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Secretary of State Bowen Assigns Numbers to
June Ballot Measures, Invites Ballot Arguments

SACRAMENTO - Secretary of State Debra Bowen today assigned proposition numbers to the two legislative measures set to appear on the June 3 Statewide Direct Primary Election ballot and invited interested Californians to submit arguments to be considered for inclusion in the Secretary’s Official Voter Information Guide. The guide, also known as the ballot pamphlet, is mailed to every voting household in California and posted on the Secretary of State's website. The full text and nonpartisan analysis of each proposition will also appear in the Official Voter Information Guide.

The propositions are listed below, along with the Legislative Counsel's digest.

Proposition 41 

AB 639. Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Bond Act of 2014: Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Act of 2014. (Chapter 727, 2013) This bill would amend the Veterans’ Bond Act of 2008 to reduce the amount of bonds that are authorized to be issued under the act from $900,000,000 to $300,000,000. The bill would enact the Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Bond Act of 2014 (the bond act) to authorize the issuance of bonds in the amount of $600,000,000, as specified, for expenditure by the California Housing Finance Agency, the Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide multifamily housing to veterans pursuant to the Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Act of 2014 (VHHPA), also enacted by the bill. The bill would authorize the Legislature to amend the provisions of the bond act, by majority vote, for specified purposes. The bill would impose a specified reporting requirement on the Department of Housing and Community Development to evaluate, in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs, any program established by the former pursuant to the VHHPA. The bill would authorize the Department of Housing and Community Development to provide specified assistance to veterans.

Proposition 42 

SCA 3. Public information. (Chapter 123, 2013) This measure would require each local agency to comply with the CPRA and the Brown Act, and with any subsequent statutory enactment amending either act, enacting a successor act, or amending any successor act which contains findings demonstrating that the statutory enactment furthers the purposes of the people’s right of access to information concerning the conduct of the people’s business. The measure would specifically exempt mandates contained within the scope of those acts, and certain subsequent statutory enactments that contain findings demonstrating that the statutory enactment furthers those same purposes, from the requirement to provide a subvention of funds.

People may submit arguments for or against any measure. Arguments selected for the Official Voter Information Guide will be on public display between February 18 and March 10. If multiple arguments are submitted for one proposition, state law gives first priority to arguments written by legislators in the case of legislative measures; subsequent priority goes to bona fide citizen associations and then to individuals. No more than three signers are allowed to appear on an argument or rebuttal to an argument.

Ballot arguments cannot exceed 500 words and rebuttals to ballot arguments cannot exceed 250 words. All submissions should be typed and double-spaced. Arguments may be hand-delivered to the Secretary of State’s Elections Division at 1500 11th Street, 5th Floor, Sacramento, California 95814; faxed to (916) 653-3214; or emailed to VIGarguments@sos.ca.gov. If faxed or emailed, the original documents must be received within 72 hours. The deadline to submit ballot arguments is February 4 by 5:00 p.m. The deadline to submit rebuttals to the ballot arguments is February 13 by 5:00 p.m.

Secretary Bowen also invited candidate statements for inclusion in the Official Voter Information Guide. Candidates for statewide constitutional office (Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Insurance Commissioner, Controller, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Superintendent of Public Instruction and Board of Equalization member) who have agreed to accept the voluntary campaign spending limits under the law may buy space for statements of up to 250 words at 25 dollars per word. United States Senate candidates may buy space for a 250-word candidate statement in the voter guide and are not subject to campaign expenditure limitations. The deadline to submit candidate statements to the Secretary of State’s office is February 12 by 5:00 p.m.

For more information on ballot measures, candidate filing requirements and election dates, go to www.sos.ca.gov/elections/statewide-elections/2014-primary.

To view past state voter guides, go to www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-measures/voter-information-guides.

Keep up with the latest California election news and trivia by following @CASOSvote on Twitter.

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