The State and Local Tap: Seattle mayor resigns following allegations of past sexual abuse

September 15, 2017Issue No. 81

Week in review

On tap next week

THE WEEK IN REVIEW

Here's what happened in state and local politics last week. To see what happened in federal politics, click here.

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State Politics: The Week in Review

Ballot Measures Update

2017:

• The 2017 statewide ballot measure count is final: 27 different measure were certified for ballots in nine different states. This is the lowest number of statewide ballot measures to be certified for the ballot in 70 years—since 1947 when there were 23 statewide measures. One measure was decided in Maine on June 13. West Virginia voters will decide a measure on October 7. Louisiana voters will decide three measures on October 14. The remaining 22 measures will be on ballots for the election on November 7. In 2015, a below-average 28 measures were certified for the ballot. In 2013, there were 31 measures on the ballot. From 1987 through 2015, the average number of measures on the ballot in odd-numbered years was 51 in an average of 11 states. Since 2001, the average was 41 measures in 10 states. In the last decade the average dropped to 34 measures in eight states. The number of measures on the ballot in odd-numbered years after 1990 peaked in 1999 at 72.
  • This year’s measures consist of four citizen initiated measures, 19 legislatively referred measures, one measure automatically referred to the ballot by the state constitution, and three advisory questions triggered by tax increasing legislation in Washington. No additional measures are pending certification.
  • The last measure to be certified was a Maine transportation bond issue on August 2.

2018:

• Twenty-nine (29) measures are certified to appear on statewide ballots in 17 states in 2018 so far—seven citizen initiated measures, 21 legislatively referred measures, and one measure automatically referred to the ballot by the state constitution. Over the previous five even-year election cycles, an average of 61 citizen-initiated measures and 173 total statewide measures have appeared on ballots. Review Ballotpedia’s list of 2018 initiative and referendum signature deadlines to stay ahead of 2018 ballot measure news, and see if there are initiatives currently circulator in your state here.
  • One new measure was certified for 2018 ballots last week.
  • By this time in 2013, 52 measures had been certified for the 2014 ballot; ultimately, 158 statewide measures were put on the ballot in 2014. By this time in 2015, 35 measures had been certified for the 2016 ballot; ultimately, 162 statewide measures were put on the ballot in 2016.
  • The most recent signature filing deadline for 2018 citizen-initiated measures was August 28 for the right to work veto referendum in Missouri (sponsors of the referendum signatures turned in signatures about two weeks before the deadline).
  • The next signature filing deadlines for 2018 citizen-initiated measures:
    • October 4, 2017, for verified signatures for 2018 Mississippi initiatives—which means petitions need to be submitted to local election officials earlier; initiatives are circulating that would legalize marijuana, decide the fate of the state flag, and establish open primaries.
    • October 5, 2017, for signatures for veto referendums targeting 2017 bills in Oregon, including a health insurance premiums tax and a bill to allow courts to prevent firearm access to certain individuals.
    • November 6, 2017, for initiated state statutes and initiated constitutional amendments in South Dakota; initiatives are circulating that would legalize marijuana, restrict legislative alteration and enact campaign finance and election laws, establish a redistricting committee, allow medical aid in dying, establish a public school bathroom gender restriction, restrict out-of-state campaign contributions, and increase the tobacco tax.
    • November 15, 2017, for indirect initiated state statutes in Utah; initiatives are circulating that would legalize medical marijuana, enact taxes to fund education, and establish an independent redistricting commission.
    • December 6, 2017, for submission to the secretary of state of the first round of signatures for 2018 Massachusetts initiative statutes and for 2020 Massachusetts initiative constitutional amendments—which means petitions must be submitted to local election officials by late November. See a full list of circulating initiatives here.

Tuesday, September 12

SCOTUS stays court orders against Texas' congressional, state legislative district maps

• The Supreme Court of the United States voted 5-4 to stay two court orders striking down Texas' congressional and state legislative district plans. In August, via two separate rulings, a three-judge panel found that Texas' district maps for congressional districts 27 and 35 and state House districts 32, 34, 54, 55, 90, 93, 103, 104, and 105 had been drawn with racially discriminatory intent. The panel ordered that these districts be redrawn. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) requested that the Supreme Court of the United States intervene and stay these orders pending progression of the state's appeal, resulting in the September 12 order by the high court. According to The New York Times, the Supreme Court's order "made it more likely that the 2018 election will be held" using the existing district plans. Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Clarence Thomas, Anthony Kennedy, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch formed the majority. Associate Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Stephen Breyer dissented.
  • The district maps in question were adopted by the state legislature in 2013 after a federal court struck down the original district plans, which were adopted by the legislature in 2011. Texas' congressional and state legislative district plans have been the subject ongoing litigation since that time.

Republicans state legislators gather to plan Article V convention focused on federal balanced budget amendment

• The Arizona Balanced Budget Planning Convention met at the Arizona State Capitol from September 12 to September 15. The planning convention’s goal was to lay the groundwork for a future Article V convention where state legislatures can propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution. 72 Republican delegates from 19 states attended the planning convention –a preliminary step to an Article V convention. The planning convention’s organizers want to propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution requiring the federal budget be balanced. Delegates at the planning convention worked on developing non-binding rules and procedures for a future Article V convention.
• Article V of the U.S. Constitution allows two-thirds of state legislatures – 34 of 50 – to propose amendments to the Constitution via conventions. Three-fourths of state legislatures – 38 of 50 – must vote to ratify amendments. If an Article V convention was called, proposed amendments would not necessarily be limited to the balanced budget issue. All previous 27 amendments to the Constitutions went through a separate process outlined in Article V where two-thirds of both chambers of Congress proposed the amendments and three-fourths of state legislatures (or state conventions for the 21st Amendment) ratified them.
• 27 state legislatures – most of which are currently controlled by Republicans – have already passed resolutions indicating their support for a convention. 32 state legislatures are currently controlled by Republicans. The following state legislatures are controlled by Republicans but have not passed a resolution supporting a convention: Idaho, Kentucky, Minnesota, Montana, South Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Groups associated with conservative causes, including the American Legislative Exchange Council and Americans for Prosperity, support the effort.

New Hampshire Democrats flip their second state House seat of the year

• Charlie St. Clair (D) defeated Steven Whalley (R) in the special election for the Belknap 9 district in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. St. Clair defeated Whalley by a margin of 258 votes, 56 percent to 44 percent. Donald Trump (R) won the district in 2016 by a 56-39 percent margin. This is the sixth seat that Democrats have flipped from Republican to Democratic in state legislative special elections in 2017. New Hampshire Democrats also flipped a seat in the state House on May 23. Republicans have flipped one Democratic seat in 2017.
• The seat became vacant on May 17, 2017, after Robert Fisher (R) resigned from the state House. It was revealed that he was the creator of an online forum on the website Reddit. The forum—called The Red Pill—promoted itself as a "discussion of sexual strategy in a culture increasingly lacking a positive identity for men." Fisher was re-elected to the seat in 2016 with 53 percent of the vote.
• New Hampshire is one of 26 Republican state government trifectas. With seven vacancies and one member not yet sworn in, Republicans hold a 219-170 majority in the state House. There are also three Libertarians in the chamber. Republicans have a 14-10 majority in the state Senate. Governor Chris Sununu (R) was elected to a two-year term in 2016.

Oklahoma Democrats flip state House seat in special election

• Jacob Rosecrants (D) defeated Darin Chambers (R) in the special general election for Oklahoma House of Representatives District 46. Unofficial results have Rosecrants winning with 60.4 percent of the vote. The special election was called to fill the seat of former Representative Scott Martin (R). Martin resigned from the state House in order to direct the Norman Chamber of Commerce. His resignation was effective May 31, 2017. Martin and Rosecrants faced off in the November 2016 general election. Martin won that election with 60.4 percent of the vote.
  • This is the third legislative district Oklahoma Democrats have picked up in 2017. Senate District 44 and House District 75 held special elections on July 11, 2017, which resulted in those seats flipping from Republican control to Democratic control.
• A special primary election was held for District 37 of the Oklahoma State Senate. Allison Ikley-Freeman (D) and Brian O'Hara (R) will face off in the November 14 special general election. On Tuesday, Ikley-Freeman ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. O'Hara won the Republican primary in a field of seven candidates. On June 6, 2017, Senator Dan Newberry (R) announced that he will resign from the state Senate, effective January 31, 2018. He cited his pursuit of a professional promotion in a press release. Newberry won the seat in 2016 with 55.7 percent of the vote.
• Oklahoma is one of 26 Republican state government trifectas. With two vacancies, the Oklahoma State Senate is controlled by a 39-7 Republican majority. Republicans maintain a 72-27 majority in the state House, with two vacancies, including the seat Rosecrants will be sworn-in to. Governor Mary Fallin (R) was re-elected to a four-year term in 2014.

