Honest Ballots(sm) refers to the manner in which the county registrar of voters prints the ballot question (a.k.a., ballot label) on the ballot for local measures submitted to the voters.
The Elections Code sections in Chapter 2 of Division 13 (beginning with section 13100) determine what is printed on the ballot. Consequently, if a statute does not specify it, it is not allowed.
The law requires honest ballots. The registrar has a mandatory ministerial duty to produce honest ballots. The registrar willfully neglects that duty. Consequently, the registrar produces dishonest ballots, at least for local measures.
Many of these measures do not conform to the requirements of the sections in Chapter 2. To simplify it, the focus of this voter guide is on section 13119 (the ballot question). If the ballot question does not conform, the effect is that the government is taking sides in the election using public moneys (your taxes). This violates your rights under the constitution.
Therefore, we recommend that, no matter how good or bad you believe the policy underlying the measure is, that you vote no. This is a principled vote against the government cheating to win an election using the ballot.
Click on the Measure letter (school bonds only) for a detailed analysis of the school bond fraud.
Why would anyone with school-aged children send their children to a government school where the people who run the schools lie and cheat? Just asking.
In this period just before the end of election month, agencies with measures on the ballot are likely to be conducting "informational" activities on public property. This is especially true of school and college districts. We just published an article about this subject (WARNING: Using School Property (Resources) to Promote Bond Measure Is Criminal). It not only points out the illegality of much of the activities, but more importantly shows how you can take advantage of it, if you know the law.
Many people find our district-specific opposition pages. Few connect. That's a shame. While you may satisfy your need for reasons to know how you should cast your vote, you miss out on connecting, not only with us, but with all the others in your district.
If you know of a "No" campaign that has a web site (domain) or a blog or a web page, we will link to it from the voter guide. Sorry, but we do not link to social media accounts, such as those on Facebook or X (Twitter). To add a link please text #HonestBallots, county, measure letter, and the URL to 909-378-5401.
Today we received a message from a bond supporter in Monterey County.
We usually don't reply because of the amount of time involved in responding to the propaganda voters have been fed. In general, supporters have been brainwashed or have something to gain from a school bond passing.
The lady who wrote asked us "what have you done in the way of researching a solution for our local schools that desperately need the funding?" (The old "shift the burden" stratagem. How is this our job?) She wanted us "to offer a community-based solution on how to upgrade our local schools." If you're familiar with Newspeak, you'll understand the added adjective preceding "solution." "Desperately" means that the district officials have misspent all their sources of funding in favor of themselves, rather than the "community." By that we mean the superintendent pulls in over $200K, almost all the teachers get well over $100K and even the bus drivers are pulling in $85K. (Remember, teachers work about 185 days a year, not 250 days (5 days x 50 weeks) like us working-class stiffs.) The district has four K-8 schools in a non-wealthy area. Total enrollment has declined about 17% in the last four years.
Our message (about 20 minutes long) was recorded on October 11, 2015. Today is October 11, 2024. We thought it unusually serendipitous and synchronisticly Jungian at the same time. So here it is. Nine years ago we were focused on the constitutional language of Proposition 39. We haven't abandoned that thinking, but we subsequently recognized that voters almost never read the measure and most don't even know that California has a constitution. They do, however, read the ballot label.
To improve the quality of education; modernize outdated classrooms and school facilities; replace leaky roofs; and make safety improvements at drop-off and pickup areas; shall the measure authorizing [school district name] to issue $18,200,000 of bonds at legal rates, generating on average $1.08 million annually as long as bonds are outstanding at approximately $19 per $100,000 assessed value, be adopted, with annual audits, independent citizens' oversight committee, no money for salaries and all money staying local?
We redacted the school district name in part to demonstrate how generic school bond measure ballot labels have become. It's plain and simple cheating -- the government taking sides in the election using tax dollars -- on the ballot. This is a product of the moral relativism driven by constant government and media-entertainment complex propaganda. "It's ok to cheat for a good cause." Sorry, Charlie! It's wrong to cheat working-class voters (the rich ones don't send their kids to government schools) out of their sustenance.
