Editorial: Guns, condoms and marijuana: How you should vote on California’s most controversial ballot measures
Need help figuring out how to vote on California’s most controversial ballot initiatives? Below is a handy guide to the five most hotly debated measures, with a little help from Pulitzer-winning L. A. Times cartoonist David Horsey.
PROPOSITION 60
Prop. 60 would not only mandate condom use in adult films, it would allow any Californian who spots a violation in a pornographic film shot in the state to sue and collect cash from the producers and purveyors. The Times recommends voting no.
PROPOSITIONS 62 AND 66
California has condemned 1,039 people in the last 40 years, filling death row disproportionately with the poor and people of color. Only 13 have actually been executed — which is a good thing, because 1 in 10 sentences is overturned. Prop. 62 would abolish California’s flawed death penalty system once and for all. Prop. 66, on the other hand, would speed this troubled system up, enhancing the risk of executing an innocent person. The Times recommends voting yes on 62 to repeal the death penalty, and no on 66.
PROPOSITION 63
California has some of the toughest gun laws in the country. Prop. 63 would make them even stronger, including creating a system to ensure that people who lose their eligibility to have a firearm (due to a felony conviction, domestic violence restraining order or other legal restriction) actually get rid of them. The Times recommends a yes vote.
PROPOSITION 64
Should California join the ranks of enlightened states around the country such as Colorado and Washington that treat marijuana less like heroin and more like alcohol — as a regulated but acceptable product for adult use? The Times says yes.
PROPOSITION 67
Californians currently use around 15 billion single-use plastic bags each year. They clog storm drains, pollute our waters and choke our wildlife. Enough is enough. The Times supports banning these single-use bags for good in California with the passage of Prop. 67.
Still have questions about this year’s California ballot? Click here for a complete list of the L.A. Times’ 2016 endorsements.
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