BOMA California's Ballot Positions for the November 2016 Election

BOMA California members have taken the following positions on the statewide ballot propositions (Note: Of the 17 measures, BOMA took positions on five propositions):

PROP 51 – YES/SUPPORT - $9 Billion In Bonds For Education And Schools

The board adopted a “support” position for the state to issue $9 billion in bonds to fund improvement and construction of school facilities for K-12 schools and community colleges.

SUMMARY: Authorizes $9 billion in general obligation bonds for new construction and modernization of K–12 public school facilities; charter schools and vocational education facilities; and California Community Colleges facilities. Fiscal Impact: State costs of about $17.6 billion to pay off both the principal ($9 billion) and interest ($8.6 billion) on the bonds. Payments of about $500 million per year for 35 years.

PROP 52 – YES/SUPPORT - Medi‐Cal Hospital Fee Program

The board adopted a “support” position to support the hospitals draw down additional federal monies to draw matching federal funds, which will take pressure off other areas of the state budget.

SUMMARY: Extends indefinitely an existing statute that imposes fees on hospitals to fund Medi-Cal health care services, care for uninsured patients, and children’s health coverage. Fiscal Impact: Uncertain fiscal effect, ranging from relatively little impact to annual state General Fund savings of around $1 billion and increased funding for public hospitals in the low hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

PROP 53 – NO/OPPOSE – Statewide Vote Requirement for Certain Revenue Bonds

The board “opposes” this measure which will require voter approval before the issuance of public infrastructure bonds (“revenue bonds) over $2 billion.

SUMMARY: Requires statewide voter approval before any revenue bonds can be issued or sold by the state for certain projects if the bond amount exceeds $2 billion. Fiscal Impact: State and local fiscal effects are unknown and would depend on which projects are affected by the measure and what actions government agencies and voters take in response to the measure's voting requirement.

PROP 54 – YES/SUPPORT – Legislative Sunshine; Stop Last Minute Gut-and-Amends

The board “supports” this measure which will prohibit the Legislature from passing any bill until it has been in print for 72 hours prior to a vote.

SUMMARY: Prohibits Legislature from passing any bill unless published on Internet for 72 hours before vote. Requires Legislature to record its proceedings and post on Internet. Authorizes use of recordings. Fiscal Impact: One-time costs of $1 million to $2 million and ongoing costs of about $1 million annually to record legislative meetings and make videos of those meetings available on the Internet.

PROP 57 – NO/OPPOSE - Felons convicted of non-violent crimes and juvenile trials

The board “opposes” this measure over concerns it may exacerbate the homeless problem in urban areas by releasing inmates earlier than sentenced.

SUMMARY: Allows parole consideration for nonviolent felons. Authorizes sentence credits for rehabilitation, good behavior, and education. Provides juvenile court judge decides whether juvenile will be prosecuted as adult. Fiscal Impact: Net state savings likely in the tens of millions of dollars annually, depending on implementation. Net county costs of likely a few million dollars annually.