Tell Jay Obernolte and Howard Jarvis Where They Can Put AB-2848!
March 29, 2018

With friends like these, who needs enemies?

What we're talking about is the latest brain-child of Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and its ally in the assembly, Jay Obernolte (AD-33, Hesperia).

In snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, these "honorable men" (Antony's speech, Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene 2) have caved to the school bonds cartel.

The previous incarnation of Elections Code 13119 (AB-195), explicitly expanded the scope of the law to include bond measures. The gutted and amended AB-2848 removes both of those mandates.

The official line is that it's impossible to implement. As my grandmother used to say, that's a bunch of dreck. Impossible? How is it then, that every single one of the 40 school bond measures on the June 2018 ballot either fully or substantially comply with the 13119(b)? One school bond measure, at the loss of 5 more deceptive words, even complies with 13119(a).

The fact is that the school bonds cartel was caught off-guard by the change. It takes away valuable real estate (between 13 and 25 words) from the argumentive, deceptive, false, and misleading ballot question that is the only thing the voters see when they vote.

Obernolte and Jarvis are spinning that the mandate is impossible to comply with. Really? Then how did all 40 bond measures on the June 2018 ballot either completely or substantially comply with 13119(b)? That subsection requires tax rate information to be included in the statement. This requires about 10 words and thus removes that number from the crap that bond counsel write into these statements. I couldn't be happier with that.

Why did only one of the 40 bond ballot measure statements comply with 13119(a)? That subsection brackets every measure with five additional words: "Shall the measure (measure synopsis) be adopted?" I guess bond counsel thought they could get away with that. Or did they get direct communication from registrars that it wouldn't be enforced? The latter could be an interesting aspect of what's going on.

Site members can see a complete list of the June ballot statements.

The following table, for site members with Level 4 access, shows the language that would be removed if AB-2848 is enacted into law. You decide.

Talking Points

• Complying with 13119(a) is NOT impossible. It's already been done on the June ballot.
• Complying with 13119(b) is NOT impossible. It's already been done on the June ballot.
• Bond counsel writes the bond ballot measure statement as a sales pitch. Districts are getting away with fraud and grand theft.
• Requiring language in the available 75-word count for the bond ballot measure statement, forces bond counsel to remove some of the sales pitch language.
• As practiced, the bond ballot measure statement is not a synopsis of anything in the full-text of the measure.
• The sales pitch in the bond ballot measure statement is tested through a voter survey, using district resources to all-but-guarantee passage. 96% of all Proposition 39 bond measures passed in 2016.
• Unlike state-wide propositions, no one reviews the bond ballot measure statement. It gives free reign and an unfair advantage to bond counsel.
• Bond counsel voluntarily complied with 13119(b), virtually ignored 13119(a), and universally ignored 13119(c). County registrars and county counsel refuse to enforce the parts of AB-195 that make the election fair.

Let's let Obernolte and HJTA know that we don't approve of their spinelessness.

During April Fools' week, April 1 to April 7, let's call the offices of both and let them know that you want them to drop AB-2848. Do you have more juice than the cartel? Let's see what we can stir up.

Call, e-mail, tweet.

Deep six AB-2848!

We don't appreciate AB-2848!