Voting with Rational (#2: Prop. 59)

Preface: Before the November election, there will be many advertisements regarding propositions, and candidates for various offices. This is my forum to tell you of my views. I encourage you, whether you agree or disagree, to comment on what I have to say. This is what the political process is about: choosing what is best for our city, county, state, and country. These choices should never be made blindly and, therefore, I will present links for places where you can research other points of view.

Topic #2: California Proposition #59

The full text of the proposition is too long, and the official summary can be confusing, so here's my summary in normal language:
While it keeps the constitutional rights, including that of privacy, due process, and equal protection, this measure will give the public the right to access meetings of government bodies and certain government officials' documents. The only exemption is of the records and meetings of Legislature. The proposition began as a Senate Constitutional Amendment and was put on the ballot for voter approval, after it was passed in both the state assembly and senate unanimously.
So basically, this measure would be more of the public saying "we want access to more government documents" in principle without actually allowing that much more than is already available. The language in the proposition is very vague. It says that Californians will have a "right of access to information concerning the conduct of people's business" and laws in our state "shall be broadly construed if it furthers the people's right of access, and narrowly construed if it limits the right of access." Therefore, this measure would not actually change any rights to access specifically -- in fact, it even says that current laws will not change -- rather, it would tell law makers and judges how laws must be interpreted.
I guess there's really nothing wrong with that. Nor is there any really outstanding argument against the measure. It's sponsored by the California Newspaper Publishers Association and the California First Amendment Coalition, and the one person cited as speaking up against the measure is an attorney, Gary Wesley, who says "Proposition 59 may be better than nothing, but it does not go far enough. The question is whether to vote 'yes' and hope for more or vote 'no' and demand more." I see your point Mr. Wesley, but you've got to start somewhere.
Bottom line is this: for most of us who wouldn't don't read any actual legislative texts, nonetheless the debates and conversations about them, this measure doesn't really apply directly to us. It does, however, affect those who do, and I believe that they should be given access to this information should the choose to seek it. If they're going to discover something, present them with the opportunity to. That is why I am in favor of Proposition 59. Yet, don't just take my word for it. Do your own research!

Get Your Own Info:

Cal Voter site(non-partisian voter information):
http://www.calvoter.org/voter/elections/2004/props/prop59.html

Official Proposition site:
http://www.prop59.org/

IT'S YOUR VOTE. MAKE IT COUNT!