Changes OK’d to Ballot Measures on Mental Health Funds, Spending
On Thursday, ballot labels for two measures on the ballot for the May 19 special election were revised after opponents raised concerns about the accuracy of the measures' titles and descriptions, the Sacramento Bee reports (Sacramento Bee, 3/6).
Proposition 1E
In a settlement, the title and description of Proposition 1E were modified to make clear that the measure would temporarily shift funds from Proposition 63 for mental health services to another state program that provides mental health services for children.
Opponents argued that the initial title and description provided a "false and misleading" overview of the initiative (Myers, "Capital Notes," KQED, 3/5).
Proposition 1A
In addition, the language of Proposition 1A was amended to state that the proposal to cap state spending and create a rainy day fund "changes" the budget process, instead of "reforms" it. The measure also was modified to state that it "could" limit deficits and state spending (AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 3/5).
Health Access California was one of the parties behind the legal challenge (Sacramento Bee, 3/6). The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association was the other opponent of the original language (AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 3/5). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.