www.astralcodexten.com/p/seiu-delenda-est
2 corrections found
Anyone who gathers enough signatures (currently 874,641) can put their hare-brained plans before voters during the next election year.
California does not have a single current signature threshold for all statewide initiatives. The Secretary of State says initiative statutes need 546,651 signatures, while constitutional amendments need 874,641.
Full reasoning
This sentence states 874,641 as if it were the universal current signature requirement for getting a California statewide ballot measure before voters. The California Secretary of State's current initiative guide says there are two different thresholds:
- Initiative statute: 546,651 signatures
- Initiative constitutional amendment: 874,641 signatures
So 874,641 is only the threshold for constitutional amendments, not for every statewide initiative. Presenting it as the single current number for "measures for the state ballot" is inaccurate.
1 source
- How to Qualify an Initiative :: California Secretary of State
The current initiative signature requirements according to the California Constitution, Article II, Section 8(b) and Elections Code section 9035 are as follows: Initiative Statute: 546,651 Initiative Constitutional Amendment: 874,641.
Their first extortion attempt (as far as I know) was the 2014 Fair Healthcare Pricing Act
SEIU-UHW was already using withdrawn health-care initiatives in 2012, so 2014 was not its first such ballot-measure campaign. The linked Legislative Analyst page is also for the 'Fair Healthcare Pricing Act of 2012,' not 2014.
Full reasoning
The article says SEIU's first such attempt was the 2014 Fair Healthcare Pricing Act. But the evidence in the article's own linked LAO page and in later reporting shows that similar SEIU-UHW initiative campaigns were already underway in 2012.
- The linked Legislative Analyst's Office page is titled "2011 Initiative Analysis: Fair Healthcare Pricing Act of 2012" and begins, "January 3, 2012 ... we have reviewed the proposed initiative..."
- CalMatters' 2020 review of SEIU-UHW's ballot-measure strategy says the union had already begun and withdrawn "two other initiatives ... in 2012", and describes the 2014 withdrawal as "the second time" the union withdrew ballot measures after an agreement with hospital leaders.
That means 2014 was not the first such episode.
2 sources
- 2011 Initiative Analysis: Fair Healthcare Pricing Act of 2012
January 3, 2012 Pursuant to Elections Code Section 9005, we have reviewed the proposed initiative (A.G. File No. 11-0082)...
- Good policy or ballot blackmail? Why union is behind Prop. 23 - CalMatters
...including a minimum wage initiative in 2016, a pair of measures to limit hospital fees and executive pay in 2014, and two other initiatives to curb hospital bills and expand charity care in 2012.... The episode marked the second time the union withdrew ballot measures after reaching an agreement with hospital leaders.