MOVING BALLOT INITIATIVES TO NOVEMBER

These are excerpts from the Inside Opinion blog by Press Democrat editorial writers Paul Gullixson and Jim Sweeney:

We had an editorial board debate one morning about ballot initiatives. Since the mid-1970s, initiatives have appeared on both primary and general election ballots. Under a bill now before the governor, initiatives would only appear on November ballots.

Why? In the short run, it's a power play. There is an anti-labor measure headed for the June 2012 primary, and without a Democratic primary for president, governor or (almost certainly) U.S. Senate , the electorate will skew Republican. What about the long run? Targeting an initiative for a low-turnout primary is nothing new, and special interests of all stripes are going to keep aiming for elections most likely to benefit them.

Our debate: Should the goals of direct democracy include the largest possible electorate, or do eligible voters who don't cast ballots deserve whatever outcome they may get? I prefer the larger electorate, which better reflects the state and serves as a check on the sharper ideologies of primary voters. (That said, I think Gov. Jerry Brown should veto this bill, which was produced at the last minute and passed without any legitimate public review, and push for a change beginning in 2014.) Paul thinks we've been deciding initiatives in June primaries for more than 35 years, and there's no good argument

for changing it now. On principle, he also questions why the public should only be allowed to vote on initiatives during those elections when the turnout is certain to be high. What do you think?

-- Jim Sweeney

Probably the most telling story today about the Sonoma County economy can be found on page A12 in Friday's Press Democrat. And it's not a news story. It's a list of 635 property owners - residents, companies, banks, limited partnerships, etc. - that are in default on paying property taxes, assessments and/or other charges. Assistant Tax Collector Pam Johnston says this is one of the longest lists the county has run. Last year, it contained 395 properties. One of the most substantial tax bills - totaling nearly $322,000 - is owed by Railroad Square Village LLC. This is the partnership that received approval from the Santa Rosa City Council in 2007 to build the 73-unit high-density DeTurk Village housing project on the site of some historic winery warehouses in the West End Historic District. The warehouses, located on Donahue Street between West Ninth and West Eighth streets across from DeTurk Round Barn Park, date back to the 1870s.

-- Paul Gullixson