By Robin Alcantara |Staff Writer|
California residents re-elected Gov. Jerry Brown for a fourth term on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Brown is the only governor in California to be elected for a fourth term. He won the election over Republican opponent Neel Kashkari.
Brown did not run a campaign for his re-election but spent his time, money and effort in getting Propositions 1 and 2 adopted.
Proposition 1, also known as “water bond,” passed. It is a $7 billion project aimed to improve California’s water supply infrastructure.
Proposition 2, the “Rainy Day Budget,” also passed. This act will amend the state constitution to require a minimum of 1.5 percent of the general fund’s revenue each year as opposed to the optional three percent per year in the previous state law.
This proposition is also intended to repay state debts sooner and contribute more to schools and community colleges.
Proposition 45, concerned with health insurance and healthcare, did not pass.
The $43.4 million campaign against Proposition 45 was largely funded by large insurance companies. The defeated proposition would have required the insurance commissioner’s approval for insurance premium increases to individual and small group health insurance carriers.
Another proposition that did not pass, Proposition 46, would have increased the maximum collectible damages for victims of medical negligence from $250,000 to over $1 million.
This proposed law would have also required hospitals to administer random drug tests to employed or contracted physicians.
“If [Proposition 46] passed, it would have driven [doctors] away,” said senior Diana Lozano before going to vote.
Proposition 47, the “reduced penalties initiative,” was approved by California voters. It will reduces the charges on some potential felonies to misdemeanors.
“Proposition 47 will make 10,000 felons eligible for early release,” according to californiapolicechiefs.org, an organization that represents law enforcement.
“The vast majority of those 10,000 felons have violent criminal histories.”
According to the Secretary of State website, Proposition 47 was supported by 58.5 percent of California’s voters. The proposition intends to take the savings that would come from releasing less violent criminals in state penitentiaries and relocate them to California schools.
The sixth California proposition on the ballot was Proposition 48, which concerned “Indian gaming.”
The proposition did not pass, but would have allowed two Northern California Native American tribes to build one casino on land acquired by a tribes after 1988.
The midterm elections also created a change in Washington, D.C. as republicans were elected into the majority of the seats in the House of Representatives and in the Senate.
As the polls closed, the Republican victories turned the United States map red.
Newly elected senator for Kentucky, Mitch McConnell, was one of the many Republican victories.
The most surprising losses to the Democratic Party came from traditionally Democratic states.
“Even the grandson of Jimmy Carter [a Democrat] failed to knock off an unpopular, ethically challenged GOP incumbent,” stated the Los Angeles Times.
San Bernardino had a 27 percent turnout of the 851,684 registered voters in the county. The statewide voter turnout was 30 percent.
Leave a Reply