Placed on the ballot by the state legislature, Prop. 209 requires that all statewide initiatives, and legislative and local ballot measures apply uniformly in all parts of a jurisdiction. We feel Prop. 209, by prohibiting selective application of ballot measures, reaffirms the basic democratic tenet of majority rule.

220

Prop. 220 effectively eliminates municipal courts, shifting their responsibilities and judges to a new, larger superior court in the name of efficiency. While in many California counties, including our own, this consolidation has to some degree already taken place, on principle CW questions the wisdom of the elimination of "the people''s court" and the political ramifications it would have on our selection of judges.

221

In the spirit of court reform, we feel that Prop. 221 is a necessary evil. By giving disciplinary privileges over judicial referees and commissioners to the state-appointed Commission on Judicial Appointments, the potential for "cronyism" is diminished. We feel this is important in light of the de facto consolidation of courts already being implemented, and particularly necessary if Prop. 220 passes.

222

It''s redundant, mean and vindictive. Redundant? There is already a law on the books mandating life-without-parole for the second-degree murder of a police officer. Mean and vindictive? Takes away the possibility for "good conduct" credits (and the resulting reduction in prison term) for all second-degree murderers. We feel that justice is best-served by courts and court officials who are able to weigh all facts in a case before passing sentence; justice cannot be narrowly legislated.

223

This initiative requires that at least 95 percent of all school revenues be spent on pupils rather than administration. There is no question that public education is top heavy with administrative bureaucrats, but decisions to cut the fat should come locally, not from a state-wide, one-size-fits-all mandate that considers the Chualar and Los Angeles school districts identical.

224

We applaud this measure''s effort to end the corrupt practice of handing lucrative construction-related contracts to political benefactors, rather than allowing competitive bidding or having state employees do the work more often. Swimming against the privatization stream is a worthy endeavor. But ambiguities in the measure could end up costing the state more money, a situation that would be nearly impossible to undo once done.

225

This issue has already been ruled unconstitutional on a federal level and proponents of Prop. 225 have backed away from it. It doesn''t matter how you vote, this dog won''t hunt.

226

This is a thinly veiled attempt by big business and Republicans to dilute the political influence of labor unions, which have made big gains in recent years. Requiring each union member''s permission to use dues for political purposes may seem reasonable, but the real world impact is to increase the political clout of large corporations, whose employees have even less of a say how the profits they generate are used in the political realm.

227

While we support the concept that English should be the sole language of instruction for all students in California public schools, we believe Prop. 227 is too drastic and undermines local decision making in the critical area of early education. Prop. 227 would also permit parents to sue teachers, school principals and school boards for "violations" of 227. Such a provision guarantees a nightmare of distracting and counterproductive lawsuits.