Since 1911, when Californians gave themselves the constitutional right to put citizen initiatives on the ballot, more than two-thirds of them have been defeated, for the simple reason that voters hate complexity and confusion.
Sorry, Props. 40, 41 and 42.
That’s the trio of contradictory and cross-canceling initiatives regarding a proposed wealth tax on billionaires which has emerged from the Byzantine tangle of 14 measures on the Nov. 3 ballot to create the most widespread bewilderment and head-scratching among voters. Newsmakers’ Las Vegas Bureau of Statistical Projection and Populist Prop Bets is wagering they all go down next Tuesday.
On this week’s episode of Newsmakers TV, Sofia Wallace reprises her reporting on the most baffling state ballot in decades, with clear-eyed analysis focused on the three-way wealth tax muddle.
News-Press colleagues Julianna Lozada and Josh Molina also join the genial host for a final round of pre-election punditry and prognostication, breaking down the key races for two SBUSD school board seats, the drama-filled contest for Santa Barbara’s District 4 city council seat and the increasingly heated mayor’s race between outgoing council members Kristen Sneddon and Eric Friedman.
Plus: an update on the Where’s Waldo search for registrar of voters Joe Holland; a look at the approximately zillion dollars a rogue oil company is pouring into a Board of Supervisors race; and an after-action report from City Hall, where Administrator Kelly McAdoo finally called a timeout in the council’s endless bout of passing legislation designed to drive every last Santa Barbara landlord out of business.
All this and more, right here, right now, on Newsmakers TV.
Check out the latest episode via YouTube below or by clicking this link. Our podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, or on SoundCloud. TVSB, Channel 17, airs the show every weeknight at 5 p.m. and at 9 a.m. on weekends. KCSB, 91.9 FM, broadcasts the program at 5:30 p.m. on weekends.
Image: Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.