TO: CVF-NEWS
FROM: Kim Alexander
SUBJECT: November 1998 California Ballot Propositions
DATE: Friday, July 24, 1998

Hi Folks:

Welcome to the wonderful world of the November 1998 California ballot! It’s never too early to start preparing for the next election, and given the complexity of the measures that will appear on the November ballot, it would be a good idea to start your homework right away.

The California Voter Foundation is still collecting and compiling information on the statewide ballot measures, which will be featured in the fifth edition of CVF’s award-winning California Online Voter Guide, scheduled to debut next month. In the meantime, we’ve prepared a brief summary for each of the 10 measures that will appear on the November 3, 1998 California ballot, when voters will be asked to make decisions on a wide range of issues -- everything from horsemeat consumption to Indian gaming to electric utilities. You'll find these summaries at:

http://www.calvoter.org/98general/measures.html

The information was compiled from the Secretary of State’s draft ballot pamphlet, and verified by CVF staff. The good news is that nearly every initiative campaign already has a Web site on the Internet or one in the works. We’ve noted below which sites are still under construction.

California’s November ballot will feature Propositions 1 through 10. (Due to a law passed by the Legislature in 1996, the ballot measure numbering begins anew this election.) Three of the measures (Props 1, 2 and 3) were placed on the ballot by the Legislature. The remaining seven (Props 4 - 10) are initiative measures that were placed on the ballot through petition signatures from California voters. There is a chance that the Legislature may pass a school bond measure, which, if happens, will be added to the November ballot as Prop. 11.

If you find these measures confusing, you’re not alone. We at CVF will do our best to help you sort out your decisions, but the truth is that making informed choices in the Golden State seems to become more and more of a challenge with each election. More details on these measures, including “plain language” summaries and background information, will be available from CVF in the near future.

-- Kim Alexander, President
California Voter Foundation
kimalex@netcom.com