Two candidates are headed to a runoff to fill a vacant seat in the Mississippi House

• Missy Warren McGee and Kathryn Rehner were the top two vote-getters in the special election for District 102 in the Mississippi House of Representatives. McGee received 41 percent of the vote and Rehner received 29 percent. Since neither candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, McGee and Rehner will face off in the runoff election on October 3. Candidates in Mississippi special elections run without party labels, but McGee identifies as a Republican and Rehner identifies as a Democrat.
• The seat became vacant in June 2017 after Toby Barker (R) was elected as the mayor of Hattiesburg. Barker was re-elected to the seat in 2015 with 73 percent of the vote.
• Mississippi is one of 26 Republican state government trifectas. Republicans hold the state House by a 72-47 margin with three vacancies. Republicans control the state Senate by a 32-30 margin. Gov. Phil Bryant (R) was elected to a four-year term in 2015.

Washington State Legislature named in public disclosure lawsuit

• A group of ten news organizations filed suit against the Washington State Legislature on Tuesday, alleging that state lawmakers are not exempt from providing daily schedules, emails, texts, and other work-related materials. The state's Public Records Act requires that most government agencies produce those types of materials. The legislature interprets a 1995 amendment to the Public Records Act as marking the noted materials as not being a part of the public record and, thus, not required to be disclosed.
• The lawsuit was filed in Thurston County Superior Court, and is led by the Associated Press. The other involved organizations include Northwest News Network, KING-TV, KIRO 7, Allied Daily Newspapers of Washington, The Spokesman-Review, the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association, Sound Publishing, Tacoma News, Inc., and The Seattle Times. The legislature, state Senate, state House, and leaders of four political caucuses are named in the suit.
• Washington is one of 18 states under divided government. Democrats have a 25-24 numerical majority in the Washington State Senate. However, Republicans maintain control of the chamber due to a Democratic senator who caucuses with Republicans. Democrats control the state House by a 50-58 margin. Governor Jay Inslee (D) was re-elected to a four-year term in 2016.

Wisconsin budget passes state Assembly 10 weeks after initial deadline

• The Wisconsin State Assembly voted 57-39 on a two-year, $76 billion budget on Tuesday. Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald is looking to put the budget to a vote, but isn't clear if he has the votes to pass the bill as is. Four Senate Republicans are seeking changes including prohibiting the University of Wisconsin system from spending on diversity training, increasing the income eligibility limit for the statewide school voucher program, and moving up the date for repealing the state prevailing wage. Leadership in the Assembly has expressed little interest in seeing the bill return to the lower chamber with adjustments.
• In Wisconsin, spending levels from the previous two-year budget stay in effect until a new budget passes, allowing state agencies to continue operating and sparing citizens from most effects of a government shutdown. Continued budget stalemates can result in some projects being delayed and local school districts being put in the position of setting budgets without knowing how much state funding will be available.
• Wisconsin is one of 26 Republican state government trifectas. Republicans control the state Senate with a 20-13 majority and the state Assembly with a 64-35 majority. Scott Walker was re-elected to a four-year term in 2014.

Kentucky Attorney General challenges governor’s budget cut proposal

• On Tuesday, Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear (D) challenged a budget cut proposal made by Governor Matt Bevin (R) on September 8, arguing that the cuts were in violation of state law. The proposal took the form of a series of letters sent to cabinet secretaries and executive officers requesting a 17.4 percent decrease in spending for the remainder of the fiscal year. Programs such as Medicaid, payments on state debt, the Department of Corrections, and education funding initiatives were not impacted.
• Kentucky Budget Director John Chilton estimated that the administration's proposal would save $350 million, allowing the state to offset a $200 million projected shortfall in the next fiscal year and make a $150 million deposit into the rainy day fund. However, Beshear argued that state law forbade the governor from making budget cuts in order to fill the rainy day fund. Beshear also contended that the $200 million shortfall projection was not an official estimate and was therefore not sufficient legal basis for a budget cut.
• The case has the potential to end up in court, where Bevin and Beshear have met before. Since they were first elected in 2015, Beshear has sued Bevin four times. Following an April 2016 lawsuit in which the court ruled that Bevin had acted outside his authority in proposing an $18 million education cut, Beshear sued Bevin over a proposed reorganization of the state's Retirement Systems board of trustees, leading to legislative intervention on Bevin's behalf. Arguments were heard by the Kentucky Supreme Court on August 18 in a third lawsuit related to proposed modifications to the structure of the University of Louisville Board of Trustees. A fourth lawsuit challenging changes to the structure of several education-related boards is currently underway.
• Kentucky is one of 26 states where the governor and majorities in both houses of the state legislature are Republicans, making it a Republican trifecta. Because the attorney general and secretary of state are members of the Democratic Party while the governor is a Republican, Kentucky is one of 16 states with divided triplex status. Kentucky is one of six states, alongside Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and Vermont to have a Republican governor and a Democratic attorney general and secretary of state. Of those states, Kentucky is the only one to have Republican majorities in both houses of the legislature.

Wednesday, September 13

Nebraska State Senator Bob Krist leaves Republican Party

• On Wednesday, State Senator Bob Krist of Nebraska announced that he was leaving the Republican Party as part of a planned run for governor in 2018. Krist had announced in July that he would leave the GOP in order to run against sitting governor Pete Ricketts (R), but stated that he had planned to remain a member of the party while finishing his term in the Nebraska Unicameral. Krist's decision to register as a nonpartisan narrowed the GOP majority in the Unicameral to 30 out of 49 seats, the exact threshold required for a filibuster or a veto.
• Krist has represented Nebraska's Senate District 10, which encompasses parts of Omaha, since he was appointed to fill a vacancy by then-Governor Dave Heineman (R) in 2009. Krist was elected to a full four-year term in 2010 and was re-elected in 2014. He is prevented by term limit laws from seeking election to a third full term in 2018. In a press appearance on Wednesday, Krist cited the state's political climate as a motivating factor in his candidacy: "The Legislature was once a nonpartisan body, but that’s not the case today...Now we have less conversation, less debate and more of the party highway or no way. It’s counter to everything we need to do right now. I believe the emphasis should be on working together." The next step in Krist's gubernatorial campaign will be the collection of 5,000 signatures to register a new political party.
• Besides Krist and Ricketts, only one candidate has formally entered the 2018 election. Technical writer Krystal Gabel (R) will challenge Gov. Ricketts in the May 15 Republican primary. Ricketts was first elected governor in 2014, defeating Chuck Hassebrook (D) and Mark G. Elworth, Jr. (L) by a 17.9 percent margin. The 2018 race is considered to be "Safe Republican" by the Cook Political Report, Governing, Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball, the Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, and Decision Desk HQ.
• Because Nebraska has a Republican governor and a Republican majority in the Unicameral, it is considered to be one of 26 Republican trifectas. In addition, because the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are Republicans, the state is considered to be one of 23 Republican triplexes. If Krist wins the 2018 election, the state would lose its Republican triplex and Republican trifecta status.

