Ballot Box

Re "A better direct democracy," editorial, Nov. 17 One of the problems with our initiative process is "budgeting by the ballot box." We like to say nasty things about our Legislature and our governor not being able to produce good budgets, but the citizens themselves are responsible for much of this mess. We vote for propositions that often direct funds to certain projects without any thought as to how they affect the budget, leaving it to the Legislature and the governor to find the funding somewhere.

Prospects that the emotional debate over medical marijuana dispensaries will bleed into the Los Angeles' mayoral race increased sharply this week when an initiative to keep some pot shops open qualified for the ballot. The measure was certified as eligible to appear on the ballot late Wednesday after officials determined that its supporters had collected the required 41,138 valid signatures. The City Council has until the end of the month to enact the proposed ordinance, call a special election or place it before voters in the May 21 election.

George Skelton and Bill Boyarsky's article (Aug. 24), "Racism Has a Hand at the Ballot Box," brings to the forefront what many have known, but few would admit. It is clear that the complexion of California, particularly here in Los Angeles, is transforming. However, our attitudes toward this transformation have not. Racism at the ballot box is one isolated facet of our everyday life. Unfortunately, prejudice, bigotry and intolerance manifests itself in all facets of everyday life--education, employment, entertainment, housing and religion, to name a few. The article states that "significant prejudice remains, and it can have a substantial even decisive impact on statewide voting."

Think of last month's election - with its presidential contest, its 11 statewide ballot measures, its additional three countywide questions, the district attorney's race and voters' first full-scale workout with the new district lines and the top-two primary - as kind of a walk-through. For Los Angeles, the big election comes March 5, with voting under way in less than two months. The city is about to undergo a sweeping turnover in municipal government, electing a new mayor, deciding whether to keep or replace the current city attorney, choosing a new controller and electing more than half - the controlling majority - of the City Council.

Re "A Really Bad Idea ... ," editorial, April 18: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's attempt to gain absolute power over the budget should be a wake-up call for all Californians who have grown placid with the thought that we have a trusted hero at the helm. The governor is a businessman with clearly outlined and expressed political ambitions of higher office (the White House) who understands the very basic principle that he who controls the flow of money in government makes the rules. Californians need to forget the trusted movie persona and look at the man for what he has become, a Republican Trojan horse who will do everything he can within the time he's governor to deliver this state to the Republican Party.

Re "Prop. 75 Puts Police on the Side of Liberals," Sept. 21 In all the discussions about Proposition 75, there is one simple truth that is always glossed over. Every public employee union member in California has the right to opt out of political contributions. A seven-word e-mail, fax or letter will permanently remove the member's dues from political activities. It's that simple. Everything else from Schwarzenegger's camp is a misdirection to cover the fact that an unpopular governor is trying to silence his critics.

"Who would campaign against democracy?" asked Burbank City Manager Robert R. "Bud" Ovrom, explaining why no one had submitted an argument against Measure B on Burbank's Nov. 7 ballot. Funny, we thought Burbank had been practicing democracy all along, even without Measure B, which would amend the Municipal Code to require voter approval of any agreement to expand or relocate the Burbank Airport terminal.

An unusually busy off-year culminates with some critical choices for voters nationwide today. Here are races and issues to watch beyond California: MAJOR MAYORAL RACES Seattle Albuquerque Minneapolis St.

Transparent ballot boxes, designed to prevent stuffing, were used in Mexico for the first time during weekend voting in Morelos state, southeast of Mexico City. The leader of the opposition National Action Party, Rafael Fernandez Rodriguez, said that the new boxes "had very good results."

Restaurant critic Merrill Shindler, who, with associate Karen Berk, is in charge of the L.A. edition of the Zagat Restaurant Survey, has asked me to clarify my recent remarks on the apparent statistical inaccuracy of the poll. Though it is true that no conventional statistical adjustments are made to the results, Shindler says, he and Berk do compare restaurant scores from the community at large with those of a test group of 50 respondents whom they know personally and whose taste they trust.

CLEVELAND - Maine and Maryland became the first states to back same-sex marriage at the ballot box Tuesday night, buoying gay rights advocates and breaking a years-long losing streak. The controversial issue had been before voters 32 times and had been rejected every time. But activists said public opinion had shifted since 2008, when California passed a constitutional amendment reserving marriage for heterosexual couples. A 2010 poll showed that, for the first time, more Americans supported gay marriage than opposed it, and in May, President Obama endorsed same-sex marriage.

Proposition 35, the human trafficking measure on the Nov. 6 ballot, is a near-perfect example of how far the initiative process has strayed from its original role as the people's essential check on the Legislature and how it is now helping to run the state off the rails. On the same ballot, though, Proposition 39, designed to undo a sweetheart deal that lawmakers gave to out-of-state corporations, does just what ballot measures are supposed to do and demonstrates that with all its flaws, California's initiative system can still serve the people -- if only they remember to vote with their heads as well as their hearts and their hands.

CAPITOL HEIGHTS, Md. - Maryland, which just a month ago appeared poised to become the first state in the country to back gay marriage by popular vote, is now reported to be deadlocked on the issue, in part because of a drop in support from religious blacks. Only a few weeks ago, polls were suggesting that Marylanders were leaning toward supporting gay marriage, but as November approached, the numbers tightened. The change appears to be partly driven by black pastors in Maryland urging their congregations to vote against the measure.

SACRAMENTO - It's time to stop vacillating. Election day is almost here. There are still a few loose ends to straighten out on the California ballot. Things such as auto insurance, sex slavery and food labeling. Also an obscure legislative redistricting measure. Here are some thoughts - mostly negative - on four measures, in numerical order: •Proposition 33: It's sponsored by one very narrow interest. Mercury Insurance founder George Joseph is bankrolling this initiative - with $16.4 million at last count - in an effort to steal customers from other insurers.

When asked about gay marriage at the ballot box, Americans in states across the country have gone to the polls 32 times since 1998 and voted against it. They'll have the choice to vote on the issue again in November in four states, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington, but this time around, advocates for gay marriage are hoping voters will choose differently. After all, President Obama came out in favor of same-sex marriage in May, and the NAACP followed by endorsing same-sex marriage a few days later.

Re: "Cigarette tax is a lifesaver," Column, May 14 I am not a smoker nor do I have any interest in the tobacco companies. Though I may agree in principle with George Skelton that cigarette companies are deceiving voters about Proposition 29, which would raise cigarette taxes $1 a pack to finance cancer research, I have a problem with the overall premise of the initiative. People have the idea that just throwing more cash at a problem is the best way to solve it. Here, the idea is that we improve cancer research by imposing $800 million in new taxes on smokers.

Alan Jackson is, at 46, the youngest of the six candidates for Los Angeles County district attorney. But he's tried his share of high-profile cases, including the successful prosecution of music icon Phil Spector, and that in turn has helped to elevate his profile. For name recognition he can't match Los Angeles City Atty.  Carmen Trutanich, and some voters may still confuse him with the country music star of the same name, but Jackson has worked hard to distinguish himself from the rest of the pack.

If same-sex marriage is inevitable, as Michael Klarman wrote in his Op-Ed article on Sunday, why has it been so unsuccessful at the ballot box? Reader Pat Murphy of Pacific Palisades raised that point in his letter to the editor published Wednesday: "Michael Klarman wants everyone to think there's widespread support for gay marriage. Then why have voters rejected it in every state where it has been on the ballot, including recently in Maine and twice in California? "In the few states in which it is allowed, it was the result of backroom maneuvering - such as in Massachusetts, where the legislature won't allow its residents to vote on the issue, or California, where judicial fiat has now overturned two elections.