Proposition 1A is a California ballot proposition & a bond measure that would fund the California High-Speed Rail Authority if approved by voters in the upcoming state election on November 4, 2008. The proposition would allocate $9.95 billion to the California High-Speed Rail Authority. Of that $9.95 billion, $9 billion will be used to construct the core segments of the rail line from San Francisco to the Los Angeles area & the rest will be spent on improvements to local railroad systems, which would feed into the high-speed rail mainline. However, the project would still depend on federal matching funds, since a $9.95 billion bond issue would cover at most half of the estimated cost of the initial core segment.

Proposition 2, the proposed Standards for Confining Farm Animals initiative statute, is a California ballot proposition in that state’s general election on November 4, 2008. The proposition would add a chapter to Division 20 of the California Health and Safety Code to prohibit the confinement of certain farm animals in a manner that does not allow them to turn around freely, lie down, stand up, & fully extend their limbs. The measure would deal with three types of confinement: veal crates, battery cages, & sow gestation crates. If approved by the voters, the statute would become operative on January 1, 2015. Farming operations would have until that date to implement the new space requirements for their animals, and the measure would prevent animals in California from being confined in these ways in the future.

Proposition 3, or the Children’s Hospital Bond Act, is a California bond issue via initiative that has qualified for the November 2008 ballot. The campaign to enact the measure is supported by hospitals–all donors to the campaign of over $5,000 are hospitals. It authorizes $980,000,000 in bonds, to be repaid from state’s General Fund, to fund the construction, expansion, remodeling, renovation, furnishing & equipping of children’s hospitals. The annual payment on the debt authorized by the initiative would be about $64 million a year. Altogether, the measure would cost about $1.9 billion over 30 years out of California’s general fund.

Proposition 4, or the Abortion Waiting Period & Parental Notification Initiative, also known to its supporters as Sarah’s Law, is an initiated amendment that will appear on the November 4, 2008 ballot in California. It proposes a new amendment to the California Constitution. The initiative would prohibit abortion for unemancipated minors until 48 hours after physician notifies minor’s parent, legal guardian or, if parental abuse has been reported, an alternative adult family member.

California Proposition 5, or the Nonviolent Offender Rehabilitation Act (or NORA) is an initiated state statute that has been certified to appear as a ballot measure on the November 2008 ballot in California. Requires California to expand and increase funding and oversight for individualized treatment & rehabilitation programs for nonviolent drug offenders and parolees; Reduces criminal consequences of nonviolent drug offenses by mandating three-tiered probation with treatment and by providing for case dismissal or/and sealing of records after probation; Limits court’s authority to incarcerate offenders who violate probation or parole; Shortens parole for most drug offenses, including sales, & for nonviolent property crimes; Changes certain marijuana misdemeanors to infractions.

California Proposition 6, also known as the Safe Neighborhoods Act & The Runner Initiative, is a statutory initiative that will appear on the November 2008 ballot in California. Proposition 6 places additional penalties on gang related & drug crime. Require new state spending on various criminal justice programs, as well as for increased costs for prison and parole operations. This funding is equivalent to 0.3% of California’s General Fund; Authorize prosecution as an adult (rather than in juvenile court, if a juvenile court judge consents) of any youth 14 years old or older who has been convicted of a gang-related felony; Require that all occupants who are recipients of public housing subsidies submit to annual criminal background checks and lose housing if convicted of a recent crime in order to free up housing for non-criminals; Increase penalties for several crimes, including violating gang injunctions, using or possessing to sell methamphetamine, or carrying loaded or concealed firearms by certain felons; Eliminate bail for illegal immigrants charged with violent or gang-related felonies.

California Proposition 7, would, if approved, require California utilities to procure half of their power from renewable resources by 2025. In order to make that goal, levels of production of solar, wind and other renewable energy resources will more than quadruple from their current output of 10.9%. It will also require California utilities to increase their purchase of electricity generated from renewable resources by 2% annually to meet Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) requirements of 40% in 2020 and 50% in 2025. Current law AB32 requires an RPS of 20% by 2010. All electric utilities (including municipally-owned utilities) will be required to provide half of their electricity from solar and clean energy facilities by 2025. Current law requires the state’s investor-owned utilities (Edison and PG&E, for example) to reach 20 percent renewable energy by 2010; The California Energy Commission will be required to identify solar and clean energy zones, primarily in the desert, to jump-start clean power plants; Renewable plant construction permits would be fast-tracked for approval by the California Energy Commission once all environmental reviews are in place. Fast-tracking would limit the period for local comments & participation to 100 days; Penalties levied on utilities for specific acts of non-compliance would be reduced from 5% to 1%, but the total cap on fines that can be imposed on a utility would be eliminated;

Proposition 8 is an initiative state constitutional amendment on the 2008 California General Election ballot, titled Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry. If passed, the proposition will “change the California Constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry in California. A new section would be added stating “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid and/or recognized in California.”

Proposition 9 – Criminal Justice System, Victims’ Rights, Parole, Constitutional Amendment and Statute. This measure amends the State Constitution and various state laws to (1) expand the legal rights of crime victims and the payment of restitution by criminal offenders, (2) restrict the early release of inmates, and (3) change the procedures for granting and revoking parole.

California Proposition 10, also known as the California Alternative Fuels Initiative, is an initiated state statute that will appear on the November 2008 ballot in California. Proposition 10 is one of two ballot initiatives focusing on alternative fuels that will appear on the November 4 ballot in California. The other measure, Proposition 7, is sometimes referred to as Big Solar while Prop. 10 is sometimes referred to as Big Wind.

California Proposition 11, also known as the Voters FIRST Act, is proposed as an amendment to the California Constitution through initiative. Changes authority for establishing Assembly, Senate, and Board of Equalization district boundaries from elected representatives to 14 member commission; Requires government auditors to select 60 registered voters from applicant pool. Permits legislative leaders to reduce pool, then the auditors pick eight commission members by lottery, and those commissioners pick six additional members for 14 total; Requires commission of five Democrats, five Republicans & four of neither party. Commission shall hire lawyers & consultants as needed.

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