by Suzanne Potter
Unions, environmental groups and other progressive organizations are leading the charge to reform California’s referendum process, which allows voters to repeal laws passed by the legislature.
Assembly Bill 421 came about after the oil industry gathered signatures to repeal a law blocking new drilling in neighborhoods.
Asm. Isaac Bryan, D-Los Angeles, who introduced the bill, said the current system incentivizes signature gatherers to mislead voters.
“The oil companies then spent nearly $25 million in 90 days to gather the signatures to pause the law, so they could apply for new drilling permits and put it on the referendum,” Bryan recounted. “And there was hours of documented video evidence that many of the signature gatherers were just outright lying to people.”
Currently, it is legal to word a referendum in a confusing way, in which a “yes” vote would overturn the law in question. Under the proposed bill, voters would simply decide whether to keep or repeal the law. The California Chamber of Commerce opposes the measure, arguing it would make signature gathering more expensive and should require a constitutional amendment.
Bryan added the bill would require signature gatherers to wear a badge with their name, identification number and photo.
“Folks should have to have adequate training and also be registered,” Bryan contended. “So that it’s clear that, if they are violating the ethics of signature gathering, that can be reported in a way that’s accountable.”
The bill would require petitions to identify the referendum’s top three donors and mandates at least 10 percent of signature gatherers be community-based volunteers. The bill has already passed the State Assembly. Its next stop is the State Senate Elections Committee.
Experts: wildfire risk hurting ca home values, increasing insurance costs
It is getting increasingly expensive to have a home on the edge of the woods in California, in terms of home value and insurance costs.
A new study from the nonprofit think tank Resources for the Future found home values in a fire hazard severity zone drop 4.3 percent, an average of $21,500, when sellers make the required disclosure.
Margaret Walls, director of the climate risks and resilience program for Resources for the Future and the report’s co-author, said the market is driving the price drop.
“We want to know that people understand the risks when they choose where to buy a house,” Walls explained. “And if they do know the risks, we would expect them to be reflected in the prices.”
Walls pointed out to mitigate the risk of a destructive wildfire, local governments can limit building in the urban/wildland interface. The state and federal governments can reduce the fuel load on public lands. Homeowners can remove brush and other flammable materials, make sure building materials are fire-resistant, and build in defensible space.
Two large insurance companies, State Farm and Allstate, just announced they are no longer writing new homeowner’s policies in California, in large part due to the risk of wildfire. Walls noted the effects of climate change are taking a financial toll.
“If you’re in a high-fire-risk area, it’s already hard to get insurance,” Walls stressed. “So now two more companies are unavailable to you. So you’ll probably end up going to the FAIR plan, considered the insurance of last resort.”
The FAIR plan is a state-run risk pool offering fire insurance in high-risk areas not served by traditional insurers.
