“ A Message from the League of Women Voters of California
and California Teachers and Law Enforcement Professionals
Fellow Californians,
After years of cuts, California’s public schools, universities,
and public safety services are at the breaking point.
In the last four years alone, our schools have been hit with
$20 billion in cuts, over 30,000 fewer teachers, and class
sizes that are among the largest in the country. Our children
deserve better.
It’s time to take a stand and get California back on track.
Proposition 30, the Schools & Local Public Safety
Protection Act, is supported by Governor Jerry Brown, the
League of Women Voters and a statewide coalition of leaders
from education, law enforcement and business.
There is broad support for Prop. 30 because it’s the only
initiative that will protect school and safety funding and help
address the state’s chronic budget mess:



• Prevents deep school cuts. Without Prop. 30, our schools
and colleges face an additional $6 billion in devastating
cuts this year. Prop. 30 is the only initiative that prevents
those cuts and provides billions in new funding for our
schools starting this year—money that can be spent on
smaller class sizes, up-to-date textbooks and rehiring
teachers.

• Guarantees local public safety funding. Prop. 30 is the
only measure that establishes a guarantee for public
safety funding in our state’s constitution, where it can’t
be touched without voter approval. Prop. 30 keeps cops
on the street.

• Helps balance the budget. Prop. 30 balances our budget
and helps pay down California’s debt—built up by
years of gimmicks and borrowing. It is a critical step in
stopping the budget shortfalls that plague California.
To protect schools and safety, Prop. 30 temporarily
increases personal income taxes on the highest earners—
couples with incomes over $500,000 a year—and establishes
the sales tax at a rate lower than it was last year.
Prop. 30’s taxes are temporary, balanced and necessary to
protect schools and safety:

• Only highest-income earners pay more income tax:
Prop. 30 asks those who earn the most to temporarily
pay more income taxes. Couples earning below
$500,000 a year will pay no additional income taxes.

• All new revenue is temporary: Prop. 30’s taxes are
temporary, and this initiative cannot be modified without
a vote of the people. The very highest earners will pay
more for seven years. The sales tax provision will be in
effect for four years.

• Money goes into a special account the legislature can’t
touch: The money raised for schools is directed into a
special fund the legislature can’t touch and can’t be used
for state bureaucracy.
• Prop. 30 provides for mandatory audits: Mandatory,
independent annual audits will insure funds are spent
ONLY for schools and public safety.
Join with the League of Women Voters and California
teachers and public safety professionals.
Vote YES on Proposition 30.

Take a stand for schools and public safety.
To learn more, visit YesOnProp30.com.
JENNIFER A. WAGGONER, President
League of Women Voters of California
DEAN E. VOGEL, President
California Teachers Association
KEITH ROYAL, President
California State Sheriffs’ Association ”

“ Supporters of Prop. 30 say we either have to approve a huge tax hike or schools get cut. We all want excellent schools in California, but raising taxes isn’t the only way to accomplish this. The politicians would rather raise taxes instead of streamlining thousands of state funded programs, massive bureaucracy and waste. Look at what they just did: politicians authorized nearly $5 billion in California bonds for the “bullet train to nowhere,” costing taxpayers $380 million per year. Let’s use those dollars for schools! Instead, the politicians give us a false choice—raise sales taxes by $1 billion per year and raise income taxes on small business OR cut schools. PROP. 30 IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS: It doesn’t guarantee even one new dollar of funding for classrooms. No on Prop. 30: It allows the politicians to take money currently earmarked for education and spend it on other programs. We’ll never know where the money really goes. No on Prop. 30: It gives the Sacramento politicians a blank check without requiring budget, pension or education reform. No on Prop. 30: It hurts small businesses and kills jobs. No on Prop. 30: It’s just more money for the Sacramento politicians to keep on spending. Don’t be mislead, Prop. 30 is not what it seems. It is just an excuse for Sacramento politicians to take more of your money, while hurting the economy and doing nothing to help education. Californians are too smart to be fooled: Vote No on Prop. 30! JOEL FOX, President Small Business Action Committee JOHN KABATECK, Executive Director National Federation of Independent Business/California KENNETH PAYNE, President Sacramento Taxpayers Association ”

