PROPOSITION 46: Housing and Emergency Shelter Trust Fund Act of 2002

This act provides for the Housing and Emergency Shelter Trust Fund Act of 2002. The Act is for the purpose of providing shelters for battered women, clean and safe housing for low-income senior citizens, emergency shelters for homeless families with children, housing with social services for the homeless and mentally ill, repairs and accessibility improvements to apartments for families and handicapped citizens, homeownership assistance for military veterans, and security improvements and repairs to existing emergency shelters. The State will create a housing trust fund by issuing bonds totaling two billion one hundred million dollars ($2,100,000,000).

Fiscal Impact: These funds will be paid from existing state funds at an average annual cost of one hundred fifty seven million dollars ($157,000,000) per year over the 30-year life of the bonds. The bond requirements that every city and county is eligible to receive funds as specified in the measure and with all expenditures subject to an independent audit.

Support

General Plan Goal D: Maintain diversity in tenure, type, size, and location of housing to permit a range of individual choices for all current residents and those expected to become city residents. & Goal E: Maintain and increase housing units affordable to household of all income levels and ages.

Support

PROPOSITION 47: Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act

This thirteen billion fifty million dollar ($13,050,000,000) bond issue will provide funding for necessary education facilities to relieve overcrowding and to repair older schools. Funds will be targeted to areas of the greatest need and must be spent according to strict accountability measures. Funds will also be used to upgrade and build new classrooms in the California Community Colleges, the California State University, and the University of California, to provide adequate higher education facilities to accommodate the growing student enrollment. These bonds may be used only for eligible projects.

Fiscal Impact: The cost of these bonds would depend on their interest rates and the time period over which they are repaid. If the $13.05 billion in bonds authorized by this proposition are sold at an interest rate of 5.25 percent (the current rate for this type of bond) and repaid over 30 years, the cost over the period would be about $26.2 billion to pay off both the principal ($13.05 billion) and interest ($13.15 billion). The average payment for principal and interest would be about $873 million per year.

Support

LAP 7.1.12 - Support funding for local governments and schools that are not in conflict with each other - and thus be supportable by the city.

Support

PROPOSITION 48: Court Consolidation Legislative Constitutional Amendment

Amends Constitution to delete references to the municipal courts. These references are now obsolete due to the consolidation of superior and municipal trial courts into unified superior courts previously approved by voters. Deletes from Constitution the provisions providing for municipal courts in each county and vesting judicial power of the state in municipal courts. Make certain conforming and related changes in Constitution to reflect consolidation. Provides that the constitutional provision governing the transition process to a unified superior court will be automatically repealed on January 1, 2007.

Fiscal Impact: There is no additional cost to state or local government.

Support

There is no specific Legislative Action Policy deals with this issue. In LAP 7.3B.1 states "Periodically conduct Charter reviews to recommend appropriate changes to the Charter." The proposition is essentially the State equivalent. Since there are no municipal courts, references to them should be removed.

Support

PROPOSITION 49: Before and After School Programs. State Grants. Initiative

Increases state grant funds available for before/after school programs, providing tutoring, homework assistance, and educational enrichment. Requires that, beginning 2004–05, new grants will not be taken from education funds guaranteed by Proposition 98.

This proposition makes various funding changes to the state’s Before and After School Learning and Safe Neighborhoods Partnership Program. The measure also renames the program to the After School Education and Safety Program (funds would still be available for before school programs) and makes other technical programmatic changes.

Fiscal Impact: Additional annual state costs for before and after school programs of up to $455 million, beginning in 2004–05.

Support

Goal 5.1E Support efforts to improve the availability and quality of education made available in Sunnyvale.

Support

PROPOSITION 50: Water Quality

Authorizes $3,440,000,000 general obligation bonds to fund a variety of water projects, including: Specified CALFED Bay-Delta Program projects including urban and agricultural water use efficiency projects; Grants and loans to reduce Colorado River water use; Purchasing, protecting and restoring coastal wetlands near urban areas; Competitive grants for water management and quality improvement projects; Development of river parkways; Improved security for state, local and regional water systems; Grants for desalination and drinking water disinfection. Appropriates money from state General Fund to pay off bonds. State cost of up to $6.9 billion over 30 years to pay off both the principal ($3.44 billion) and interest ($3.46 billion) costs on the bonds. Payments of about $230 million per year. Reduction in local property tax revenues, ranging from a few million dollars to roughly $10 million annually, about one-half of which would be offset by state payments to schools to make up their revenue loss. Unknown costs to state and local governments to operate or maintain properties or projects purchased or developed with these bond funds

Fiscal Impact: State cost of up to $6.9 billion over 30 years to repay bonds. Reduction in local property tax revenues, up to roughly $10 million annually; partially offset by state funds. Unknown state and local operation and maintenance costs.

Support

LAP 3.1.1 Support statewide action plan for addressing water-related issues, including availability, quality and recycling.

Support

PROPOSITION 51: Transportation

Creates "Traffic Congestion Relief and Safe School Bus Trust Fund." Redistributes portion of existing state revenues from motor vehicle sales/leases from General Fund to Trust Fund for transportation, environmental, and safety programs. Allocates portion of these funds for: school bus safety; clean air programs; highway improvements; mass transit improvements including bus purchase, commuter and light rail expansion. Provides funds for environmental enhancement programs and traffic mitigation programs. Allocates money to 45 specific projects. For remainder of Trust Fund, specifies distribution percentages, restricts fund uses, requires accountability mechanisms. Redirects specified General Fund revenues to state and local transportation-related purposes of about $420 million in 2002-03, $910 million in 2003-04, and increasing amounts annually thereafter, depending on the increase in the sale and leasing of motor vehicles.

Fiscal Impact: Redirects specified General Fund revenues to transportation-related purposes, totaling about $420 million in 2002–03, $910 million in 2003–04, and increasing amounts annually thereafter, depending on increases in motor vehicle sales and leasing.

Oppose

LAP 7.1.17 – Support flexible spending of state and federal transportation funds for locally determined needs.

Oppose

PROPOSITION 52: Election Day Voter Registration

Allows persons who are legally eligible to vote and have valid identification to register to vote on election day at their polling place. Increases criminal penalty for voter and voter registration fraud. Criminalizes conspiracy to commit voter fraud. Requires trained staff at polling places to manage election day registration, creates fund to implement measure, including training and providing personnel for election day registration. Allows persons to register or reregister during 28 days preceding election day at local election offices. Provides more time to county election officials to prepare voter registration lists. Annual state costs of about $6 million to fund counties for Election Day voter registration activities, thereby resulting in no anticipated net county cost. Minor state administrative costs and unknown, but probably minor, state costs to enforce a new election fraud offense

Fiscal Impact: Annual state costs of about $6 million to fund counties for election day voter registration activities. No anticipated net county costs. State administrative costs are unknown, but probably minor, and there will be state costs to enforce new election fraud offense.

Neutral

LAP 7.3.1 Legislative/Management - In cooperation with County Registrar of Voters, contain costs of elections as long as the elections process is not adversely affected (i.e., purge voter rolls, limit costs for candidate statements, prevent abuse of absentee ballot process). Support continued state reimbursement of absentee ballot costs. 7.3.2 - In cooperation with County Registrar of Voters, support practices which would increase voter turnout in local elections (e.g., mail ballots, more information to voters for judicial elections).

Support