Pubdate: Mon, 30 Dec 2013
Source: Sacramento Bee (CA)
Copyright: 2013 The Sacramento Bee
Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/0n4cG7L1
Website: http://www.sacbee.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/376

KAMALA HARRIS SHOULD LEAVE BIAS AT THE DOOR

Like clockwork, signature gatherers mass outside supermarkets to hawk 
their petitions, while initiative proponents squawk about the loaded 
wording in the official titles and summaries given to their propositions.

The wording is supposed to be neutral. But recent attorneys general, 
who are responsible for titles and summaries, have meddled, knowing 
many voters make up their minds based on the 100-word summations.

Attorney General Kamala Harris has been especially freewheeling. That 
needs to stop.

As The Bee's Jon Ortiz wrote in his State Worker column last week, 
Harris is preparing to release her assessment of San Jose Mayor Chuck 
Reed's initiative to subject public employee pensions to labor negotiations.

Given the power of public employee unions, Harris faces pressure to 
load her assessment in a way that casts Reed's measure in the worst 
light. She should resist.

A San Francisco Chronicle report was the latest to chastise Harris 
wordsmithing, citing her summary of the benefits of a marijuana 
legalization measure:

"Potential net additional tax revenues in the low hundreds of 
millions of dollars annually ... a portion of which is required to be 
spent on education, health care, public safety, drug abuse education 
and treatment, and the regulation of commercial marijuana activities."

At least she didn't say the money would be used to buy pot smokers 
the munchies of their choice.

Earlier, The Bee's Dan Walters wrote about her view of an initiative 
backed by plaintiffs' attorney to lift the $250,000 cap on pain and 
suffering awards in medical malpractice lawsuits. Harris focused on a 
poll tested feature popular with voters  requiring drug testing of physicians.

A blatant example occurred last year when Harris described an 
initiative to roll back public employee pension benefits as affecting 
police, nurses and teachers. Harris didn't mention workers who might 
not fare quite as well in focus groups.

In each instance, Harris came down on the side of her patrons, 
plaintiffs' attorneys and public employee unions.

Republican attorneys general have loaded summaries, too. Given voting 
trends, there is little chance that a serious Republican will 
challenge Harris in 2014. That means she will have the opportunity to 
review many more initiatives.

The Bee's editorial board takes a dim view of most ballot measures. 
But the attorney general's job is to play it straight. With 
initiative season upon us again, Harris needs to leave her political 
biases at the door.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom