Things I’ve learned this year:<\/p>\n
(1) Direct democracy is an AWFUL idea. If you don’t have 2 hours, and access to the right resources, then you have no idea what you’re voting for. It’s just awful.<\/p>\n
(2) Our current two party system is broken, and there’s really no solution in sight<\/p>\n
(3) California is obsessed with implementing liberal policies with conservative tax plans. It just can’t be sustainable, and is really worrisome.<\/p>\n
And with all of that… my votes for the 2016 election up and down the ballot:<\/p>\n
President & Vice President – Hilary Clinton & Tim Kaine<\/strong><\/p>\n I really don’t like Hilary Clinton. Her foreign policy is too hawkish. She’s too old school for me on economics and taxation. But I don’t actually care. This is actually a protest vote against Donald Trump, and a world who would have him elected President. And so I’ve switched from leaving this blank, to voting for Hilary as a way to say that I can’t imagine a worse future for my children than one after 4 years of Donald Trump.<\/p>\n Senate -\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0Kamala D. Harris<\/strong><\/p>\n I think both women are strong candidates here. I think that Kamala Harris has put together a better vision of how she would fix the economy, and deal with immigration. Loretta Sanchez’s campaign seems\u00c2\u00a0to mainly be about her history and her experience, and less so about what she wants to do.<\/p>\n House of\u00c2\u00a0Representatives\u00c2\u00a0-\u00c2\u00a0None<\/strong><\/p>\n Preston Picus isn’t a real alternative. He seems to just be an angry citizen who got enough votes to get on the ballot. And I don’t think that Nancy Pelosi should go back. I just see her as part of a past generation who keeps trying to fix this country in the image of their parents and grandparents (same with Hilary I guess). I wish we could provide a real challenger here, but alas no luck.<\/p>\n State Senator – Jane Kim<\/strong><\/p>\n If I were going to go by the inverse of the number of flyers I received this would easily go to Jane Kim. All Scott Weiner did it seems during this campaign is trash her. And he kept trashing her for policies she stood up for that when I read into them I also supported. So he in fact did most of my research for me here. What really tipped me in her direction though was as I was reading through her policies she spoke about how she wanted to fund her progressive programs. This is a theme I constantly see missing for Democrats. Sure they want to be progressive, but who’s paying for these progressive policies. Jane Kim seems to have that plan in place<\/p>\n State Assembly – None<\/strong><\/p>\n The current Assembly Member – Phil Ting – doesn’t seem to have any ideas of his own. The challenger – Carlos “Chuck” Taylor – is too Tea Party for my liking.<\/p>\n School Board – Mark Sanchez, Rachel Norton, Stevon Cook, Phil Kim<\/strong><\/p>\n The folks I knocked off of the list were either there too long (I think SFUSD is broken – so bragging about 24 years on the Board was a major turnoff), didn’t have plans\u00c2\u00a0for how to fund their ideas, or had never before been involved in creating an education program.<\/p>\n These four seem to be focused on technology (including working in non-profits who have had to fund their ideas), teacher retention (with ideas about how to fix it), and curriculum (with clear ideas of where to focus).<\/p>\n Prop 51 – No<\/strong><\/p>\n In reading the text, this is yet another excuse by California legislators to not take a hard look at Prop 13, and find a sustainable way to fund schools. We’re effectively saying that because we don’t have the political will to challenge Prop 13 we have to keep borrowing against the future to fund schools.<\/p>\n Prop 52 -\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>Yes<\/strong><\/p>\n This seems to be a program that’s working, and one that we should continue to let work. I think the lack of regular check-in by making the date indefinite is a bit sketch, but not so much as to vote No.<\/p>\n Prop 53 – No<\/strong><\/p>\n The last thing California needs is more direct democracy. Definitely voting No here.<\/p>\n Prop 54 – No<\/strong><\/p>\n This one looked great to me at first. But the more I read, the more I didn’t like it. So I asked the one person I know who has worked in the State Legislature, and he said vote No. Sometimes you just need to know who to trust \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n