is my burden and my tragedy that I do indeed understand what Trump is trying to say here. Behold, the unholy mishmash of California water policy, salmon, agriculture, and of course the unfortunate delta smelt. A THREAD: https://t.co/S6ParBisp8

— Miriam Goldstein (@MiriamGoldste) October 9, 2020