Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Another Reason California is Messed Up

When someone litigates a transit vote that won by 62%. That is insane. A clear majority, 69%, in both counties voted for the SMART train. When the minority rules like it does here, things are really broken.

Former Novato councilman Dennis Fishwick - acting on his own behalf without an attorney - filed the lawsuit in Marin Superior Court against the district and SMART board, saying they stripped the right of Marin voters to reject the quarter-cent sales tax with a less than two-thirds approval. State law requires a tax increase to receive two-thirds approval from voters.

Measure Q received 73.5 percent approval in Sonoma County, but only 62.8 percent in Marin. That caused confusion among some Marin voters, who thought the measure had been defeated.

4 comments:

Morgan Wick said...

It's hardly new, or unique to Cali, for certain provisions to be "This has to pass with a TWO-THIRDS majority in ALL counties"...

...though I think there are less obnoxious ways to protect against tyranny of the majority.

Joseph said...

And Marin County shoots itself in the foot for another 30 years.

Anonymous said...

Who cares about marin county? It's just a retirement home for old people (perhaps in young bodies).

Anonymous said...

They won with 62%, not by 62%.