La Mesa Spring Valley Teachers Proposition Recommendations

La Mesa-Spring Valley Teachers recommend a YES on Prop 30

If this proposition fails, right here in La Mesa, our own school district will have to cut an additional 5.5 million dollars , which will result in 15 fewer school days for our students. That cut has already been voted by the legislature.  Prop 30 protects middle class families from further income taxes because it is an income tax only on those who make $500,000 or more.  It is also a temporary (4 year) sales tax increase of 0.25%.  That is one-fourth of one percent.  For example, a hundred dollar pair of shoes would cost you an extra quarter. Passing this proposition will stop the drastic cuts that school districts continue to face, and the average family will only pay about fifty dollars more per year.  Finally, Proposition 30 is a constitutional amendment that will help guarantee funding for our schools.  The money is not allocated for adult education, it will stay in our K-14 system.  Yes, we need to look at California’s spending, but we must not balance the state budget on the backs of our children.  Vote YES on Proposition 30.

La Mesa-Spring Valley Teachers recommend a NO on Proposition 32

Prop 32 is Misleading.  Supporters say it calls for corporate campaign finance reform, yet there is a loophole that allows any corporation or billionaire to open a Super PAC and make unlimited campaign contributions.  That is why the League of Women Voters is opposed to it.  If we are truly going to reform campaign contributions, the playing field should be level for all groups—the loopholes need to be closed so that everyone is governed by the same rules.  Prop 32 does not do that.  Take a look at who supports Prop 32, and ask yourselves why? Corporations already outspend unions 15:1, and now they want to eliminate the “1” and keep the “15.” Billionaires like Charles Munger and the Koch brothers have donated millions to support Prop 32, and it’s not because they’re interested in limiting their own political influence: they want to silence the voice of working class people in the political process, so they are able to buy elections with no opposition.

Prop 32 is unfair.  It is really aimed at nurses, firefighters, teachers, and other labor groups.   Its true target is the last of the middle class workers unions, who cannot use the PAC loophole, because their funds come from payroll deductions. Prop 32 has language that specifically forbids this.  However, corporations do not use payroll deductions, so they won’t be affected by the law, while workers would be blocked from participating in politics through payroll deductions.   This is an attack on the middle class that would allow billionaires and corporations to continue their unlimited campaign spending, while shutting out average Americans.

Prop 32 is unnecessary.  Using union dues for political purposes is already voluntary, and has been since the Beck ruling in 1988.  This law already exists. Don’t be fooled by corporations and billionaires who want unlimited and unregulated spending for themselves, without the counterbalance of the working class.  Vote no on Prop 32.

La Mesa-Spring Valley Teachers are asking for your support: YES on 30, No on 32.