Missouri state Legislature convened veto session; one member censured for comments

• The Missouri General Assembly met in a veto session on September 13. Lawmakers failed to override Gov. Eric Greitens’ (R) veto of House Bill 3 by a 49-106 vote. Greitens vetoed House Bill 3 on June 30, 2017, which would have provided $35.4 million in funding for nursing care.
• Lt. Gov. Mike Parson (R) urged the legislature to call itself into special session during the veto session to address cuts to nursing care. Legislative leaders could not get the three-fourths vote required in each chamber to call a special session. Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard (R) and House Speaker Todd Richardson (R) have asked each chamber to develop a plan in the next three weeks to restore funding to nursing care. Richard said he hopes to have a plan by October 6 and will ask Gov. Greitens to call a special session.
• During the veto session, the state Senate censured Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal (D) by a 28-2 vote for comments she made in August on Facebook. Chappelle-Nadal posted in a Facebook exchange that she hopes for President Trump's assassination. She was also removed from all her committee assignments by the Democratic caucus. Also during the veto session, the state House approved a proposal by Rep. Gail McCann Beatty (D) for a bipartisan House ethics panel to investigate state Rep. Warren Love’s (R) Facebook comments. State Rep. Warren posted an article on his Facebook page describing vandalism to a Confederate monument at the Springfield National Cemetery. In response to the article, Love suggested that the people responsible for the vandalism should be lynched.
• Veto-proof supermajorities: Republican supermajorities in each chamber of the legislature allow Republicans to pass legislation and override gubernatorial vetoes without intervention by Democrats. A two-thirds majority is needed in each chamber—23 votes in the Senate and 109 votes in the House— to override gubernatorial vetoes.
• Missouri is one of 26 Republican state government trifectas. With one vacancy, Republicans control the state Senate by a 24-9 margin. Republicans control the state House by 115-45 margin with three vacancies. Gov. Eric Greitens (R) was elected in 2016 to a four-year term.

Alabama Superintendent of Education Michael Sentance resigns

• On Wednesday, Alabama Superintendent of Education Michael Sentance submitted his resignation, effective immediately. In an interview with the Montgomery Advertiser, Alabama State Board of Education member Mary Scott Hunter suggested that tensions between Sentance and the board were behind his decision: "He explained it’s just untenable...He had lost the support of most of the board. It’s my understanding a negotiated settlement will come to the board tomorrow to end his employment." Sentance was appointed by the board on August 11, 2016. During his time in office, Sentance oversaw an investigation into misreported high school graduation rates, a state government intervention in the Montgomery public school system, the ending of mandatory ACT Aspire testing, and the creation of a new long-term plan for the state's education system.
• Sentance had served as the Massachusetts Secretary of Education between 1991 and 1996, and that state's high test scores were cited by then-Governor Robert Bentley as a crucial factor in Sentance's August 2016 hiring: "Massachusetts is the No. 1 state in the country for education...Test scores show we’re not No. 1, obviously, but we would like to be."
• Sentance and the board had disagreed in the past over the level of communication that was necessary between them. The disagreements came to a head following a March 3, 2017, leak of a proposal Sentance had been drafting to reorganize the state Department of Education. In a meeting the following week, board members criticized Sentance for not informing them of the draft proposal's existence, arguing that he had left them unable to respond to their constituents' questions about the leak. The degree of communication with the board was also cited as an area of improvement for Sentance in the board's July 2017 evaluation of his performance.
• The board announced on Thursday that former Alabama Superintendent Ed Richardson would serve in an interim role until a permanent successor could be nominated.

Oregon coalition files two initiatives related to gov't spending/revenue

• Two initiatives were filed with state officials concerning government spending, budgets, and revenue. Proponents of the initiative are targeting the 2018 election ballot.
• One initiative would establish a government spending limit for state and local government bodies and require that revenue raised in excess of the limit be spent on reducing the state's unfunded pension liability down to $1 billion; the state currently features about $22 billion in unfunded pension liability. The formula for the limit would be based on the existing budget of the government body, the population of the jurisdiction, and inflation. Juanita P. Lint and Michael G. Cosgrove are the chief petitioners for this initiative—Initiative #32.
• The other initiative would explicitly define raising revenue in Section 25 of Article IV of the Oregon Constitution to include changes to tax exemptions, credits, and deductions that result in increased revenue, as well as the creation or increase of taxes and fees. Voters passed Measure 25 in 1996 requiring a three-fifths vote of each state legislative chamber to pass any bill that raises revenue. The Legislative Counsel—based on a 2015 ruling by the Oregon Supreme Court—excluded bills to reduce tax breaks, such as exemptions and credits, from this three-fifths vote requirement. Alan Mehrwein and Art Kegler are the chief petitioners of this initiative—Initiative #31.
• Former Rep. John Davis (R-26) is backing the initiative efforts and stated that a “pretty broad coalition of business groups, individuals and interest groups throughout the state that are concerned about tax increases" was working on the initiatives.
• For initiatives to qualify for the ballot, Oregon law first requires that 1,000 signatures be submitted before a ballot title is drafted. Petitioners are then required to collect 117,578 valid signatures to get their initiative on the ballot. Signatures for initiatives must be submitted four months prior to the election on November 6, 2018, which is around July 6, 2018.
• Our Oregon, an organization that describes its mission as "fighting for economic and social fairness for all Oregonians," criticized the initiatives and could be an active opponents if the measures reach the ballot.
• Oregon is currently one of six Democratic government trifectas.

President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association files housing tax rebate initiative while lawmakers consider housing bills

• Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, filed an initiative designed to offer a $500 tax rebate to qualified homeowners and renters. Petitioners for the initiated state statute will seek to qualify it for the 2018 ballot. The initiative filing came in the same week that California lawmakers are considering several housing-related bills, including a $4 billion housing bond that would go on the 2018 ballot, a bill that would impose a $75 to $225 fee on real estate transactions and generate between $229 million and $258 million, and a bill to change residential development approval processes and prevailing wages for construction projects. Friday was the last day for California lawmakers to pass bills.
• In California, the number of signatures needed to qualify a measure for the ballot is based on the total number of votes cast for the office of governor. For an initiated state statute, petitioners must collect signatures equal to 5 percent of the most recent gubernatorial vote. To get a measure on the 2018 ballot, the number of signatures required is 365,880. In California, initiatives can be circulated for 180 days. Signatures need to be certified at least 131 days before the 2018 general election, which is around June 28, 2018. As the signature verification process can take several weeks, the California secretary of state issues suggested deadlines for several months before the certification deadline. A title and summary for this initiative will be issued by the California attorney general's office on November 17, 2017.

Thursday, September 14

Committee supporting Sen. Newman recall proposes initiative to require voter approval of gas and vehicle taxes

• Reform California is planning to fight the state’s new transportation taxes and fees, which the legislature passed in April 2017, on two fronts—an attempt to recall state Sen. Josh Newman (D-29) and an initiative to require voter approval for the legislature to impose, increase, or extend gas, diesel fuel, and vehicle taxes.
• The initiative was filed on Thursday. The measure would affect taxes and tax rates enacted after January 1, 2017, including Senate Bill 1 (SB 1). SB 1 was designed to increase the gas tax by $0.12 per gallon, increase the diesel fuel tax by $0.20 per gallon, increase the sales tax on diesel fuels by an additional 4 percentage points, create an annual transportation improvement fee, and create an annual zero-emission vehicles fee. As SB 1 was signed into law in April 2017, the taxing provisions of SB 1 would be rendered null under the initiative unless and until voters approve the bill in the form of a ballot measure.
• Carl DeMaio, the chairperson of Reform California and a former member of the San Diego City Council, stated, “Once we qualify this initiative for the ballot, 2018 will be remembered as the year we had another taxpayer revolt in California – where the outrageous car and gas taxes were reversed by voters and the politicians that enacted those tax hikes are punished at the ballot box.” Gov. Jerry Brown (D), who supported and signed SB 1, responded to the initiative's filing, saying, "I can’t believe the proponents of this ballot measure really want Californians to keep driving on lousy roads and dangerous bridges. Taking billions of dollars a year from road maintenance and repair borders on insanity.”
• The ballot initiative is a constitutional amendment. To get the measure certified for the 2018 ballot, petitioners need to collect 585,407 valid signatures within a 180-day period. Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) must write a ballot title and summary for the initiative before petitioners can collect signatures.
• Reform California’s initiative is the second initiative proposed this year to repeal SB 1. Rep. Travis Allen (R-72), a candidate for governor in 2018, also proposed an initiative to repeal the bill. Unlike Reform California’s initiative, Rep. Allen’s initiative would not require voter approval of future gas and vehicle taxes.
• DeMaio and Reform California have been supporting the effort to recall Newman since SB 1 passed in April 2017. Newman was one of 27 state senators (26 Democrats and one Republican) who voted for the bill. If the recall effort against him succeeds, Democrats will lose their two-thirds majority in the California Legislature, which is the margin required to raise taxes. According to DeMaio’s website, Newman was targeted because of his narrow margin of victory in 2016. He won a traditionally Republican district by less than 2,500 votes.
• Recall proponents gathered the necessary signatures to trigger a recall election against Newman on August 18. However, on August 24 California Democrats passed Senate Bill 117 (SB 117), a bill which delays the recall process and will likely push Newman’s election back until the statewide primary on June 5, 2018, where higher turnout could help him win. SB 117 is currently being challenged in court by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. An earlier attempt by California Democrats to pass similar changes to the recall process was blocked by a California Court of Appeal on August 14.

