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Law Review: Porter’s (humble) recommendations for June 5 Primary

Jim PorterLaw Review

Many of us received our Vote-by-Mail Ballot this week. A few of you have asked for my recommendations. By andamp;#8220;a few of you,andamp;#8221; I’m referring to my lovely wife, Marianne; and with that license to opine, here are some voting suggestions from a moderate Democrat. That is my disclosure.The big news this year is that for the first time in California we have Open Primary voting, meaning voters receive ballots with all of the candidates (for the voter-nominated races), and we get to vote for any candidate, regardless of party. I personally like the Open Primary, which should result in more middle-of-the-road elected officials, fewer ultra conservative Republicans and fewer ultra liberal Democrats. We’ll see. State-wide officesI am a huge Dianne Feinstein fan for U.S. Senator, less so for Tom McClintock for the 4th Congressional District. McClintock, of course, moved into the district from Southern California. Republican Ted Gaines deserves to be reelected as State Senator for the 1st District. He serves the district well.Placer County Superior Court JudgesVote for Suzanne Gazzaniaga; she will be terrific. From what I have heard, for the other slot, support Garen Horst. Not that you have a lot of choices.SupervisorJennifer Montgomery has done a great job representing her constituents and deserves to be reelected as 5th District Supervisor.Measure F at North TahoeFor North Tahoe voters, Measure F is a andamp;#8220;no brainerandamp;#8221; andamp;#8212; vote andamp;#8220;Yesandamp;#8221; to continue for 10 additional years the existing 2 percent North Lake Tahoe portion of the County Transient Occupancy Tax andamp;#8212; paid only by lodging guests, not by local taxpayers. There are a million reasons to support Measure F. andamp;#8220;Yes.andamp;#8221;Nevada County Superior Court JudgeDefinitely reelect Tom Anderson for Nevada County Superior Court Supervisor.For Nevada County 5th District Supervisor, Ted Owens’ shoes will be hard to fill, but longtime Truckee Town councilmember and former Mayor Richard Anderson deserves your support and then some. State-Wide MeasuresMy general rule for state initiatives, sponsored by special interests, is to vote andamp;#8220;Noandamp;#8221; on everything. This year, vote andamp;#8220;Yesandamp;#8221; on both. Measure 28Vote andamp;#8220;Yes.andamp;#8221; Measure 28 reduces the number of years elected officials may serve in the California Legislature from 14 years to 12 years, but it allows 12 years service in either the Senate or the Assembly. As it stands now, Assembly members are elected every two years and Senators every four years, so as soon as these officials are elected, they are forced to campaign for reelection. The measure is not retroactive, which is good. andamp;#8220;Yesandamp;#8221; on 28. Measure 29Vote andamp;#8220;Yes.andamp;#8221; Measure 29 adds a $1 per pack tax on cigarettes and an equivalent tax on other tobacco products, with funds, estimated to be $735 million a year, used for research and tobacco prevention and cessation programs. The cigarette companies are spending hundreds of millions to fight Measure 29 with silly and illusory arguments. They even have a supposed doctor doing their bidding. Don’t be misled by fancy brochures and expensive TV ads. Bottom line, there is no reason to encourage additional use of this cancer-causing (bad) habit. andamp;#8220;Yesandamp;#8221; on 29.Most importantly, take the time to vote. Mail-in ballots must be received on June 5, so don’t wait. By the way, in the next election in Placer County, you will have the option of receiving your Sample Ballot Pamphlet electronically, so check that out at their website at http://www.placerelections.com.Jim Porter is an attorney with Porter Simon, with offices in Truckee and Reno. He is a mediator and was the Governor’s appointee to the Fair Political Practices Commission and McPherson Commission, both involving election law and the Political Reform Act. He may be reached at porter@portersimon.com or at the firm’s web site, http://www.portersimon.com.


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