“ NO on Prop. 30: It is just a $50 Billion Political “Shell
Game”—But Doesn’t Guarantee New Funds for Schools
The politicians behind Prop. 30 want us to believe that if
voters approve Prop. 30’s seven years of massive tax hikes,
the new money will go to classrooms. Nothing could be
further from the truth.
Prop. 30 allows the politicians to play a “shell game”
instead of providing new funding for schools:
• They can take existing money for schools and use it for
other purposes and then replace that money with the
money from the new taxes. They take it away with one
hand and put it back with the other hand. No matter
how you move it around, Prop. 30 does not guarantee
one penny of new funding for schools.
• Many educators have exposed this flaw and even
the California School Boards Association stated that
“ . . . the Governor’s initiative does not provide new
funding for schools.” (May 20, 2012)
• The Wall Street Journal identified the same flaw, stating
that “California Governor Jerry Brown is trying to sell
his tax hike to voters this November by saying it will
go to schools. The dirty little secret is that the new
revenues are needed to backfill the insolvent teacher’s
pension fund.” Wall Street Journal Editorial, April 22,
2012
• Even the official Title and Summary of Prop. 30 says
the money can be used for “ . . . paying for other
spending commitments.”
In addition, there are no requirements or assurances that
any more money actually gets to the classroom and nothing
in Prop. 30 reforms our education system to cut waste,
eliminate bureaucracy or cut administrative overhead.
NO on Prop. 30—No Reforms
The politicians and special interests behind Prop. 30 want
to raise taxes to pay for their out of control spending, but
refuse to pass meaningful reforms:
• Special interests and the politicians they control have
blocked pension reforms. We have $500 billion in
unfunded pension liabilities in California and still the
politicians refuse to enact real reforms.
• The same people have blocked budget reform. The
politicians continue to spend more than the state has.
Prop. 30 rewards this dangerous behavior by giving
them billions of dollars more to spend with no reforms,
no guarantee the money won’t be wasted or that it will
really get to the classroom.
NO on Prop. 30—Stop the Politician’s Threats
The Governor, politicians and special interests behind
Prop. 30 threaten voters. They say “vote for our massive
tax increase or we’ll take it out on schools,” but at the same
time, they refuse to reform the education or pension systems
to save money.
We need to grow our economy to create jobs and cut
waste, clean up government, reform our budget process
and hold the politicians accountable instead of approving
a $50 billion tax hike on small businesses and working
families that doesn’t provide any accountability or guarantee
new funding for schools.
NO on Prop. 30—Reforms and Jobs First, Not Higher
Taxes
JON COUPAL, President
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers’ Association
TOM BOGETICH, Executive Director (Retired)
California State Board of Education
DOUG BOYD, Member
Los Angeles County Board of Education ”

“ After years of cuts, it’s time to draw a line to protect schools and local public safety. Prop. 30’s TOUGH FISCAL CONTROLS insure money is spent ONLY on schools and public safety: • Revenue is guaranteed in the constitution to go into a special account for schools that the legislature can’t touch. • Money will be audited every year and can’t be spent on administration or Sacramento bureaucracy. • Prop. 30 authorizes criminal prosecution for misuse of money. Our kids deserve better than the most crowded classrooms in the country. Prop. 30 asks the very wealthy to pay their FAIR SHARE to keep classrooms open and cops on the street. • PREVENTS DEEP SCHOOL CUTS THIS YEAR: Prop. 30 is the only initiative that prevents $6 billion in automatic cuts to schools and universities this year. Without Prop. 30, we face a shortened school year, teacher layoffs and steep tuition increases this year. • PROVIDES BILLIONS IN NEW SCHOOL FUNDING: Prop. 30 provides billions in additional funds to reduce class sizes and restore programs like art and PE. • PROTECTS LOCAL PUBLIC SAFETY: Prop. 30 guarantees local public safety funding in the State Constitution and helps save billions in future prison costs. • HELPS BALANCE THE BUDGET: Prop. 30 is part of a long-term solution to balance the state budget. Teachers, law enforcement, business leaders and Governor Jerry Brown all support Proposition 30 because it’s the only measure that will put California on the road to recovery. Learn more at www.YesOnProp30.com. JENNIFER A. WAGGONER, President League of Women Voters of California JOSHUA PECHTHALT, President California Federation of Teachers SCOTT R. SEAMAN, President California Police Chiefs Association ”