Daily Archives: October 15, 2022

Ballots are being mailed out, and manyvoters have alreadyreceived their envelope.

While some may know who they want to represent them on city council, they might not know how to vote on local and state propositions and measures.

This week, League of Women Voters Tulare County held an informational forum on what voters can expect to see on their ballots.Two presenters gave a breakdown on the seven California propositions, as well as Visalia's Measure C a bond that would bring another four-year university.

Here are the top takeaways from Tuesday's forum:

Biden calls out 'extremist' abortion laws proposed across the country

President Biden marked 100 days since the overturning of Roe v. Wade and slammed the Republicans for "extreme" abortion bills.

Cody Godwin, Associated Press

Overview:This proposition would changethe California Constitution to include the constitutional right to reproductive freedom. At the time of the Dobbs decision, three states (Florida, Kansas and Montana) had constitutions that protected abortion rights. California, Michigan and Montana are now considering doing the same.

Currently, abortion is legal in California. The states highest court recognized abortion rights under the California Constitution in 1969. However,California law generally prohibits abortion at "viability."

Yes: California can no longer count on the Federal government to protect reproductive rights. Reproductive medical decisions shouldn't be based on political arguments.

No: Women already have the "right to choose" in California, so there is no reason to change the state's constitution. Additionally, voters should consider the rights of an unborn fetus, especially after viability.

Fiscal impact: There is no direct impact on state budget. The state already funds abortion services through Medi-Cal for eligible residents.

Overview: Proposition 26 would allow people 21 years and older to place bets on roulette, dice games, and sports at American Indian casinosand the four licensed horse tracks in the state. Sports betting is currentlyillegal in California.

Yes: Proponents of the measure believe the proposition will increase American Indian self-sufficiency and community programs. Legalizing sports betting could also bring more money into the state and provides strong age verification safeguards.

No: Those opposed say that legalizing more ways to gamble is dangerous for the public's health and safety. Gambling also contributes to bankruptcy, unemployment and loss of state tax revenue.

Fiscal impact: After regulatory costs are paid, 70% of the money generated through Prop. 26 would go toward the state's general fund, 15% wouldgo toward gambling enforcement, and 15% wouldfund mental health research.

Overview: This proposition is the most expensive campaign for and against a proposition in California. The controversial measure would allow online and mobile sports betting outside of tribal lands and the licensed horse racetracks. The proposition wouldalso create a new unit with the state'sJusticeDepartment to regulate online bets.

Yes: Those in favor of Prop. 27 have pointed out that online sports betting is already happening, so it should be made legal. Proponents also say that the proposition would provide for enforcement.

No: Much like Prop. 26, those who oppose this proposition believe gambling is a threat to public health and safety. The proposition is supported by out-of-state gambling companies that will take away money from the state. Tribes and card rooms are also concerned with how this could impact California's gambling industry.

Fiscal impact: Money generated through online sports betting would go to fund gambling addiction programs, homelessness and to tribes not involved in online sports betting. The proposition is exempt from California's education commitment mandate, so no money would go into public schools or community colleges.

It's unlikely Prop. 27 would generate more than $500 million in state revenue annually, according to the Legislative Analyst's Office.

Overview: Proposition 28 would create additional funding for arts and music in public schooleducation. Money will be taken from Proposition 98, whichguarantees a minimum level of funding for K-12 education, community colleges, and related child development, mental health, and developmental service programs.

Yes: Proponents argue that this proposition increases funding for the arts without a new tax. Currently, only one in five California public schools have a dedicated music or arts teacher.

No: Although official opposition has been filed for this proposition, some have argued that this is not the way to create a school budget. Approving the measure could also decrease funding for other crucial educational programs.

Fiscal impact: Roughly $1 billion from the state's general fund will go to Proposition 28, which is about one-half of 1% of the general fund.

Overview: A version of this propositions has come before California voters at least three times before. Proposition 29 requires onsite licensed medical professional at kidney dialysis clinics and establishes other state requirements.