Friday, September 15

Filing deadline for six Georgia state legislative special elections passes

• The filing deadline for six Georgia state legislative special elections passed on September 15. The deadline was originally set for September 13, but it was extended by Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp (R) in anticipation of disruption from Hurricane Irma, which impacted parts of Georgia starting on September 11. The special elections will fill four vacant seats in the state House and two vacant seats in the state Senate. Four of the seats became vacant after the incumbents resigned to seek higher office and two became vacant when the incumbents were appointed to positions in the judiciary and the executive branch, respectively.
• Georgia special elections are held in a top-two primary format, where all candidates, regardless of party, compete in a special election. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two candidates advance to a runoff election. The special election will be held on November 7, 2017, and the runoff, if necessary, will be held on December 5, 2017.
• The state House districts holding elections are Districts 42, 89, 117, and 119. The state Senate districts holding elections are Districts 6 and 39. Democrats previously held state House Districts 42 and 89 and state Senate District 39, while Republicans previously held state House Districts 117 and 119 and state Senate District 6.
• The election to fill Georgia State Senate District 6 will likely be competitive. In the 2016 elections, Republican Hunter Hill won the seat by 3.8 points while Hillary Clinton (D) defeated Donald Trump (R) in the district by 15.6 points. If Democrats win the seat and retain District 39, they will break Republicans’ two-thirds majority in the state Senate, which is the margin required to override gubernatorial vetoes and certify constitutional amendments for the ballot.
• As of September 15, Republicans held a 37-17 majority in the state Senate with two vacancies and a 116-60 majority in the state House with four vacancies. At least one more Republican vacancy has been announced in the state House, but the special election has not been set. Georgia is one of 26 Republican trifectas.
• Click here to see who qualified to run.

California ‘s 2016-2017 legislative session ends with key bills on the agenda

• The 2016-2017 session of the California Legislature ended on September 15. The session began on December 5, 2016. During the final week of the session, the Legislature planned to take action on several major items. This article is current as of 2:00 PM EST on September 15 and does not include all events that occurred on that day.
• Bills expected to have a vote: At the time of writing, the following bills were pending before the Legislature.
  • On September 14, the California State Assembly passed at least six bills related to housing costs. Notable among them were SB 2, which creates a fee on certain real estate transactions to fund low-income housing developments, and SB 3, a $4 million housing bond that could appear on the ballot on November 6, 2018. At the time of writing, the housing bills awaited action in the California State Senate. Gov. Jerry Brown (D) indicated that he supports SB 2 and some of the other housing bills.
  • SB 54 is a proposal to make California a statewide sanctuary jurisdiction. It limits the ability of law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration officials. It passed the state Senate in April 2017 and was amended in the state Assembly in September to incorporate changes suggested by Gov. Brown. See a related entry in this week’s Tap for full coverage of SB 54.
  • AB 84 is a proposal to move the state’s presidential primary election from June to March. The goal of the bill is to give California more influence during the 2020 presidential primaries. It passed the state Assembly on May 4 and, at the time of writing, awaited action in the state Senate.
  • On September 12, Gov. Brown and legislative leaders announced that they would advance a plan with $30 million in legal aid and college tuition assistance for immigrants covered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. This was a 2012 program put in place by President Barack Obama (D) that allowed immigrants who were brought to the United States as children to receive relief from being deported for a period of time if they met certain criteria. On September 5, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced DACA would be rescinded, effective March 5, 2018.
• Earlier in 2017: The California Legislature advanced several major bills earlier in the 2016-2017 session. These included the following.
  • SB 1 provided for an increase in California's excise and sales taxes on fuel and for new user fees for vehicles to pay for transportation infrastructure projects. It passed both chambers of the Legislature in April 2017 and was signed by Gov. Brown. The passage of SB 1 marked the beginning of a recall effort against state Sen. Josh Newman (D) that could end the Democrats’ two-thirds majority in the chamber. See more about the recall below.
  • In July 2017, the Legislature passed a measure that extended the state’s cap-and-trade program, which requires businesses and utilities that emit greenhouse gases to obtain permits equal to their emittance and then allows them to trade the permits with each other. Seven Republicans, including Assembly Minority Leader Chad Mayes (R), joined with Democrats in passing the extension and other measures related to the environmental policy. Mayes stepped down from his position as minority leader in August due to opposition from the California Republican Party and members of his own caucus over his support for the legislation.
• Josh Newman recall: Democrats might lose their two-thirds majority in the Legislature either before or during the 2017-2018 legislative session. In April 2017, a recall effort was launched against state Sen. Josh Newman (D). According to recall proponent and former San Diego City Councilman Carl DeMaio (R), Newman was targeted for recall because he voted in favor of SB 1, which provides for an increase in the state’s gasoline tax, and because he had a slim margin of victory in 2016, making him the most vulnerable Democrat.
• Recall proponents gathered the necessary signatures to trigger a recall election against Newman on August 18. However, on August 24 California Democrats passed SB 117, a bill which delays the recall process and will likely push Newman’s election back until the statewide primary on June 5, 2018, where higher turnout could help him win. SB 117 is currently being challenged in court by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. An earlier attempt by California Democrats to pass similar changes to the recall process was blocked by a California Court of Appeal on August 14.
• Democrats have a 27-13 majority in the state Senate and a 54-25 majority in the state Assembly. There is one vacancy in the state Assembly that occurred when Democrat Jimmy Gomez was elected to Congress in June 2017. A special election to fill the seat will be held in December 2017.

Connecticut budget update: Three Senate Democrats defect and help send Republican budget to House

• As of 5:20 PM ET on September 15, the conflict over the Connecticut state budget had taken another turn. Three Senate Democrats broke from their party to vote for a Republican budget plan. The defecting Democrats, Paul Doyle, Gayle Slossberg and Joan Hartley, opposed the tax increases contained in the Senate Democrats’ budget proposal. The budget will now go to the Connecticut House where Democrats have a 79-72 majority. Senate Democrats expect that Gov. Dan Malloy will veto the Republican budget proposal if it passes the House as well.
• The defections came one day after Malloy and Democratic legislators had apparently reached an agreement on a budget plan that included new taxes on cell phone bills, vacation homes, hospitals, cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and hotel rooms. The deal did not receive a vote that night and budget negotiations resumed on September 15.

Story background:

• Connecticut has not had a budget in place for over two months. The impasse began when lawmakers were unable to agree to a two-year budget plan to close the state’s projected $5.1 billion budget deficit before the 2018 fiscal year began on July 1. Without a budget in place, Gov. Malloy has been funding state services at reduced levels via an executive order. If a vote does not take place before the week of September 11, it will be the longest period of time Connecticut has ever gone without a budget in place.
• On August 18, 2017, Malloy revised his executive order to change the amounts of the Education Cost Sharing payments that go to school districts. Under his revisions, the 30 lowest-performing school districts would see no change to their cost-sharing payments, 54 districts would receive reduced payments, and 85 districts would receive no state payment. The order is set to go into place October 1, 2017, if no budget has been approved.
• The budget was not passed on time due to disagreements between Malloy and the Democratic-controlled General Assembly, disagreements among members of the majority Democratic caucus, and disagreements between Democratic and Republican legislators. Issues include the state’s income and sales taxes, relations with the state employees unions, funding for social services, and state aid for municipalities and education.
• The competitive nature of Connecticut politics has further complicated budget discussions. The two parties have nearly equal numbers in both legislative chambers, and control of the state will be up for grabs in 2018. Democrats currently have slim majorities in both legislative chambers with a 79-72 majority in the state House and an 18-18 state Senate that they effectively control because Lieutenant Gov. Nancy Wyman (D) can cast tie-breaking votes. Both chambers have enough competitive seats in 2018 to swing control of the General Assembly to either party.
• The governor’s race is also expected to be competitive. Malloy is near the end of his second term as governor and has registered an approval rating as low as 29 percent. In April 2017, he announced that he would not seek a third term in office. Before Malloy was elected in 2010, Connecticut had had a Republican governor since 1994. Malloy saw margins of victory of less than 5 percent in his 2010 and 2014 elections to the office. Cook Political Report has rated the 2018 election as a “Toss-up.”
• The General Assembly ratified a labor concessions agreement on July 31. The concessions deal amended the state’s agreement with state employee unions to allow for wage freezes and increased pension contributions while also extending the labor agreement from 2022 to 2027. Proponents say that the concessions deal will save the state $1.57 billion in two years, decreasing the projected two-year budget deficit from $5.1 billion to $3.5 billion. The deal passed the Connecticut House on July 24 in a 78-72 vote with most Democrats in support and all Republicans opposed. On July 31, the Connecticut Senate had an 18-18 party line split on the vote, with all Democrats in favor and all Republicans opposed. Lieutenant Gov. Wyman cast a tie-breaking vote in favor of the deal.
• Connecticut is one of six Democratic trifectas.

