APEN Voter Guide for Nov 4, 2008

Download the APEN Voter Guide in PDF format

November 4th is a national General Election to help elect candidates, like the next US President and city council members. The other part of your ballot includes 12 state propositions and several local measures (county and city). It’s a very full ballot and we acknowledge how it can be difficult—almost discouraging—for the democratic process.

APEN is a community-based environmental justice organization, with a primary mission of organizing for the rights of Asian immigrants and refugees to have healthy environments. We have membership bases in Oakland (Power in Asians Organizing) and Richmond (Laotian Organizing Project).

APEN values democratic participation, where community members can fully engage in decisions that affect their lives and hold governments accountable to community interests. We believe in community rights and services, a green economy that meets community needs, government and corporate responsibility, and having healthy and safe environments where residents can thrive. It is with this lens that APEN compiled recommendations for the ballot initiatives. APEN’s staff, members and board review ballot initiatives and make recommendations on those we feel strongly, as seen in this voter guide.

ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES
As an environmental justice (EJ) organization, we look at solutions to the ecological crisis with how it will particularly improve the most impacted communities—low income communities of color over-burdened by toxics, poverty and unequal protection from hazards. We agree with immediately switching to cleaner energy sources, but Prop 7 and 10 raise EJ concerns about allowing deceptive polluting projects (trash burners, natural gas) to be called clean, with the probability of putting them in low income communities of color. Measure WW will help the East Bay Regional Parks District acquire land for parks to prevent urban sprawl. The East Bay will be served well by Measure V V which will increase mass transit funds for youth, seniors and disabled bus riders. Richmond’s initiative to tax manufacturing industries like the massive Chevron refinery will boost funds to ailing City services like healthcare and education.
Vote No on Prop 7, No on Prop 10, Yes on VV (Alameda-Contra Costa County), Yes on WW (Alameda County), Yes on Measure T and D (Richmond).

PRISON AND PUNISHMENT INITIATIVES
We understand that crime is a big problem in our community but we should not solve it by targeting low-income families, immigrants and communities of color. Prop 6 will try 14 year olds as adults and redirect billions more dollars from the state general fund to build more prisons. For those in prison, Prop 9 will worsen inhumane conditions by creating additional hurdles for release, while Prop 5 will help address underlying problems of addiction and invest in rehabilitation and treatment.
Vote Yes on Prop 5, No on Prop 6, No on Prop 9.

WEDGE ISSUES
Some well-funded initiatives appear on the ballot to divide our communities by preventing us from focusing on the real problems we need to solve. They include two propositions that attack the civil rights of women, lesbian and gay communities. Prop 4 tries again, for the third time, to limit women’s right to make choices regarding reproductive health, by attacking young women who are pregnant. We cannot accept discrimination against anyone, including Prop 8 which denies basic rights to gay (LGBT) people.