Yes: Those in favor of Proposition 29 say that clinics administering dialysis need to be better supervised and regulated. Proponents also argue that profits from this treatment should be lower, and that the money should be spent on better oversight and patient care.

No: Those opposed argue that the need for higher-trained staff isn't necessary and there is no evidence that a doctor, nurse practitioner or physicians assistant would improve care. They also worry that some clinics may close and leave patients without essential care.

Fiscal impact: The proposition has the potential to increase state costs and the need for higher Medi-Cal payments.

Electric cars: Make sure you look at these factors when shopping

Looking into buying your first electric car? Factor in its range, charging speed and whether its charging port will play nice with most stations.

Marc Saltzman, Special to USA TODAY

Overview:Proposition 30 would increase the tax on personal income above $2 million by 1.75%. Money would be used tofundzero-emission vehicle projects and wildfire prevention programs. The tax increase would end on Jan. 1, 2043, or if the state reported three consecutive years of greenhouse gas emission of 80% below 1990 levels.

Yes: Those in favor of the proposition believe that existing state programs are not doing enough to address climate change. There will be strict accountability on how this money is spent and could help those who can't afford electric cars.

No: This oppose argue that the state is already investing more than $50 billion on climate issues and the additional funding can be paid from the state's budget surplus. There is also no guarantee that Proposition 30 will make electric vehicles more affordable.

Fiscal impact: The proposition is estimated to generate roughly $4 billion forzero-emission vehicles and electric charging stations. Additionally, it could fund up to $1 billion in wildfire suppression.

Revenues could increase over time.

Overview: The referendum asks voters to reconsider a 2020 law thatprohibits the retail sale of certain flavored tobacco products.Stores and vending machines can't sell most flavored tobacco products and tobacco product flavor enhancers.

Yes: A "yes" vote would uphold the 2020 law. Proponents say Proposition 31 protects California children by ending the sale of candy-flavored tobacco, including vapes.

No: A "no" vote would repeal the law. Those against the 2020 law and Proposition 31 say that it's already illegal to sell any tobacco product to anyone under 21.

Fiscal impact: If the proposition passes, it would decrease state tobacco tax revenues ranging from tens of millions of dollars annually to around $100 million annually.

Sheyanne Romero is a journalist for USA TODAY Network and Visalia Times-Delta.

Continued here:

Election 2022: What to know about California propositions - Visalia Times-Delta and Tulare Advance-Register

"Vice President Kamala Harris calls on Texans to protect reproductive and voting rights during Austin visit" was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans and engages with them about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

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Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday called Texas abortion ban immoral and urged Texans to protect reproductive rights when considering their choices in the upcoming November elections.

A democracy will be as strong as our willingness to fight for it, she said during a discussion on reproductive rights at the LBJ Presidential Library on the University of Texas at Austin campus, part of a daylong trip that ended with an appearance at a downtown fundraiser for Texas Democrats.

While Harris stressed the importance of voting not only for a governor and attorney general who support reproductive rights, she also noted that local elections were crucial, especially when it comes to choosing a prosecutor. District attorneys will now have to decide whether to prosecute Texas doctors and health care workers if they perform an abortion not meant to save the life of the pregnant patient.

Performing an abortion in Texas is now a felony punishable by up to life in prison. The new state law, which has only narrow exceptions to save the life of a pregnant person, went into effect in August, two months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The law has forced Texans to seek abortions in other states.

Its going to matter who your county prosecutor is if you live in a place where theres a state law that has criminalized doctors and nurses and health care providers, Harris said.

Harris said the U.S. Department of Justice is working with state attorneys general to ensure Americans have a right to travel, but not the one in Texas, she said, referring to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

At the fundraiser, Harris endorsed Beto ORourke for governor and highlighted for the audience some of the Biden administrations achievements: distributing pandemic relief; passing the Inflation Reduction Act, which caps drug prices for Medicare recipients; passing a hefty infrastructure bill; and making historic strides to address the climate change crisis.

But she also spent a lot of her address discussing the U.S. Supreme Court decision this summer in the Dobbs v. Jackson case, which overturned Roe v. Wade.