California lawmakers decide whether or not to put 2018 measures on the ballot

• Friday was the last day for the California State Legislature to approve bills and resolutions this session, including constitutional amendments and other ballot measures, such as the proposed $4 billion housing bond—Senate Bill 3. To see what measure state lawmakers were considering and what measures they passed, click here.

Special Elections

Upcoming special elections include:

As of this week, 44 state legislative seats have been filled through special elections in 2017, and another 44 special elections have been scheduled in 14 states. Elections have been held for 19 Democratic seats and 25 Republican seats. Democrats have flipped six seats as a result of special state legislative elections in 2017. Republicans have flipped one seat. In special elections between 2011 and 2016, one party (either Republicans or Democrats) saw an average net gain of three seats across the country each year. The number of net seats won and lost by Democrats and Republicans in state legislative special elections in 2017 has, so far, been similar to prior years.

• An average of 89 seats were filled through special elections in each of the past three odd years (2011: 94, 2013: 84, 2015: 88).
• An average of 44 seats were filled through special elections in each of the past four even years (2010: 26, 2012: 45, 2014: 40, 2016: 65).

Upcoming special elections include:

September 19

• Hillsborough 15 District of the New Hampshire House of Representatives (primary)
• Sullivan 1 District of the New Hampshire House of Representatives (primary)
• Bristol & Norfolk District of the Massachusetts State Senate (primary)

Fact Checks

Does Washington State Senate candidate Manka Dhingra support a state income tax?

• Democrat Manka Dhingra and Republican Jinyoung Lee Englund are vying for Washington's 45th District Senate seat. An ad by Working Families PAC claimed that Dhingra "wants to pick our pocket with a new income tax." Working Families did not respond to Ballotpedia’s request for evidence to support its claim. In a statement to Ballotpedia, Dhingra said: "I have clearly stated multiple times in newspapers such as the Seattle Times, The Stranger and in other publications that I do not support the implementation of a state income tax and that such a policy [has] already been deemed unconstitutional." The articles cited by Dhingra do not quote her explicitly opposing a statewide income tax. She is quoted asserting that the income tax issue “is not a realistic conversation” unless state Supreme Court precedent is overturned or a voter initiative is successful.

Local Politics: The Week in Review

Elections Update

In 2017, Ballotpedia is covering municipal elections across 59 of America's 100 largest cities by population and 24 of the largest counties by population, local judicial elections across seven states holding elections for general and limited jurisdiction trial courts and one state holding elections for municipal jurisdiction trial courts, school board elections across 449 of the 1,000 largest school districts by student enrollment, all local recalls, all local ballot measures in California, and local ballot measures in the largest cities and counties across the United States.

• So far this year, Ballotpedia has covered 41 city elections, 17 county elections, and 208 school board elections. Ballotpedia has covered 14 local ballot measure election dates in California so far in 2017, amounting to 74 different local ballot measures. The largest local ballot measure election date will be November 7.
• Local ballot measure elections occurred in California on January 10, February 28, March 7, March 28, April 4, April 11, April 25, May 2, May 9, May 16, June 6, July 11, July 25, August 22, and August 29.
• The next local ballot measure election date in California is on October 17.
• Ballotpedia also covered local ballot measure elections on May 16 in Arizona, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, on March 7 in Missouri, April 4 in Missouri, May 2 in Alaska, May 2 in Ohio, on May 6 in Texas, on August 8 in Kansas City, and on September 12 in Oklahoma City.

Sunday, September 10

Flooding, cranes, and sewage persist in Florida cities after Hurricane Irma

• Municipalities across Florida dealt with the impact of Hurricane Irma, which made landfall both in the Florida Keys and in the southwestern portion of the state. Storm surge was significant in some areas as the storm traveled along the state’s western coast for most of the day. Irma also caused widespread power outages due to its heavy winds. In Miami, Mayor Tomás Regalado said the city should evaluate whether tighter regulations for construction sites are needed after three cranes collapsed in high winds during the storm. No injuries resulted from those accidents. In Tampa, over one-third of the city’s wastewater pumping stations lost power during the hurricane, which caused untreated sewage to overflow through manhole covers. Mayor Bob Buckhorn stated that he wants to increase and upgrade the city’s backup generators to ensure that the city is better prepared for future storms. Mayor Buckhorn also decided to postpone a public hearing on the city’s budget that was due to be held on September 13 to allow residents to focus on cleanup efforts. The proposed budget calls for more than a 15 percent increase to the city’s property tax rate. Loss of power at sewage pumping stations during Irma was also a problem in Orlando, where city officials estimated that 15,000 gallons of sewage overflowed in various parts of the city. Mayor Buddy Dyer asked residents to minimize water use so that the city could reduce the demand on its wastewater treatment system until all pumping stations were operating properly. Miami, Tampa, and Orlando are the second-, third-, and fourth-largest cities in Florida, and the 44th-, 53rd-, and 77th-largest cities, respectively, in the U.S. by population.

Monday, September 11

Houston mayor says he will propose tax rate increase to pay for Harvey cleanup

• Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced that he intends to propose an almost 9 percent increase in the city’s real estate tax rate for 2018 to pay for cleanup costs after Hurricane Harvey caused major damage in the city last month. While a voter-approved initiative generally limits the year-to-year growth in Houston’s tax revenue to 4.5 percent a year or less, Turner is legally allowed to seek extra revenue because the city was placed under a federal disaster declaration. The mayor estimates that the increased tax rate will generate just over $110 million in additional revenue for one year, which he says will be needed to cover debris removal costs and the replacement of over 300 hundred city vehicles lost in the flooding. Houston also suffered damage to its city hall, municipal courts buildings, and two wastewater treatment plants. The average homeowner in the city would pay approximately $120 in additional property taxes if the tax rate increase is approved. Opinions among city council members about the proposal were mixed. Some council members supported the increase given the additional costs incurred by the city because of the storm, while others opposed raising taxes on city residents who had suffered significant losses to their property. On September 13, the Houston City Council approved a motion by a 13-3 vote to place consideration of the tax increase on its agenda for October 18 and to conduct three public hearings on the matter prior to that date. Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth-largest city in the U.S. by population.

Tuesday, September 12

Charlotte Mayor Roberts is defeated in Democratic primary

• At-large City Councilwoman Vi Lyles won the Democratic primary election in Charlotte, North Carolina, defeating first-term Mayor Jennifer Roberts. Lyles received 46 percent of the vote in the primary to secure the Democratic Party nomination, with Roberts finishing second with 36 percent of the vote. North Carolina state Senator Joel Ford was third with 16 percent. The Republican primary election for mayor was won by Councilman Kenny Smith, who received almost 89 percent of the vote against two opponents. Charlotte is now assured of having its sixth different mayor since 2013. The general election will be held on November 7, 2017.
  • Partisan primary elections also took place for nine of Charlotte’s 11 city council seats. Incumbents James "Smuggie" Mitchell and Julie Eiselt were among the top finishers in the Democratic primary for four at-large council seats. However, Councilwoman Claire Green Fallon finished sixth and was therefore defeated in her bid for a fourth two-year term. There was no Republican primary for the at-large council positions since only three GOP candidates filed to run.
  • Democratic incumbents were running for re-election in two of the city’s seven council districts. District 4 councilman Greg Phipps won his primary but District 1 councilwoman Patsy Kinsey was defeated by Larken Egleston. In District 2, election night results showed that Justin Harlow won the Democratic primary, but his margin of victory was only 13 votes out of over 5,500 cast. A recount may occur after the results are certified. The other Democratic primary took place in District 5. Darrell Bonapart and Matt Newton advanced to a primary runoff election since no candidate received more than 40 percent of the vote. That runoff will take place on October 10, 2017.
  • There was only one Republican primary election for the city council races, and that was in District 6, as incumbent Kenny Smith is running for mayor. Tariq Bokhari defeated Eric Laster to become the Republican nominee. The general election for the mayoral and all city council races will take place on November 7, 2017. Charlotte is the largest city in North Carolina and the 16th-largest city in the U.S. by population.

