✘ No on Proposition 26 in November 02, 2010 California Election 11:33PM Oct 21, 2010

Over the past 20 years, the Legislature repeatedly has failed to pass a budget on time, costing taxpayers hundreds of millions in interest payments and leaving schools, municipalities and state workers holding the bag. The primary reason? The requirement that two-thirds of lawmakers approve the budget. The supermajority mandate turns democracy on its head, handing veto power to the minority.

Proposition 25 should end budget gridlock by reducing the threshold to a simple majority. And just in case that doesn’t work, it would withhold salaries and per-diems from lawmakers who miss the budget deadline. We recommend a yes vote.

For similar reasons, we recommend voting no on Proposition 26, which would raise the vote threshold to two-thirds for certain fees collected by state and local governments. This would give more power to the minority and force the general public to pick up the cost of services, like cleaning up toxic waste, that now are borne by those responsible