October, 2008

To:         Units, Councils and Districts

From:     Pam Brady, President
               Pat Dingsdale, Director of Legislation

Only three weeks remain until the Statewide General Election on November 4, 2008. In addition to determining the president, vice president and members of Congress, voters in California will vote for members of the State Assembly and Senate and for twelve propositions that have qualified for the ballot. California State PTA has taken positions on two of these propositions

1. Support-Proposition 3, Children's Hospital Bond Act, Grant Program, Bond Act, Initiative Statute
2. Oppose- Proposition 6, Police and Law Enforcement Funding, Criminal Penalties and Laws, Initiative Statute.

This electronic election mailing contains information to assist you with activities to encourage voter participation in this important election, as well as to inform PTA members and others in your community about our support for Proposition 3 and our opposition to Proposition 6.

PTA Position on Ballot Measures
According to the California State PTA Legislation Policies adopted by convention
delegates in 2007, the State Board of Managers of the California State PTA is responsible for taking action on state legislation and statewide initiative petitions or propositions that have qualified for the statewide ballot. Legislative measures selected for action by the State Board of Managers must be of statewide significance, and must fit within the Purposes of the PTA and within the framework of the Legislation Platform adopted by the convention delegates. All action on legislation taken by the State Board of Managers must be reported by the Board to PTA districts and be available upon request to PTA councils, units and the membership. Procedures adopted by the California State PTA Board of Managers state:

When positions are adopted on state ballot measures:

1. The rationale for California State PTA Board action shall be prepared by theCalifornia State PTA Board of Managers and distributed to PTA districts, councils, and units;
2. The position and rationale shall be presentedto the membership by the units.

The California State PTA Board of Managers has voted to SUPPORT Proposition 3, Hospital Bond Act, Grant Program, Bond Act, Initiative Statute: and to OPPOSE Proposition 6, Police and Law Enforcement Funding, Criminal Penalties and Laws, Initiative Statute, on the November 4, 2008 General Election Ballot.

This action represents the official position of the organization and shall not be interpreted as representing the personal opinion or conviction of every individual PTA member. While PTA districts, councils and units are not required to work actively for any position, they may not officially oppose a stand taken by the State Board of Managers.

The PTA analysis of Proposition 3 and Proposition 6 are included as part of this electronic mailing, along with background information and the rationale for PTA's position.  More information may be obtained on the campaign websites.

To learn about restrictions on sending informational materials on legislative issues or advocacy materials home with students, please refer to Legislation Policy 11 on pages 107 of the California State PTA Toolkit. Also refer to Section 4.3 of the Toolkit, Election Campaigns and the Role of PTA, pages 108-110, for specific information on lobbying, candidates' forums and local school bond and other local ballot measure campaigns.

Easy Reading Voter Guide
The League of Women Voters is again publishing the Easy Voter Guide for the November election. The guide includes information on candidates, statewide ballot measures, party descriptions, voting tips, etc., and is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese and Russian.

For comprehensive election information please see the Secretary of State's web site and the California Voter Foundation's web site, also includes extensive links to information on the election.

All PTA members are urged to register to vote by the October 20 deadline and to become informed about all of the issues and candidates. Please read and share these materials and join with us in the remaining weeks leading up to the election to educate your community.

For more information:  www.capta.org or www.pta1stdistrict.org  or Contact Patty Scripter at pscripter@capta.org


PTA Positions October 2008; Word Document