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio defeats four challengers in Democratic primary

• Partisan primary elections were held for mayor, public advocate, and 35 of the 51 seats on the city council in New York City. In the mayoral race, incumbent Bill de Blasio (D) received almost 74 percent of the vote on his way to defeating four challengers for the Democratic nomination. The second-place candidate, former City Councilman Sal Albanese, received 15 percent of the vote. De Blasio’s share of the vote matched with the results of a May 2017 poll conducted by Quinnipiac University, which found that de Blasio had a 74 percent approval rating among city residents who identified as Democrats. De Blasio will face state Representative Nicole Malliotakis (R) and a crowded field of third-party and independent candidates in the general election on November 7, 2017.
  • Thirty-five partisan primary elections took place for seats on the New York City Council. Two of those races were too close to call after election night results were reported. Incumbent Margaret Chin led challenger Christopher Marte by 200 votes in the Democratic primary in District 1, and Diana Ayala led Robert Rodriguez by 122 votes in the open-seat Democratic primary race in District 8. The New York City Board of Elections will count absentee and provisional ballots and release updated results in these races during the week of September 18. If Chin is determined to have won her District 1 primary, that will mean that all 41 incumbents (38 Democrats and three Republicans) who ran for re-election won their primaries.
  • Additionally, all five boroughs of New York City are electing a borough president in 2017, and two are holding elections for borough district attorney. There were two contested Democratic primaries for these races. In the Bronx, Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. received 86 percent of the vote in a three-candidate field to win the Democratic nomination. Diaz is seeking his third term in that office. In Brooklyn, incumbent District Attorney Eric Gonzalez defeated five other candidates to win the Democratic nomination there. Gonzalez is running for election for the first time after becoming acting district attorney in 2016 following the death of District Attorney Ken Thompson. New York is the largest city in the U.S. by population.

Des Moines school board race headlines school elections in Iowa

• Nonpartisan general elections were held for 32 school board seats in 10 of the largest school districts by enrollment in Iowa. Across all 10 of these districts, 15 incumbents ran for re-election, and 12 of those won another term. One incumbent school board member each was defeated in the Cedar Rapids Community School District, the Dubuque Community School District, and the Ankeny Community School District. Also, four of 15 incumbents ran for re-election unopposed. In total, these 10 school districts served 149,853 students during the 2014-2015 school year—approximately 30 percent of all public school students in the state.
  • Four seats were up for election on the Des Moines Public Schools board, the largest school district in the state. Incumbent Rob Barron and newcomer Kyrstin Delagardelle Shelley defeated Louisa Dykstra for two at-large seats. Incumbents Dionna Langford and Teree Caldwell-Johnson won re-election to their by-district seats unopposed. Ballotpedia, USA Talk, and the Interactivity Foundation organized the Des Moines Schools Community Discussion Project for the 2017 election. This involved online discussions of Des Moines voters and residents to discuss their ideas for the school district. The results of these discussions were used to create questions for school board candidates in order to help them state their thoughtful and heartfelt positions on important issues in the district. Click here to read the candidate responses.

Buffalo mayor wins Democratic nod for fourth term

• Incumbent Byron Brown won the Democratic Party nomination for mayor of Buffalo, New York, as he seeks re-election to his fourth term in that office. Brown defeated Buffalo City Comptroller Mark Schroeder and Erie County Legislator Betty Jean Grant in a partisan primary election, receiving 51 percent of the vote. Schroeder will still appear on the general election ballot, however, as he won the Reform Party nomination in that party’s primary. A poll conducted early last month by Siena College found that Brown was the favored choice of 51 percent of likely Democratic voters. He faces a total of four challengers in the general election on November 7, 2017.
  • Buffalo also held a Democratic primary election for two city court judgeships. Attorney Andrew Lotempio and incumbent Betty Calvo-Torres defeated Joseph Jarzembek in that contest. Lotempio and Calvo-Torres are unopposed in the general election for those seats, which will also take place on November 7, 2017. Buffalo is the second-largest city in New York and the 73rd-largest city in the U.S. by population.

Mayor Jackson tops nine-candidate field in Cleveland primary

• Mayor Frank Jackson finished first in Cleveland’s nonpartisan primary election for mayor, receiving almost 39 percent of the vote. Councilman Zack Reed was second with 22 percent of the vote and advanced with the incumbent to the general election on November 7, 2017. Eight challengers, along with two write-in candidates, filed to run against Jackson in the primary, who was first elected mayor in 2005 and is seeking his fourth term.
  • Primary elections also took place in the 11 city council districts in Cleveland where three or more candidates filed to run. Incumbents ran for re-election in nine of those districts - winning the primary in seven of them and finishing second in the other two. The two candidates who received the most votes in each primary advanced to the general election on November 7, 2017. The general election field in the six other council districts was already set since there were only two candidates. In total, incumbents are running for re-election in 15 of the city’s 17 council wards. Cleveland is the second-largest city in Ohio and the 48th-largest city in the U.S. by population.

Field set for Toledo mayoral and council elections

• Nonpartisan primary elections took place for mayor and the six at-large seats on the city council in Toledo. Incumbent Paula Hicks-Hudson (D) finished first with 39 percent of the vote, and Lucas County Treasurer Wade Kapszukiewicz (D) was second with 33.5 percent of the vote. They defeated City Councilman Tom Waniewski (R) and Opal Covey (R) to advance to the general election on November 7, 2017. Although municipal positions in Toledo are officially nonpartisan, Ballotpedia determined the candidates’ partisan identifications based on party endorsements and other public information. Hicks-Hudson is seeking re-election to her first full term; she was appointed mayor in February 2015 upon the death of her predecessor, Michael Collins, and won election to the remainder of his unexpired term later that same year.
  • Primary elections also took place for Toledo’s six at-large seats on the city council, with five incumbents running for re-election. Thirteen candidates appeared on the primary ballot, with the top 12 finishers advancing to the general election on November 7, 2017. While incumbents were the top four vote recipients in the primary, councilman Kurt Young finished ninth. Young was appointed by the city council to fill a vacancy in April 2017. Toledo is the fourth-largest city in Ohio and the 67th-largest city in the U.S. by population.

Oklahoma County selects sheriff in special election

• Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, held a special general election for county sheriff. Interim Sheriff P.D. Taylor (R) defeated Michael Hanson (D) and Ed Grimes (I), with Taylor receiving 50 percent of the vote to Hanson's 30 percent and Grimes' 20 percent. The election was held to fill the vacancy caused by the retirement of Sheriff John Whetsel (D), who was under investigation for alleged financial mismanagement, on March 1, 2017. Taylor, who was an undersheriff at that time, was named interim sheriff and defeated three other candidates to win the Republican primary for this race on April 4, 2017. Deputy Sheriff Hanson won the Democratic primary on that same date. Oklahoma County is the largest county in Oklahoma and is home to Oklahoma City.

Final election night results show OKC voters approving 15 out of 15 measures: two tax measures and $967 million in bonds

• Oklahoma City voters conclusively approved 14 of 15 local ballot measures on their ballots; Proposition 11—the $9 million bond issue to fund improvements to the downtown city arena—remained to close to call with certainty until results are certified as official. When 100 percent of precincts had completely reported, Prop. 11 was ahead by a margin of 0.67 percent (561 votes). Both sales tax measures—a permanent quarter-cent tax and a 27-month, temporary extension of a 1 cent tax to fund the city's MAPS program—were approved. The quarter-cent tax—Ordinance 25,750—ended up ahead by a margin of 2.32 percent when all the votes were tallied. Ordinance 25,750 will generate an estimated $26 million per year for the city's general fund, which will mostly go towards police and fire services, according to city officials.
• The 13 bond issue propositions made up a $967 million bond package put on the ballot by the city council. The 12 bond propositions approved by conclusive margins amounted to $958 million. The two largest of the bond issues, $491 million for street improvements—Prop. 1—and $138 million for parks and recreation—Prop. 5—were approved by 72.12 percent and 60.31 percent of voters, respectively.
  • Voter turnout at the election was 14.3 percent.

