It seems like on all of our election ballots, we are presented with initiatives to vote on. That is because in California, citizens have the power through ballot initiatives to directly propose and enact laws, make or change local ordinances, and even make amendments to the state Constitution.
Usually, individuals or groups resort to the initiative process to bypass their elected representatives who have not moved on or do not support their issues. Many initiatives sound fine on the surface but contain verbiage or legalese that hide the actual motives of their writers. Also, laws often have unintended consequences that need to be fixed. That is something our elected representatives do all the time. Unfortunately, once an initiative is voted into law, we pretty much have to live with its consequences.
With all this in mind, I think it wise to be very wary of ballot initiatives.
Frank Merrill
Morro Bay
This article appears in Aug 22 – Sep 1, 2024.