You can see the complete web site on which this recording was posted here.
The rest of the story: The district lost the election by 72 votes.
By the way, every opposition page is set up to display video and audio recordings. Just create one and send us the link to play it on the page.
| Courtesy of California School Bonds Clearinghouse Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. |
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| Measure | Agency | Type | Question | Bond Amount | Tax Rate | Tax |
| A | West Side Community Health Care District | parcel tax | AMBULANCE SERVICES FUNDING MEASURE FOR WEST SIDE ... ambulance services in the district, be adopted? | -- | $69.00 +cpi | $600,000 |
| B | Hughson Unified | Prop 39 bond | Hughson Unified School District Repair Measure. ... oversight/ audits, no funds for administrators? | $46,000,000 | $60.00 | $93,577,000 |
| C | City of Turlock | transient occupancy tax | Coming soon ... | -- | from 9% to 14% | |
| E | Riverbank Unified | Prop 39 bond | With no increase in current estimated tax rates, ... no funds taken by the State and spent elsewhere? | $21,600,000 | $60.00 | $42,940,000 |
| G | Oakdale Joint Unified | Prop 39 bond | To improve Oakdale schools; expand/renovate career ... money for salaries and all money staying local? | $105,500,000 | $59.98 | $227,720,000 |
| H | Keyes Fire Protection District | Prop 5 bond | FIRE PROTECTION AND PUBLIC SAFETY MEASURE. ... oversight, audits, and all funds spent locally? | $7,000,000 | $38.00 | $14,500,000 |
| P | County of Stanislaus Unincorporated Area | cannabis business tax | CANNABIS BUSINESS TAX Shall Stanislaus ... prevention and treatment, until repealed by voters? | -- | 4% gross receipts (distribution);8% gross receipts (retail);4% gross or $8/sqft (cultivation) | $1,700,000 |
| Q | Salida Union Elementary | Prop 39 bond | With funds that cannot be taken by the State and ... and no projected increase in current tax rates? | $16,000,000 | $30.00 | $29,100,000 |
| R | Stanislaus Union Elementary | Prop 39 bond | With funds that cannot be taken by the State, shall ... oversight and full public disclosure of all spending? | $45,000,000 | $30.00 | $90,000,000 |
| S | Newman-Crows Landing Unified | Prop 39 bond | Classroom Improvement Bond. With funds that ... eligibility and full public disclosure of spending? | $30,000,000 | $49.00 | $52,800,000 |
| T | Newman-Crows Landing Unified | Prop 39 bond | School Repair Bond. With funds that cannot ... eligibility and full public disclosure of spending? | $27,000,000 | $48.00 | $44,800,000 |
| U | Keyes Union | Prop 39 bond | To modernize outdated classrooms, restrooms, and ... oversight, annual audits, and all money staying local? | $8,500,000 | $30.00 | $17,000,000 |
| V | West Stanislaus County Fire Protection District | parcel tax | FIRE PROTECTION AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE ... with annual audits, and all money staying local? | -- | $125.00 (single family);$63.00 (multi-family unit); $94.00 (other res unit); other rates +cpi | $540,000 |
| W | Waterford Unified | Prop 39 bond | To improve Waterford Schools; modernize, upgrade ... NO money for salaries, all money staying local? | $14,000,000 | $45.00 | $28,600,000 |
| X | Modesto City Elementary | Prop 39 bond | Modesto City Elementary School District Safe ... administrator salaries, and all funds used locally? | $85,000,000 | $29.00 | $140,000,000 |
| Y | Ceres Unified | Prop 39 bond | Ceres Unified School District Campus Safety / ... oversight and all funds for Ceres schools only? | $114,000,000 | $60.00 | $229,491,250 |
| Z | Denair Unified | Prop 39 bond | Measure to Upgrade Denair Unified School District ... annual audits, and no funds for administrators? | $34,300,000 | $60.00 | $77,920,000 |
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