Biweekly news digest from the California State University Employees Union
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GOV. BROWN VISITS CHICO STATE TO DISCUSS PROP. 30
PROP. 32 UPDATE: POLLS SHOW A TIGHT RACE
CSUEU’S CANDIDATE AND INITIATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS
FPPC SUES TO EXPOSE $11 MILLION CAMPAIGN DONORS
SOCIAL SECURITY: SIX MYTH-BUSTING FACTS
SIGN UP FOR THE MEMBER BENEFITS NEWSLETTER
CAMPUS PHOTO CONTEST
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Governor Brown Visits Chico State to Discuss Prop. 30
By Chapter 302 President Pat Heath
Last Monday, October 29, Governor Brown visited the Chico State campus to rally support for Proposition 30. The most recent Yes on 30 polls range from 48 to 51 percent—too close for comfort!
Gov. Brown, who also visited CSULA on Tuesday, spoke with his usual straight-forward style, outlining the pros and cons of the proposition he authored to deal with the state budget and the declining revenue to higher education.
Officials estimated that about 1,500 students, faculty and staff gathered to hear him speak at the Student Services Center Plaza’s stage area.
Brown told the enthusiastic crowd, “I want everyone to know it's simple. ‘Yes’ means money into schools. 'No' means money out of schools. It's pretty simple: third-grade arithmetic.”
The crowd showed their support by chanting “Jer-ry! Jer-ry!” while supporters waved dozens of “Yes on Proposition 30” signs in the air.
Brown furthered his argument in favor of Prop 30 by saying, “Ninety-eight percent of people who will vote will not pay any more income tax.” That tax increase would only hit the state’s richest people, and even they would pay “only a tiny fraction” of their income.
Defending the quarter-cent sales tax hike, Brown stated it would mean paying “a penny more for a $4 sandwich. That, to me, seems reasonable, considering the help it will give education.”
The governor went on to describe opponents of Proposition 30 as “a shadowy group” of people who refuse to identify themselves. “They're a couple of dozen people who have a hell of a lot of money,” he said.
Also speaking in support of Proposition 30 were Senate pro Tem Darrell Steinberg; CSU board of trustees chairman Bob Linscheid; the CSU board's student trustee, Jillian Ruddell of Chico State; and Chico State professor Susan Green, an officer in the California Faculty Association.
Provost Belle Wei and Linscheid thanked Brown for his visit to Chico State, which is celebrating its 125th year as a college. Both of them noted that the governor signed their BA diplomas during his first stint as governor, 1975 to 1983.
See a short video from the California Budget Project explaining how Prop. 30 would boost state funding for K-12 and university education, unlike any of the other ballot measures.
View a gallery of photos from CSUEU chapter actions across the state for Prop. 30 and against Prop. 32.
Prop. 32 Update: Polls Show a Tight Race
According to a new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California, some 53 percent of likely voters plan to vote No on Prop. 32, the Special Exemptions Act. That’s a thin margin, and we need to do everything we can to ensure this measure is defeated.
As we approach the election, our opposition—the folks who want to silence your voice in the Capitol and let corporations funnel massive amounts of money into politics—are stepping up their attacks.
Keep on spreading the word to your friends and family about voting against this anti-working class power grab.
Visit the California Teachers Association’s informative website about this measure.
View a YouTube video of VP for Representation Alisandra Brewer discussing Prop. 30 and 32 at a lively elections rally at Sonoma State on October 25.
View CSUEU’s Candidate and Initiative Recommendations
CSUEU’s Elections website provides you with the Legislative Committee’s recommendations on California Senate and Assembly candidates as well as key ballot initiatives.
CSUEU has endorsed these candidates based on their voting record (if they have served in the legislature before), their campaign material, their stances on public education, public employees and unions, and reports about them in the press.
The union has additionally made recommendations about some ballot initiatives that are projected to be in our best interest or to harm us.
FPPC Sues to Expose $11 Million Campaign Donors
Last week, the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) filed suit against Americans for Responsible Leadership (ARL), the shadowy Arizona-based front group that recently dropped $11 million into a committee that’s funding campaigns in opposition to Prop 30 and in support of Prop 32.
Yesterday, Oct. 31, Sacramento Superior Court judge ordered ARL to provide more details regarding the donation. Superior Court Judge Shelleyanne Chang approved the FPPC's request to audit the Arizona group's paper trail on the donation. In her order, she wrote that, if the FPPC determines Americans for Responsible Leadership violated the state’s disclosure laws, “irreparable harm has occurred and continues to occur as each day passes and voters continue to cast their votes.”
The FPPC filed the lawsuit to compel ARL to disclose exactly where the $11 million contribution to California’s most high-profile ballot measure races actually came from. The political action committee that accepted the money, the Small Business Action Committee, has refused to disclose the identity of the donors. Watchdog groups like California Common Cause have spoken out against the corrupting influence of dark money.
Who are "Americans for Responsible Leadership?"
- ARL is a mystery group that doesn’t disclose its donors.
- It was created earlier this year and has not filed a tax return yet, so there’s no available information about how much money they’ve raised or who the officers are.
- According to the Arizona Corporation Commission, ARL is not in good standing with the State of Arizona, as its annual report was due July 26, 2012, and has yet to be filed.
Social Security: Six Myth-Busting Facts
Social Security is our most important family protection program that works not just for retirees, but also for people with disabilities and children who’ve lost a working parent. Those who would like to dismantle the program consistently distort the facts and falsely claim that it’s bankrupt.
This informative AFL-CIO article and its many links provide valuable myth-busting information on Social Security’s current and future financial health.
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The November edition of the CSEA Member Benefits newsletter features discounts for CSUEU-represented employees on gifts, electronics, special events, travel destinations, insurance and more.
It’s easy to save money by having the newsletter delivered directly to your email inbox once a month and taking advantage of all the discounts. Subscribe at the Member Benefits website.
Campus Photo Contest
In selected editions of E-News, we've been showing a photograph of a different campus and have invited readers to identify the campus. The photo in the Oct. 18 edition was from CSU San Marcos. Winners were Kristine Quiocho of Cal Poly Pomona and Russell Kilday-Hicks of San Francisco State. Congratulations, Kristine and Russell!
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See back issues of CSUEU E-News, distributed every other Thursday.
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