Proposition 82, the pre-school/tax increase/help Las Vegas, Phoenix and Denver Initiative, continues to have support at the polls here in the Golden State. Rob Reiner, who wrote the initiative, continues to find himself in a hole.
Yesterday Reiner held a news conference in Sacramento. Reiner is chair of the “First 5” Commission, funded by a tobacco tax. The First 5 Commission spent $23 Million on a series of commercials that ran in December and January promoting pre-school. I doubt it’s a coincidence that Reiner happens to have written an initiative that will be voted on in June that creates a bureaucracy for pre-school.
Meanwhile, every Republican State Senator has called on the Governator to replace Reiner on the First 5 Commission. Both Republicans and Democrats have forced the State Auditor to audit the First 5 Commission. The initiative is now facing opposition from not only groups such as the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, but Democrats. Republican political commentators such as Hugh Hewitt have been taking the Governator, Reiner and the initiative to task.
Still, the $23 Million has had an impact. With no major Republican issues on the June ballot (as of now), and a Democratic primary for Governor, it will be very interesting to see if Proposition 82 passes. If the election were held today, it would (according to polling data). That shows you the sad state of California’s electorate.
Tags: Proposition82