November 2008 Ballot Measures Guide - California Chamber of Commerce

CalChamber Positions on November Ballot Measures

(September 8, 2008) "There are many competing demands for resources in our state and we must carefully set our funding priorities,” said California Chamber of Commerce President and Chief Executive Officer Allan Zaremberg. “Although a comprehensive water bond will not appear on the November 2008 ballot, we must reserve future debt capacity to address one of the state’s most critical needs. The positions taken by our Board on November ballot measures reflect that priority."

Zaremberg announced that the Board voted to take the following positions:

Prop.	Position	Subject	Reason for Position
1A	Oppose	High Speed Rail Bond	"California will need to invest at least $50 billion to complete a statewide high speed rail system. There are other projects that mitigate congestion that should be a higher priority," said Zaremberg.
2	Oppose	Treatment of Farm Animals	“California imposes more restrictions on agriculture and agricultural practices than any other state. These restrictions increase costs to consumers and reduce competitiveness of California’s farmers and ranchers. This measure would severely damage commercial egg production in California, result in the loss of thousands of jobs, hurt school lunch programs and businesses like grocery stores and restaurants, and compromise food safety,” said Zaremberg.
3	Support	Children's Hospital Bond	“Expanding and improving children’s hospitals are an important health care priority. Without continued investments in medical equipment and facilities, California’s health care system will not be prepared to meet the needs of our expanding population. The children served by these hospitals are in need of specialized services and the hospitals that treat them do so without regard to a family’s ability to pay. This measure will expand capacity and bring hope to critically ill children and their families,” said Zaremberg.
4	No Position	Parental Notification about Abortion
5	Oppose	Rehabilitation of Non-Violent Offenders	“This measure would reduce penalties for crimes against business and would limit the ability of judges to hold parole violators accountable. Property and white collar crimes are costly for businesses and consumers,” said Zaremberg.
6	No Position	Public Safety Spending/Criminal Penalties
7	Oppose	Renewable Energy	“The CalChamber Board of Directors voted to oppose this measure due to its potential to substantially drive up energy prices in the state,” said Zaremberg.
8	No Position	Ban on Gay Marriage
9	No Position	Victims' Rights
10	Oppose	Renewable Energy - Alternative Fuel Bond	“The reduction of greenhouse gases is a priority for our state, however this measure is not the most cost-effective way to achieve reductions. Proposition 10 does not allow all technologies to compete for taxpayer dollars. CalChamber has long advocated for sound, cost effective energy policies that are market driven and technology or fuel neutral. Unfortunately, this measure does not meet that test,” said Zaremberg.
11	Support	Redistricting Reform	“CalChamber has long believed that fair redistricting is key to meaningful political reform,” said Zaremberg. “The California Voters First Initiative will allow the citizens of California -- rather than the Legislature -- to create legislative districts that will require elected officials be accountable to the voters.”
12	Support	Veterans' Bond	“California’s business community supports our brave men and women in uniform. This initiative would make today’s wartime veterans eligible for the Cal-Vet loan program, enabling more of them to purchase homes at low interest rates,” said Zaremberg. “The program is self-liquidating and does not impact overall bond indebtedness for the state.”

For more information, and links to state resources, visit calchamber.com/ballot.