Four candidates advance to general election for three Rochester school board seats

• A Democratic primary election was held for three at-large seats on the Rochester City School District school board in New York. Two incumbents and one newcomer defeated three other candidates to win the Democratic Party nomination. Because New York allows cross-filing, Beatriz Lebron, who finished fifth in the Democratic primary, will appear on the general election ballot as a Working Families Party candidate, along with the two incumbents. These four candidates will vie for three seats in the general election on November 7, 2017. The Rochester City School District is the third-largest in New York, and served 30,014 students during the 2014-2015 school year—approximately 1.1 percent of all public school students in the state.

Primary elections held in two of the largest Massachusetts school districts by enrollment

• Nonpartisan primary elections took place in both the Fall River Public Schools and Lynn Public Schools in Massachusetts. Thirteen candidates ran for the six seats on the Fall River school board, with the top 12 vote recipients in the primary advancing to the general election on November 7, 2017. Sean Connell, who ran unsuccessfully in 2015, was eliminated in the primary election after receiving 3.3 percent of the vote. The Fall River school board will have at least three new members this year, as three incumbents did not file for re-election.
  • Ten candidates, including four incumbents, ran in a nonpartisan primary election for six seats on the Lynn school board. All 10 candidates advanced from the primary, which was held because of municipal election rules. The general election will take place on November 7, 2017. In total, both school districts served 25,117 students during the 2014-2015 school year—approximately 2.6 percent of all public school students in the state.

Primary elections held for 16 local judgeships in New York

• Partisan primary elections took place for 16 judgeships in New York county, family, surrogates’, and New York City civil courts. A total of 21 primary elections were held, which is more than the number of judgeships holding primaries since the state of New York allows candidates to file for more than one party nomination (known as cross-filing). In four counties, the same two candidates appeared on the primary election ballot for as many as six different parties. Across the state, there were eight contests for the Reform Party nomination in various counties, and three each for the Conservative Party and Independence Party nods. In only one race was the result of these primary elections conclusive. In Cortland County, David Alexander defeated Keith Dayton in each of the Republican, Conservative, Independence, and Reform party primaries for the county court seat there, and will therefore run unopposed in the general election. The general election for all 26 judicial positions up for election this year in New York state will be held on November 7, 2017.

California school board member resigns after pleading guilty to filing false nomination papers

• Coachella Valley Unified Board of Trustees member Frank Becerra resigned from his position after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of filing false nomination papers. He was elected to the board’s District 3 seat on November 8, 2016. Becerra initially filed paperwork to run in the District 2 race, but changed his paperwork to an address in District 3. This address was actually a field of crops owned by his employer, although Becerra said he started living in a trailer in that field in July 2016 and had a copy of a lease agreement. The Riverside County District Attorney’s office, however, said Becerra did not change the address on his driver’s license and he received bills at the address he first provided when he filed to run in District 2. Before he was elected in 2016, Becerra was part of a group that sought to recall three members of the board in 2015. While the recall effort was dropped, Becerra defeated an incumbent to win his seat in 2016. The Coachella Valley Unified School District is located in southern California and served 18,850 students during the 2013-2014 school year—approximately 0.3 percent of all public school students in the state.

Wednesday, September 13

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray resigns

• Seattle Mayor Ed Murray resigned from office. Murray announced his looming resignation the day before after receiving accusations of past sexual abuse by his cousin, Joseph Dyer. Murray declined to run for re-election in 2017 after facing a sexual abuse lawsuit from Delvonn Heckard, who later withdrew the lawsuit. The allegations from Dyer, Heckard, and two other men span from Murray's time as a student in Portland in the 1970s to his time as a state legislator in the early 1990s.
  • Seattle's city charter makes the city council president the first in line of succession to the mayor. City Council President Bruce Harrell was sworn in as the city’s mayor on September 13 but announced on Friday that he does not want to vacate his seat on the council to serve until the end of Murray's term. He said that the council should select another member on Monday to serve as interim mayor until this year’s elections are concluded. Activist Cary Moon and former U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan are running for mayor in the general election on November 7, 2017. The interim mayor's term will conclude in November 2017 following certification of the general election vote. Seattle is the largest city in Washington and the 21st-largest city in the U.S. by population.

Los Angeles school board president charged with three felony counts related to 2015 campaign

• Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education President Ref Rodriguez was charged with three felony counts of conspiracy, perjury, and procuring and offering a false or forged instrument, as well as 25 misdemeanor counts of assumed-name contribution. The charges came after an investigation into donations to his 2015 campaign by the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office alleges that Rodriguez contributed $24,250 to his campaign, but represented that money as donations from 25 individuals. Rodriguez reported contributing $1,100 to his campaign in 2015, while reporting total contributions in his post-election campaign finance report of approximately $268,000 during that period.
  • Los Angeles school board candidates are allowed to spend as much of their own money on their campaigns as they want, but they cannot represent that money as being contributed from others. That practice is considered political money laundering by the ethics commission, as it “deprives the public of information about the true source of a candidate’s financial support.” The commission stated that Rodriguez was informed of the investigation's findings in May 2017, but a settlement involving fines or other sanctions was not reached between the candidate and the commission. If convicted of all charges, Rodriguez faces a maximum penalty of over four years in prison. Rodriguez issued a statement in response to the charges which said, in part, “I have cooperated with authorities and hope these issues will be resolved expeditiously and fairly.” The Los Angeles Unified School District is the largest school district in California and served 646,683 students during the 2014-2015 school year—approximately 10.3 percent of all public school students in the state.

Thursday, September 14

San Antonio approves $2.7 billion budget for upcoming fiscal year

• The San Antonio City Council unanimously approved a 2018 fiscal year budget that authorizes total spending of $2.7 billion and leaves the city’s property tax rate unchanged. The spending plan was designed so as to direct increased spending and capital expenditures towards those regions of the city which have the greatest need according to the council, rather than evenly across all districts. District 2 Councilman William Shaw described the budget as being created with an “equity lens [...] to understand the needs of the community and fairly distribute resources." The budget provides funds for San Antonio to hire over 80 new police officers, firefighters, and paramedics, and increase spending on street repair and sidewalk improvements. This is the first city budget approved during the tenure of Mayor Ron Nirenberg, who defeated former Mayor Ivy Taylor in a runoff election on June 10, 2017. San Antonio is the second-largest city in Texas and the seventh-largest city in the U.S. by population.

Robert E. Lee statue removed from city park in Dallas

• Workers in Dallas removed a statue of Robert E. Lee from a city park named after the Confederate general. The monument was transported by truck to a storage facility until the city determines a permanent location for it. The Dallas City Council approved removing the statue by a 13-1 vote on September 6, 2017, but the actual removal was delayed twice. A temporary restraining order halted the statue’s removal hours after the council’s vote in response to a lawsuit that contested the city’s actions. The restraining order was lifted the next day when a federal judge determined after a preliminary hearing that the lawsuit was not likely to be successful. On September 10, the crane needed to lift the statue was damaged in a motor vehicle collision as it was returning back to Dallas from Houston, where it was used to assist relief efforts there after Hurricane Harvey. A group of spectators gathered to watch the statue’s removal. Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest city in the U.S. by population.

Louisville sets date for trial to decide whether to expel councilman

• A Louisville Metro Council court set November 1 as the starting date of proceedings to consider whether to expel District 21 councilman Dan Johnson (D) from his seat on the council. A charging committee of five council members was established in August to pursue Johnson’s removal for “misconduct, incapacity and willful neglect in the performance of duties of his office.” Attorneys for Johnson asked the council court, which is composed of members of the Metro Council, to consider censuring Johnson instead of expelling him. Once the proceeding begins, the council court will hear arguments and solicit testimony from witnesses regarding Johnson’s behavior. A vote to remove Johnson would have to be approved by two-thirds of the membership of Louisville’s Metro Council. Louisville is the largest city in Kentucky and the 28th-largest city in the U.S. by population.

