Vote Yes on State Ballot Propositions 55, 56, and 57!
/With over 17 state ballot propositions for Californians to consider on Election Day, it’s easy to be overwhelmed. But have no fear! We have broken down three key state propositions - Propositions 55, 56, and 57 so you are informed when you cast your ballot!
State Proposition 55
What is Prop 55?
Prop 55 extends by twelve years the temporary tax increase enacted in 2012 on earnings over $250,000 for individuals or $500,000 for couples.
Why is it important?
A YES on Prop 55 will ensure that our public K-12 schools have sufficient funding for our children’s education. Prop 55 will not raise taxes on anyone. Rather, it will maintain current income tax on the richest 2% of Californians. California will move towards an economic recovery and stability so that our children won’t have to suffer from school cuts. School cuts can be detrimental to a child’s education by denying them the opportunity to a high quality education. Prop 55 will extend current income tax on single adults earning more than $250,000 and couples earning more than $500,000 annually. In addition to public school funding, Medi-Cal will also benefit from Prop 55. Medi-Cal is suffers from constant lack of funding yet by providing proper funding for our children, we can ensure a healthier California.
What will be the result?
The tax collected will be allocated to K-12 schools (89%) and California Community Colleges (11%). Up to $2 billion per year will be allocated for health care programs. Prop 55 will protect schools from massive budget cuts that lead to teacher layoffs, larger class sizes, and tuition increase. Funding Prop 55 will ensure that our children’s school will have enough funding to hire necessary teachers and school staff to reduce class sizes. Funding goes directly to schools where the local district will determine the student’s needs.
Please join SIREN and Vote YES on Prop 55 to ensure funding for our children’s health and education
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State Proposition 56
What is Prop 56?
A YES vote on Prop 56 will increase California’s cigarette tax by $2 per pack. It has been proven that higher tobacco taxes reduce the risk of teen smoking. Our goal is to protect the health of California’s future generations.
Why is it important?
Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in California. Every year, thousands of youth become addicted to tobacco. Tobacco companies target young teens with fruit-flavored products. It is estimated that 1 in 3 smokers will eventually die from tobacco-related illnesses. Tobacco-related deaths are higher than automotive, gun, illegal drugs, and AIDS-related deaths combined. California taxpayers spend $3.5 billion each year on treating cancer and other tobacco-related diseases through MediCal. Prop 56’s fund will be used to improve our health care system, prevent smoking, and fund research that focuses on cancer and other tobacco-related diseases.
According to the Campaign For Tobacco-Free Kids, almost 8% of high school students in California smoke while 21.4% of high school students use e-cigarettes. According to this report, 16,800 kids under the age of 18 become new daily smokers each day. In California, there were 47.5 million packs of cigarettes bought or smoked by kids each year. Over one fourth of California’s population (25.5%) died from a cancer attributable to smoking. It is estimated that 441,000 kids, who are now under the age of 18, will prematurely die from smoking. There is an estimated $13.29 billion spent on health care, in California, directly caused by smoking.
Please join SIREN and Vote YES on Prop 56 to prevent a lifelong tobacco addiction for our children and to fight illnesses caused by smoking.
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State Proposition 57
What is Prop 57?
Prop 57 supports increasing parole and good behavior opportunities for individuals convicted of nonviolent felony crimes. This proposition will also allow judges, not prosecutors, to decide whether to try juvenile as an adult in court.
Why is it important?
This proposition is important because research shows that increased prison sentences are not an effective deterrent to crime. Rehabilitation and crime prevention programs have a higher success rate, particularly for young people. Prop 57 would stop wasteful spending on prisons and allow nonviolent felons the opportunity to earn good credits for good behavior.
This proposition is highly important for our immigrant community because many men of color are incarcerated for nonviolent crimes that can have better success rates if they are sent to rehabilitation.
Currently, California spends $10 billion on our prison system and California’s prison population has increased by 500% over the last decade. It has been proven that probation supervision with rehabilitation programs help reduce recidivism rates by 30%. Evidence shows that if an inmate rehabilitates, they are less likely to reoffend.
What will be the result?
By sending nonviolent criminals to rehab rather than prison, we will be saving tens of millions of taxpayer dollars. Prop 57 will ensure that violent and dangerous offenders are kept locked up.
Please join SIREN and vote YES on Prop 57 to ensure successful rehabilitation of offender to provide a healthier and safer California
Be sure to also check out SIREN’s state and local voter guides available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese!
