To ensure I never run for office

My source’s include the California Official Information Guide, Santa Barbara County Voter Sample Ballot, the Santa Barbara Independent, and ballotpedia.org

President and Vice President: Barack Obama and Joe Biden
Clearly the smarter person in the race and a proper repudiation of Bush’s failed administration.

US Representative 23rd District: Lois Capps
As incumbent, it’s Capps to lose, yet Kokkonen’s website toes the Republican line without really showing leadership.

State Senator 19th District: Hannah-Beth Jackson
Tough call, but I like Strickland’s fiscal responsibility as well has Jackon’s stances on social issues.  Ultimately, though Strickland’s negative campaign of lies turns me off.

Member of the State Assembly 35th District: Pedro Nava
Didn’t really research this one, but Nava is clearly going to win.

Judge of the Superior Court Office No. 5: John Mackinnon
By the SB Independent’s description, Mackinnon’s focus on drugs seems more interesting than Beebe’s stance as judgeship being the next logical progression.

Santa Barbara School Districts Governing Board Member: Jacqueline Inda, Susan Deacon, and Annette Cordero
Inda and Cordero’s focus on gang activity is important as it rises in the community.  Susan Deacon came of as an intelligent choice as well.  Ware’s an engineer, which almost made me vote for her.  Kate Smith seems like a perpetual thorn in the School district’s side and Heron seemingly entered because he though there was a free open space.

County Supervisor 3rd District: abstain
Farr and Pappas are so similar on their position that it’s difficult to choose, so I won’t.

City of Goleta City Council Member: Edward Easton and abstain
We can vote up to two, but Easton is the only one that stood out to me.  Blois and Connell are current and past city council members locking in some partisan battle, while Gilman is promising, but inexperienced.

Goleta Water District Director: Bill Rosen, Larry Mills, and Lauren Hanson
Rosen and Hanson have crafted niced ideas for the water district, and Mills represents the voice of experience as a former water district director.  The news of arguments in the current meetings leads me to vote against the one incumbent in the race.

Proposition 1A: Yes
After years of political wrangling, the high speed rail has finally come before us.  It might not affect Santa Barbara much, but it’s good for California and the environment.

Proposition 2: Yes
Tough one.  Regulations on the egg industry may well drive them away from California, but the argument seems to be caged vs. free-range, while I don’t actually see anything in the legislative summaries that larger cages aren’t a possible solution.  Perhaps I missed something.

Proposition 3: No
Children’s hospitals are great, but it’s not time to force debt on a state that has so many budget problems already.

Proposition 4: No
The waiting period for a minor’s abortion keeps coming up, and keeps getting shot down.  It would be great if teens would tell their parents if they were pregnent, but I don’t want to legislate that kind of responsibility.

Proposition 5: Yes
Potentially saving money and opening some space in the prisons sounds good, as are the laxing of certain drug laws.

Proposition 6: No
Again, not the time to put more debt on the state to help the criminal justice industry.

Proposition 7: Yes
Hard call on this one.  It’s pretty much not supported by any major organisation from the political parties, to environmental groups, to the power companies. The power companies aren’t going to meet the current standards, should we be pressing new ones?  But the part that baffles me more is turning power from the PUC to the EC.  I don’t understand it, and don’t have the time to.

Proposition 8: No
A same-sex marriage never hurt anyone.

Proposition 9: No
Potentially increasing the prison population in the future sounds like a bad idea.

Proposition 10: No
The environment is actually something I feel important enough to spend money on, but this proposition just smells fishy.

Proposition 11: Yes
Independent districting!  Definitely needed to fight the gerrymandering and entrenched political parties.

Proposition 12: Yes
We don’t pay unless the veterns default on their loans.  I think their good for it.

Santa Barbara High School District Measure H2008: Yes
Needed to offset less taxes coming from the state.

Measure A2008: Yes
Widening Highway 101 around Milpas is key to clearing some of traffic there.