In general election years, voters’ ballots can get quite long and overwhelming. Voters are asked to consider a number of statewide propositions and city measures, plus all the local, state and federal races.
But, that’s where we come in.
KPBS reporters Andrew Bowen, Kori Suzuki and Tania Thorne were on Reddit Wednesday answering the r/sandiego communities election questions in an AMA (Reddit-speak for "ask me anything").
Here are 5 questions and answers that stood out (and if you want you can peruse the entire discussion thread here).
Editor's note: The questions below appear exactly as they were submitted on Reddit.
Hello! There's a lot of sales tax measures on the ballot for many of San Diego County's cities. Is this unique for an election? If so, why? — u/Rich-Mycologist-9819
Sales tax measures are not uncommon for local elections and really depend on the needs of a community or city, but they do vary every election cycle. Cities will often present sales tax measures to seek new funding for public services such as infrastructure, public safety, modernized fire and police equipment, and education.
San Diego County faces diverse needs that vary from city to city which is why there are several measures on this year’s ballot.
You can learn more about the specific measure in your community here.
— Tania Thorne, KPBS North County Reporter
If Todd Gloria is re-elected as mayor of San Diego, how are the Olds on NextDoor going to handle it? — u/TheElbow
NGL, this question is a little ageist! But I hear where you're coming from and I'll try to answer in good faith.
Older San Diegans have a lot of advantages that the younger generations don't have. If someone bought their house in the 70s or 80s, they benefited from lower property tax bills thanks to Prop 13 (see above question about the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association). And they bought at a time when San Diego was banning apartments in many urban communities, giving these homeowners the impression that their neighborhoods never had to change.
I think Todd Gloria has both critics and supporters of all generations. But I'd agree that Nextdoor as a platform tends to attract more homeowners than renters, and they have a particular aversion to the policies Gloria wants to pass aimed at creating more housing.
— Andrew Bowen, KPBS Metro Reporter
For proposition 36 what could be the negative impacts to prisons? And could there be overcrowding? Would we see mass incarceration? And impacts to poverty? — u/Fancy_Ad822
That is the controversy with Proposition 36.
For some background: ten years ago, voters passed Proposition 47, aimed at reducing California’s prison overcrowding by reclassifying certain theft and drug offenses as misdemeanors. Since then, law enforcement, prosecutors and major retailers have pointed to the law as a reason for rising property crimes and homelessness. Proposition 36 is their effort to roll back parts of Prop 47.
Supporters for the bill see it as a tool to combat homelessness, drugs and theft by increasing penalties and possibly forcing people into treatment. Opponents say that there are no studies supporting that harsher punishments can decrease or prevent crimes or homelessness.
Opponents claim more money could be spent in court and prison costs. If passed, Prop 36 would reclassify some misdemeanor theft and drug crimes as felonies. People could get the option to complete drug treatment instead of going to prison, but if they don’t finish treatment, they still face prison time.
Check out the full explainer with information about who's supporting and opposing the prop.
— Tania Thorne, North County Reporter
Can you explain the rent control measure and who is backing and opposing it? — u/SDSteveK
Prop 33 wouldn't directly impose rent control anywhere, but it would allow cities and counties to pass new, tougher rent control policies that state law currently prohibits. That state law is called Costa-Hawkins. Basically it prohibits rent control on properties built since 1995. Prop 33 would repeal Costa-Hawkins.
If this measure looks familiar, that's because Californians voted on a similar ballot measure in 2018 called Prop 10. That measure failed by more than 18 percentage points.
The main supporter of Prop 33 is the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a nonprofit that operates pharmacies, clinics, thrift stores and low-income housing (some of which is in very bad condition). Its president, Michael Weinstein, has supported both rent control and anti-growth measures in the past.
Prop 33 is opposed by developers, business and civic groups and some housing activists. They say it would allow wealthy cities to pass draconian rent control laws that are actually intended to stop new housing from being built and undercut the state's efforts to ease the housing shortage.
Voice of San Diego did a great video explaining Prop 33 AND Prop 34, which is clearly targeting AHF and its political activism.
Check out KPBS' full explainer on this measure here.
— Andrew Bowen, KPBS Metro Reporter
For proposition 6, what kinds of job training or learning opportunities would inmates have if involuntary servitude ends? — u/Fancy_Ad822
Prop. 6 would ban the state from forcing incarcerated people to work and punishing those who refuse. The state prison system currently holds 90,000 people and employs close to half of them. Most of those workers earn less than 74 cents an hour.
If Prop. 6 passes, many incarcerated people would likely still have opportunities to work. But it’s a little unclear what exactly that will look like and could vary a lot across the state. State prisons could pay some workers in the form of credits that would reduce their sentence. They might also have to pay certain workers minimum wage, which is $16 an hour in California. Counties and cities could decide to set different wages for their local jails.
The proposition wouldn’t make any changes to voluntary training or education programs.
The big change is that incarcerated people would get to choose whether or not to work, and the California Constitution would officially ban all forms of enslavement. You can check out this breakdown from our nonprofit partner CalMatters to learn more.
— Kori Suzuki, KPBS South Bay and Imperial Valley Reporter
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