Proposition 1
"...this Proposition is blatantly misleading and should be rejected by the voters"
This proposition is dubbed the “Veterans and Affordable Housing Bond Act, and purports to be a benefit to veterans. It represents $11.25 billion in general obligation bonds with $1.25 billion, a mere 11% allocated to veterans. General obligation bonds represent the most expensive way to pay for anything. This Proposition is blatantly misleading and should be rejected by the voters.
John McGinness says, NO on Proposition 1
Proposition 2
"...would fundamentally change the “Gann Limit”.
This proposition would fundamentally change the “Gann Limit” which was passed by the voters in 1979, as well as the “rainy day fund” approved by the voters in 2014. These historic decisions by the voters have allowed many California seniors to remain in their homes.
John McGinness says, NO on Proposition 2
Proposition 3
"...enough is enough! California has the highest income tax rates in the nation"
Prop 3 is the foreseeable result of the so-called temporary income tax rate hike for schools that was sold to California voters in 2012 and temporarily extended in 2016. Enough is enough! California has the highest income tax rates in the nation. This tax effectively penalizes hard work and productivity. California education funding is guaranteed by Proposition 98 and supported by the California Lottery, yet public education is failing. It is a matter of policy, not funding.
John McGinness says, NO on Proposition 3
Proposition 4
"...Proposition 4 would eliminate taxpayer protection"
Existing law, per the Political Reform act of 1974, prohibits the use of tax dollars for the purpose of funding political campaigns. Proposition 4 would eliminate that taxpayer protection against such improper purpose.
John McGinness says, NO on Proposition 4
Proposition 5
"...an affront to democracy and the recall process"
If approved, this proposition would alter the Constitutional right of the voters to recall a state officer and vote for a replacement candidate. It would remove the right to vote for a replacement candidate in recalls of statewide officers and state legislators. Offices would be filled by appointment or in a later special election. If a Governor was recalled, the Lieutenant Governor would be elevated to replace him/her for the remainder of the term or until a special election was called, depending upon timing. This proposition would also allow the recalled Governor to run in a special election to fill the seat, which current law prohibits. Proposition 5 is an affront to democracy and the recall process.
John McGinness says, NO on Proposition 5
Proposition 38
"...the manner in which the proposition is written is disingenuous"
Proponents of this proposition identify worthwhile pursuits in medicine, yet the manner in which the proposition is written is disingenuous. It would authorize $8.4 billion in state bonded indebtedness for research and therapies related to the use of the body’s immune system to treat disease. This ballot language was written to very likely exclude all but one institute in the state of California, the Cal Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, whose co-founder is the primary backer of this proposition. Pharmaceutical companies have, and should continue to fund this worthwhile research, not the taxpayers of California with more bonded indebtedness.
John McGinness says, NO on Proposition 38
Proposition 39
"...a reasonable measure to ensure voter integrity and prevent the depravation of a fundamental right"
This is the Voter Identification Initiative. California is currently one of only fourteen states in the US in which voter ID is NOT required. Prop 39 represents a reasonable measure to ensure voter integrity and prevent the depravation of a fundamental right. This proposition does NOT eliminate voting by mail as the incumbent Secretary of State has publicly asserted, it is an effort to ensure that mail ballots are validly submitted by eligible voters. Opponents have falsely asserted that this is a Trump proposition. This is a proposition created by well over a million California voters who have signed the petition to put it on the ballot. If approved by the voters it will not take effect until the next election cycle when President Trump is leaving office.
John McGinness says, YES on Proposition 39
Proposition 40
"...a threat to every hardworking California taxpayer and homeowner"
Erroneously dubbed the billionaires tax, this proposition would be a threat to every California taxpayer and homeowner. The claim is that it would impose a “one-time” tax of 5% of covered assets valued above one billion dollars. The truth is, this includes language that allows the legislature to rewrite the law in the future, even changing the threshold of the assets they would tax, and the percentage of those assets to be seized. This is a threat to every hardworking Californian.
John McGinness says, NO on Proposition 40
Proposition 41
"...an essential foundational step to be respected"
Proposition 41 very simply requires pre-election audits of programs that would be funded by new statewide special taxes. This is an essential foundational step to be respected for establishing legitimate public policy.
John McGinness says, YES on Proposition 41
Proposition 42
"...defense against the harm to be inflicted upon Californians should Proposition 40 be passed"
This is an appropriate defense against the harm to be inflicted upon Californians should Proposition 40 be passed. It will prohibit any new state taxes that seize the ownership or control of personal property.
John McGinness says, YES on Proposition 42
Proposition 43
"...restore the Prop 13 guaranteed two-thirds vote requirement to pass local special taxes"
Proposition 43 is the taxpayer protection act. It will restore the Prop 13 guaranteed two-thirds vote requirement to pass local special taxes. This proposition is essential to protect California taxpayers and homeowners from excessive taxation that could force them out of their homes.
John McGinness says, YES on Proposition 43
Proposition 44
"...work of a very powerful labor organization in an effort to expand their control"
If passed by the voters, Prop 44 would require community clinics that provide community care to medically underserved areas and small communities to spend at least ninety percent of their revenue on patient services, not management and overhead. It would authorize the state AG to publish guidance on qualifying expenditures and allow the Department of Public Health to issue waivers. It would authorize monetary penalties and criminal charges. This is the work of a very powerful labor organization in an effort to expand their control over medical clinics.
John McGinness says, NO on Proposition 44
Proposition 45
"...California is a major impediment to people, especially young people pursuing the American Dream"
Housing affordability in California is a major impediment to people, especially young people pursuing the American Dream. Environmental concerns are and should be a concern for responsible development. However, the California Environmental Quality Act has limited fair and legitimate competition in building homes. It is more frequently used as leverage by powerful labor unions to enhance their strength while making life more difficult for the masses and putting homeownership out of the reach of too many Californians.