The United States Supreme Court just took a constitutional right that had been recognized from the people of America, from the women of America, Harris said. While extremists so-called leaders trumpet the rhetoric of freedom, they attack the very foundations of freedom.

She blamed Texas elected GOP leaders for removing womens freedoms, calling them the ones passing laws making it difficult for people in the states to vote.

Harris added, One of those people is the governor of this very state. Even before the Dobbs decision, she said, Gov. Greg Abbott and other leaders passed some of the most radical, most anti-women laws in the country.

Harris warned that overturning Roe was just a first step for Republicans.

Where do we think this is heading? Harris asked the crowd. Justice Clarence Thomas said the quiet part out loud. Contraception is on the line. Marriage equality is on the line. With Republican party leaders in charge, health care is on the line.

One topic noticeably absent from her visit was immigration.

Shortly after Biden took office, he assigned Harris the responsibility of immigration. In June 2021, Harris she traveled to Guatemala and Mexico, a trip she said was an effort to tackle the root causes of illegal immigration. A few weeks after that trip, she visited Border Patrol facilities in El Paso and met with migrant aid groups, but the vice president has not yet visited the Rio Grande Valley, where a large number of border apprehensions are happening.

Predictably, Harris visit drew barbs from Texas Republicans, including Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, who have criticized the federal governments stance regarding the U.S.-Mexico border.

Texans have been forced to bear the consequences of this Administrations failure to address the border crisis, including the historic number of illegal crossings as well as the tragic rise in migrant deaths, drug smuggling, fentanyl overdoses, and cartel violence, Cornyn said in a statement Friday. Unfortunately, the Administrations Border Czar hasnt seen the epicenter of their self-inflicted crisis firsthand, which has overwhelmed our border communities and law enforcement.

Cornyns jab at Harris came after Cruz put pressure on the Biden administration on immigration, threatening Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas with impeachment for dereliction of duty at the southern border in a letter to the department Thursday.

Federal immigration agents have recorded 2.1 million encounters at the Southwest border a record number in the first 11 months of fiscal year 2022, which ended Sept. 30. Thats a 24% increase from the entire previous fiscal year. Of those, more than half occurred at the Texas-Mexico border, where agents recorded 1.2 million encounters during the first 11 months of fiscal year 2022.

Those numbers include repeat border crossings by individuals who made more than one attempt. And those repeat crossings have helped drive the number of encounters higher.

In March 2020, the Trump administration invoked an emergency health order known as Title 42, which immigration agents have used to immediately send back to Mexico many people trying to cross the border, including asylum-seekers, without having to file charges and wait on the formal deportation process.

Immigration agents record a person attempting to cross more than once during the same fiscal year as a new encounter. The latest recidivism rate available shows that its at 27%, the highest its been since fiscal year 2015.

Reporter Uriel J. Garca contributed to this story.

Disclosure: The LBJ Presidential Library and the University of Texas at Austin have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2022/10/08/kamala-harris-texas-visit/.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

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Vice President Kamala Harris calls on Texans to protect reproductive and voting rights during Austin visit - 25 News KXXV and KRHD

Peppered among the lush green oak and palm trees of the Rio Grande Valley, a mostly Hispanic region along the U.S.-Mexico border that has voted solidly Democratic, there are Republican outposts popping up.

The Hidalgo County GOP headquarters was busy on the mid-September day when CBS News knocked on its doors in McAllen, Texas. The foyer was filled with candidate signs and stickers from a slate of Republican candidates. Inside, Hidalgo County GOP Chair Adrienne Pena-Garza was running a phone bank for GOP candidates something she says was unheard of just a few election cycles ago.

"Family, faith and freedom. I mean, that's the messaging that's been working for us," Pena-Garza said in an interview airing on the special "CBS Reportes: El Poder" streaming on CBS News.

A similar slogan worked for newly elected Rep. Mayra Flores, who became the first Mexican-born woman sworn into Congress in June. Her campaign, with the help of the GOP, spent over a million dollars.