Story background

• • On June 14, 2017, Johnson announced that he would not seek re-election in 2018 after two separate allegations of sexual harassment were made against him. Johnson stated at the time that the incidents were accidental and he agreed to seek counseling. He also stated in interviews that he suffered a brain injury when he was younger and suggested that it may have caused some of these incidents. In July, the council’s Democratic caucus voted to expel Johnson from that body and requested his resignation by August 1. On August 10, the charging committee announced they would seek Johnson’s removal from office. Johnson was elected to his first term in 2002 and was re-elected three times after that. Louisville will hold elections for mayor and 13 metro council seats in 2018.

Friday, September 15

Protests take place in downtown St. Louis after officer found not guilty in shooting

• Protests took place in downtown St. Louis after Missouri Circuit Court Judge Timothy J. Wilson found former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley not guilty of first-degree murder in connection with the shooting of Anthony Lamar Clark almost six years ago. Then-Officer Stockley fatally shot Smith on December 20, 2011, following a car chase. Protesters gathered near the entrance to city hall by early afternoon, but were prevented from blocking traffic on an interstate highway by police. Several businesses and schools in the downtown area closed early after the verdict was announced, and several city events scheduled to take place downtown on Saturday were canceled or postponed. Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (R) announced that he had activated the Missouri National Guard in response to potential protests.

Story background:

• • Prosecutors alleged at trial that Stockley intentionally killed Smith and planted a gun in his car to justify the shooting. Stockley testified that he believed Smith was reaching for a gun and fired at him in self-defense. Stockley elected to waive a jury trial in the case, and Judge Wilson announced his verdict several weeks after proceedings in the case concluded last month. On September 5, 2017, St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson released a video message asking city residents to react calmly after the verdict was announced and requested that residents attempt “to understand the reactions of others” about the case. The verdict came three years after the officer-involved shooting of Michael Brown in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson and the dismissal of charges against the officer involved, Darren Wilson. St. Louis is the second-largest city in Missouri and the 58th-largest city in the U.S. by population.

WHAT'S ON TAP NEXT WEEK

Here's what is happening in state and local politics this week. To see what happened in federal politics, click here.

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State Politics: What's On Tap Next Week

Tuesday, September 19

Primary election to fill a vacant Democratic seat in the Massachusetts Senate

• A primary election will be held for the Bristol & Norfolk District of the Massachusetts State Senate. Paul Feeney and Ted Philips will face off in the Democratic primary. Michael Berry, Jacob Ventura, Harry Brousaides, and Tim Hempton will face off in the Republican primary. Joe Shortsleeve is running as an independent candidate.
• The seat became vacant on April 28, 2017, when James Timilty (D) resigned to become Norfolk County treasurer. Timilty ran for re-election in 2014 and 2016 but was unopposed. He faced opposition in 2012 and was re-elected with 62 percent of the vote.
• Massachusetts is one of 18 states under divided government. With two vacancies, Democrats control the state Senate by a 32-6 margin. Democrats control the state House by a 123-34 margin with one unenrolled member and two vacancies. Gov. Charles Baker (R) was elected to a four-year term in 2014.

Two primary elections to fill vacancies in the New Hampshire House

• Two primary elections will be held to fill vacant seats in the Hillsborough 15 district and the Sullivan 1 district in the New Hampshire House of Representatives.
  • Hillsborough 15: Erika Connors is unopposed in the Democratic primary. Andy Parent and Albert MacArthur Jr. will face off in the Republican primary. The seat became vacant on March 27, 2017, when Steve Vaillancourt (R) died from heart-related issues. Incumbent Thomas Katsiantonis (D) and Vaillancourt were elected in 2016 with 28 percent and 26 percent of the vote, respectively.
  • Sullivan 1: Brian Sullivan and Cody Dziegelewski will face off in the Democratic primary. Margaret Drye is unopposed in the Republican primary. The seat became vacant on June 22, 2017, when Andy Schmidt (D) resigned. Schmidt and incumbent Lee Walker Oxenham (D) were both elected in 2016 with 30 percent of the vote.
• Both Hillsborough 15 and Sullivan 1 intersect with a Pivot County. These 206 Pivot Counties voted for Trump in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012.
• New Hampshire is one of 26 Republican state government trifectas. With seven vacancies and one member not yet sworn in, Republicans hold a 219-170 majority in the state House. There are also three Libertarians in the chamber. Republicans have a 14-10 majority in the state Senate. Governor Chris Sununu (R) was elected to a two-year term in 2016.

Local Politics: What's On Tap Next Week

Tuesday, September 19

Nashville Metro Council to fill vacancy with runoff election

• A special runoff election will be held in southeastern Nashville to fill a vacancy on the city’s Metro Council. Tim Herndon and Antoinette Lee were separated by just 13 votes at the top of a five-candidate field in the special election for this seat held on August 15, 2017. However, since neither Herndon nor Lee received a majority of the vote, a runoff election is taking place to determine the winner. This seat became vacant in May 2017 when former Councilman Sam Coleman was appointed to a district judgeship. The winner of this election will serve the remainder of Coleman's term, which expires in 2019. Nashville is the second-largest city in Tennessee and the 25th-largest city in the U.S. by population.

School board elections will take place in Arkansas

• Nonpartisan general elections will be held for nine school board seats in seven of the largest school districts by enrollment in Arkansas. Only three of these elections will be contested, since six of the nine seats up for election feature a single, unopposed candidate. Incumbents are running for re-election for five of the nine seats. Among the districts holding elections are Springdale Public Schools, the second-largest school district in the state, and the Bentonville School District, the fourth-largest. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast for any individual seat, a runoff election will take place on October 10, 2017. These nine school districts served a total of 97,622 students during the 2014-2015 school year—approximately 20.1 percent of all public school students in the state.

School board primary in Manchester, New Hampshire

• Nonpartisan primary elections will take place in two wards for seats on the Manchester School District Board of School Committee in New Hampshire. This year, 14 of the 15 seats on the board are up for election in the state’s largest school district. Incumbents are running for re-election for all 14 seats. Primary elections are taking place for the Ward 6 and Ward 12 seats, since three candidates filed to run in each. The top two finishers in each primary will meet in the general election held on November 7, 2017. The Manchester School District served 14,565 students during the 2014-2015 school year—approximately 7.7 percent of all public school students in the state.

School board primary in Springfield, Massachusetts

• Nonpartisan primary elections will take place for three seats on the Springfield Public Schools School Committee in Massachusetts. Eight candidates are running in the primary for two at-large seats, including Denise M. Hurst, an incumbent who has served on the board since 2009. The four candidates who receive the most votes in the primary will advance to the general election. Incumbent Barbara Gresham, who has also served on the board since 2009, faces two challengers in the District 2 primary. The top two vote recipients in this race will also meet in the general election, which for all three seats will be on November 7, 2017. Springfield Public Schools is the second-largest school district in the state and served 25,645 students during the 2014-2015 school year—approximately 2.7 percent of all public school students in the state.

Oregon mayor faces recall over concerns about land annexation

• A recall election conducted by mail of Mayor Cyndie Hightower will conclude in Jefferson, Oregon. A group called Jefferson First initially targeted Hightower and City Councilmen Bob Burns, Brad Cheney, and Stan Neal over accusations of ethical and fiscal irresponsibility. In particular, Jefferson First were concerned with public money and resources used in an attempted annexation of 15 acres of land by the officials, who lived near the proposed annexation area. The annexation was still pending council approval as of September 13, 2017. Burns, Cheney, and Neal resigned in August 2017, so Hightower is the only town official subject to recall. Her official ballot statement argues that she faced immediate opposition from city residents following her 2016 election, and she followed town rules regarding public input of city affairs, including the annexation proposal. Jefferson is located in Marion County, Oregon. The city was home to just over 3,000 residents in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau.

Public record requests prompt recall effort against North Dakota councilwoman

• A recall election of Councilwoman Julie Johnson will take place in the town of Kindred, North Dakota. Supporters of the recall claim that Johnson caused the resignations of Mayor Jeff Wanner and City Auditor Twila Morrison by creating a divisive environment when she pursued an external audit of city finances based on information she found in public records requests. Wanner and Morrison resigned in March 2017 but returned to their jobs in the same month. Johnson, who was first elected in 2012, argued in her official response to the recall effort that she found irregularities in the city's finances and water metering through public records requests. She also claims that some of her records requests were denied or generated erroneous responses from other city departments. Kindred is located in southeastern North Dakota and was home to just under 700 residents in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau.

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The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.

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