In California, we have a voter-referendum system by which ballot initiatives can introduce laws that the state legislature, for a variety of reasons, cannot or will not act upon themselves. Large bond measures, constitutional amendments, and the like are required to go before the general public for approval. Other issues, such as legalization of marijuana, denial of services to undocumented immigrants, or dealing with the notion of same-sex marriage are simply too sensitive for our assemblymen and state senators to address in a straightforward manner. This can result in a bewildering array of issues laid at the feet of the electorate.

In my precinct in Santa Rosa, the following issues are up for grabs:

State Propositions

• 1A Transportation Funding Protection. Legislative Constitutional Amendment.
• 1B Highway Safety, Traffic Reduction, Air Quality, and Port Security Bond Act of 2006.
• 1C Housing and Emergency Shelter Trust Fund Act of 2006.
• 1D Kindergarten–University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2006.
• 1E Disaster Preparedness and Flood Prevention Bond Act of 2006.
• 83 Sex Offenders. Sexually Violent Predators. Punishment, Residence Restrictions and Monitoring. Initiative Statute.
• 84 Water Quality, Safety and Supply. Flood Control. Natural Resource Protection.
  Park Improvements. Bonds. Initiative Statute.
• 85 Waiting Period and Parental Notification Before Termination of Minor’s Pregnancy. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.
• 86 Tax on Cigarettes. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute.
• 87 Alternative Energy. Research, Production, Incentives. Tax on California Oil Producers. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute.
• 88 Education Funding. Real Property Parcel Tax. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute.
• 89 Political Campaigns. Public Financing. Corporate Tax Increase. Campaign Contribution and Expenditure Limits. Initiative Statute.
• 90 Government Acquisition, Regulation of Private Property. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.

Local Ballot Initiatives

• Measure F. Sonoma County Open Space, Clean Water and Farmland Protection Measure.
• Measure R. Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District Measure.

That’s a lot, considering that we have 80 state assemblymen and 40 state senators, all purportedly working full-time. Note that a half-dozen of the state-wide propositions are constitutional amendments. This is the kind of stuff that leads to having a state constitution that looks like a dictionary rather than an austere tomb of governing principles. As a reliable voter since my 18th birthday, I fully intend to comb through of these thoroughly, but an initial perusal marks this entire list of items as a series of failures on the part of California’s government.

More on Measure R and the proliferation of bonds is probably inevitable.