Many elections are coming up

Put on your thinking caps -- it’s going to be a busy election season

this fall for Lagunans.

With the City Council setting a Tuesday, Dec. 13 date on the

question of whether to increase the city sales tax by one-half cent

to raise money for disaster relief, there will be three -- or more --

special elections in the next three months.

On Tuesday, Oct. 4, voters will be asked to make their picks for

who should fill the 48th District Congressional seat vacated by Chris

Cox.

A total of 17 candidates are asking for your vote, including 10

Republicans, four Democrats and one each Libertarian, Green and

American Independent. The race is getting attention from around the

country because John Gilchrist of the Minuteman Project -- who

recently joined job center picketers on Laguna Canyon Road -- is one

of the candidates.

If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote on Oct. 4, a

runoff will be held featuring the top vote-getters from each of the

parties on Tuesday, Dec. 6.

But even if a single candidate wins the primary, don’t put away

your punch cards just yet. A special statewide election will be held

Tuesday, Nov. 8, with seven initiatives on the ballot, including

“hot-button” measures involving abortion, school funding, teacher

tenure and union dues.

* Proposition 75 would prohibit public employee labor

organizations from using dues or fees for political contributions

unless the employee provides prior consent each year on a specified

written form.

* Proposition 76 would make public school teachers wait five years

before becoming “permanent employees.”

* Proposition 73 would amend the state Constitution so minors

would have to wait 48 hours to terminate a pregnancy unless certain

conditions are met.

* The school funding measure, Proposition 76, would suspend

minimum-guaranteed funding of public schools and allow excess state

income to go into non-education coffers.

* Proposition 77, the reapportionment measure, would alter the

traditional “political” means of redrawing legislative districts and

require an appointed three-judge panel to determine the boundaries

for state Senate, Assembly, Congressional and Board of Equalization

districts.

* Voters will be asked to decide between two competing drug

prescription initiatives: Proposition 78 would create a state-run

discount prescription drug program; and Proposition 79 would provide

lower cost drugs through a state-operated rebate program from drug

companies.

* Finally, Proposition 80 would re-regulate electric utilities by

placing them again under the control of the Public Utilities

Commission.

So, as they say, save the dates: Oct. 4; Nov. 8; Dec. 6 and Dec.

13.