"God, Family, Country" is front and center on the Flores campaign signs that dot the highways and front lawns of homes.

The 36-year-old, who is married to a U.S. Border Patrol agent, won Texas' 34th Congressional District special election to fill Democratic Rep. Filemon Vela's seat.

"The Republican Party is investing in the Hispanic community, because they understand that the Hispanic community is the future of this country," Flores told CBS News in Washington, D.C. "It is time that we talk about our faith and not allow anyone to shame us for believing in God and for fighting for strong family values."

It's a message Pastor Luis Cabrera of City Church of Harlingen preaches from the pulpit on Sundays. Cabrera, who identifies as Republican, calls himself Flores' spiritual counselor.

His evangelical church sits on the access road off a busy highway. A drum kit, along with guitars and other instruments sit on the stage for the musicians who play and pray. A new kind of MAGA flag hangs from the rafters it reads "Make America Godly Again."

Cabrera says Flores approached him and said she liked the message and wanted to use it for her campaign.

"I'm like, Are you serious, Mayra? Like, [those are] fighting words. Not everyone's going to agree," Cabrera recalled. But Cabrera says Flores insisted.

Cabrera says Hispanic Republican candidates in the Rio Grande Valley who openly talk about their faith are finding sympathetic ears. One issue Cabrera highlighted was gay marriage, which he says shows a stark difference between Democrats and Republicans.

"Their God to them is just obsolete. You know why? Because of our traditional values of a marriage between one man and one woman. They don't believe in that. They believe in gay marriage, which is that's their right. But as a Christian, that affects us. I don't want my son and daughter to be told it's okay to be gay. No, it's not okay to be gay. It's against the word of God. And so, that right there speaks volumes," explained Cabrera.

Recent CBS News pollingof registered voters shows that nearly half of registered voters, 49%, believe that LGBTQ people will have fewer rights and freedoms if Republicans win control of Congress in the fall.

While campaigning from the pulpit may be taboo in some churches, Cabrera says his church is not a 501(c)3, not a non-profit, so he has no problem talking about his politics to his flock.

"We have the power to elect and we have the power to fire people. That's awesome. That's the greatest weapon that we have, but we don't use. Why not?" Cabrera asked.

Flores supporter Celina Tafolla openly talks about her political views and her faith. Tafolla says she was raised a Democrat, but after President Trump's election, she decided to not be quiet about being a Republican in the Rio Grande Valley.

"You know, God first. Your loyalty isn't to a political party, your loyalty is God. And that's why you should be voting red, because it aligns with our values," she said.

Discussions about border security envelop the region. Government data shows that this fiscal year, the border patrol made more than 400,000 arrests in the Rio Grande Valley,a record for the sector.

Hidalgo County Democratic chair Richard Gonzales said key issues of the Democratic Party like abortion, gun control and the environment, are not as important to some as the economy, crime and immigration a major focus for Republicans.

"The biggest misconception is that we are (a) cartel-run, open-borders, poor, crime-ridden city, crime-ridden community. That is absolutely not true," said Gonzales. "The national [GOP] message was basically, Hey, the Valley is just an open borders area. It's full of illegal immigrants. They are taking your jobs...taking your money."

But as campaign season comes to a close, which issues will be decisive in the outcome of the midterm elections?

University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley Political Science professor Mark Kaswan says it's worth watching the Rio Grande Valley, though he's not expecting a red wave. There's a better-than-even chance Democrats will win back Flores seat, Kaswan predicts, though he said her victory has given Rio Grande Valley Republicans hope.

"They have cracked that door open," Kaswan said. "They see an opportunity to make gains."

Republicans are continuing to hold onto their lead in the House, though their margins for capturing the majority are growing narrower,according to the CBS News Battleground Tracker. Republicans and Democrats alike are concerned they would have fewer rights and freedoms than they currently have if the opposing party wins, CBS News polls show.

Omar Villafranca is a CBS News correspondent based in Dallas.

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How Republicans in the Rio Grande Valley are using faith to draw in Latino voters - CBS News