In case anyone had doubts about the sincerity of the main sponsor of Prop. 99, which passed in California, The San Diego Union-Tribune confirms them in a scathing editorial:
In a January interview with the Union-Tribune Editorial Board, the San Diego politician who is currently president of the cities league – City Councilman Jim Madaffer – took sharp exception to questions about the league’s sincerity. He acknowledged concerns that Proposition 99 wouldn’t necessarily prevent local government misbehavior and said that is why the league is interested in additional reforms. Other supporters later made similar promises.
Yesterday, however, Madaffer told us the league was not interested in additional reforms, that the voters had spoken, and that “any further restrictions should be left to individual cities.”
This is shameless and dishonest. But for the League of California Cities, it is par for the course.
While the editorial board also had problems with rival measure, Prop. 98, it’s clear that Prop. 99 is, was, and continues to be a “toothless” reform measure.
Other papers see the need for actual reform in the state.
The Ventura County Star says the legislature needs to pass real reform and calls on Prop. 99 to follow through on their promises (which they’re not as we see above).
Steve Williams, the Opinion Page Editor at the Daily Press in Victorville, is worried about the continued threat of eminent domain in California.
Meanwhile, on the other side the Sacramento Bee calls the issue settled. As much as The Bee would like the issue to disappear, there’s still pending litigation.