COA Supports Proposition 56

California Optometric Association Board of Trustees voted to endorse Proposition 56 on the November ballot. This initiative would increase the cigarette tax by $2.00 per pack, with an equivalent increase on other tobacco products and electronic cigarettes containing nicotine. COA supports this measure because it would reduce tobacco-related healthcare costs and would help pay for those costs.

If enacted, a large percentage of the new revenue collected would go to improved payments for Medi-Cal providers. Medi-Cal rates will increase for those providers who can demonstrate during the annual state budget process a lack of access to care under Medi-Cal. Medi-Cal now covers 1 in 3 Californians.

All propositions on the November ballot

There are an unusually high number of initiatives on the November ballot. Below is a listing and short description of each.

Proposition 51 - Funding for K-12 School and Community College Facilities. Authorizes $9 billion in general obligation bonds for education facilities ($7 billion for K–12 public school facilities and $2 billion for community college facilities).

Proposition 52 - Medi-Cal Hospital Fee Program. Extends indefinitely an existing statute that imposes fees on hospitals to fund Medi-Cal health care services, care for uninsured patients and children’s health coverage.

Proposition 53 - Revenue Bonds. Statewide Voter Approval. Requires statewide voter approval for revenue bonds over $2 billion.

Proposition 54 - Legislature. Legislation and Proceedings. Prohibits the Legislature from passing any bill, including changes to the bill, unless published on internet for 72 hours before the vote.

Proposition 55 - Tax Extension to Fund Education and Healthcare. Initiative. Extends by 12 years the temporary personal income tax increases enacted in 2012 on earnings over $250,000.

Proposition 56 - Cigarette Tax to Fund Healthcare, Tobacco Use Prevention, Research, and Law Enforcement. Increases cigarette tax by $2.00 per pack, with equivalent increase on other tobacco products and electronic cigarettes containing nicotine.  COA supports.

Proposition 57 - Criminal Sentences. Parole. Juvenile Criminal Proceedings and Sentencing. Allows parole consideration for nonviolent felons. Authorizes sentence credits for rehabilitation, good behavior, and education. Provides that a juvenile court judge decides whether juvenile will be prosecuted as adult.

Proposition 58 - English Proficiency. Multilingual Education. Allows public schools to more easily choose how to teach English learners, whether in English–only, bilingual or other types of programs.

Proposition 59 - Corporations. Political Spending. Federal Constitutional Protections. An advisory measure asking elected officials to use their constitutional authority to seek increased regulation of campaign spending and contributions.

Proposition 60 - Adult Films. Condoms. Health Requirements. Requires adult film performers to use condoms during filming of sexual intercourse. Requires producers to pay for performer vaccinations, testing and medical examinations.

Proposition 61 - State Prescription Drug Purchases. Pricing Standards. Prohibits most state programs from paying more for any prescription drug than the lowest price paid by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for the same drug.

Proposition 62 - Death Penalty. Repeals death penalty and replaces it with life imprisonment without possibility of parole.

Proposition 63 - Firearms. Ammunition Sales. Requires background check and Department of Justice authorization to purchase ammunition. Prohibits possession of large–capacity ammunition magazines.

Proposition 64 - Marijuana Legalization. Legalizes marijuana use by adults 21 or older under state law.

Proposition 65 - Carry-Out Bags. Charges. Redirects money collected by grocery and certain other retail stores through mandated sale of carryout bags. Requires stores to deposit bag sale proceeds into a special fund to support specified environmental projects.

Proposition 66 - Death Penalty. Procedures. Changes procedures governing legal challenges to death sentences, including time limits on those challenges and revised rules to increase the number of available attorneys for those challenges.

Proposition 67 - Ban on Single-Use Plastic Bags. A "Yes" vote approves, and a "No" vote rejects, a statute that prohibits grocery and other stores from providing customers single–use plastic or paper carryout bags.

Election related dates to remember

October 10, 2016

First day to vote-by-mail

October 24, 2016

Last day to register to vote

November 1, 2016

Last day to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot by mail

November 8, 2016

Election Day. Polls are open 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.