I just got word the End Prop. 47 initiative doubled the all-time record for signatures collected by volunteers. Thank you to all who helped! This is why Sacramento politicians are so desperate to thwart the initiative. The people of California are reclaiming control of our state.
Yet this news came amidst a week that truly defied belief. First, at Newsom’s request, the CA Supreme Court removed the Taxpayer Protection Act from the ballot. This Proposition would have subjected any tax increase to a vote of the people. But now, it’s gone.
Second, the scheme to undermine End 47 just keeps getting more perverse. The good news is we stopped the “poison pill” plan; it is so outrageous that even the Supermajority won’t get on board (despite stacking committees and other undemocratic tactics).
Yet now, there’s a new plan: just 3 days before the deadline to finalize November’s ballot, Newsom has thrown together his own competing initiative for the sole purpose of confusing voters. As I said on Fox News, these antics are uniting Republicans and Democrats in opposition.
That’s because allowing Californians to hold a vote that we earned by gathering signatures isn’t a partisan matter. Nor is the initiative itself. We are just asking for a return to common sense: Restore consequences for illegal activity; fund police to enforce the law; prosecute the offenders.
We will know by June 27 exactly what the state of play is for November’s vote. This will also be the week of the big Grants Pass homelessness decision from the U.S. Supreme Court. These two developments – ending 47 and restricting public camping – could bring our state closer to sanity.