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The Tap: Thursday, January 26, 2017

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

Review of the day

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #50 of The Tap, which was published on January 28, 2017. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

Acting Chairperson of FERC

  • President Donald Trump named Cheryl LaFleur as acting chairperson of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). FERC is a federal agency responsible for regulating the interstate transmission of electricity, crude oil, and natural gas. In addition, FERC regulates hydroelectric dams and oversees utility mergers. LaFleur was appointed to the commission by President Barack Obama and confirmed in 2014 by the U.S. Senate for a second four-year term by a vote of 90 to 7. Prior to joining the commission in 2010, LaFleur was executive vice president of National Grid USA.

State

Calexit Supporters Can Begin Collecting Signatures

  • Supporters of the Calexit initiative received approval from California Secretary of State Alex Padilla (D) to begin collecting signatures to put the proposal on the 2018 ballot. Officially called California Nationhood, it is informally referred to as Calexit in a nod to Great Britain's 2016 Brexit vote. Sponsors have until July 25, 2017, to collect the 585,407 valid signatures required to get their initiative placed on the 2018 ballot. A founder of the group Yes California, who is leading the effort, said, “California loses [by] being a part of America culturally and financially.” A November 2016 editorial in The Sacramento Bee, however, suggested that secession was not the answer. “More constructive would be a statewide effort to stand strong and defend our values and economy against what is sure to be an onslaught of hostile federal legislation.” No mechanism to secede exists in the U.S. Constitution, so it is unclear how California could actually secede. So far, no measures have been certified to appear on the 2018 ballot in California.
    • The measure would call on the state to hold a referendum on March 13, 2019, on whether California should declare independence from the United States. The question asked would be: "Should California become a free, sovereign, and independent country?" A declaration of independence would be issued if at least 50 percent of registered voters participate and 55 percent or more vote yes on the question. If the 2019 referendum is approved, the California governor would be required to apply California to the United Nations as the Republic of California.

Wyoming Senate Passes Bill Addressing Police Body Camera Footage

  • The Wyoming State Senate passed Senate File 32, a bill that establishes how footage from police body cameras is handled. The legislation drew support from the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police, the Wyoming Press Association, and the American Civil Liberties Union. Spokespeople for all three groups cited their belief that the collaborative legislation was a step in a positive direction. SF 32 outlines who would be allowed to view the footage and under what circumstances it would be released. Police body cameras are a growing area of civil liberties debate. Generally, supporters of cameras argue that they increase police accountability and improve public trust, while critics cite potential privacy risks. SF 32 must be approved by the Wyoming House of Representatives and signed by Gov. Matt Mead (R) before becoming law. Wyoming is currently one of 25 Republican trifectas.

Marijuana Legalization in Maine

  • Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) announced that he would not act on a bill sent to him by the legislature that would address the implementation of marijuana legalization, which was approved by voters in November under Question 1. Both chambers unanimously approved the legislation (LD 88), which was designed to give the state more time to implement rules for retail sale of marijuana, close a loophole in the initiative that may allow possession of the drug by residents under the age of 21, and address marijuana use in vehicles. The new law would delay retail sales until February 2018, but unless the governor signs it, those sales will begin in September 2017. LePage said he was refusing to act because legislators did not address concerns he had about which state department would control marijuana licensing and how implementation would be funded. House Speaker Sara Gideon (D) spoke out against LePage’s decision, saying, “I think every person in the state should be outraged.” The Maine State Legislature is under split control; Republicans have a majority in the Senate, while Democrats have a majority in the House.

Maine’s 2017 elections

  • SIGNATURE DEADLINE: The deadline passed for submitting signatures to qualify ballot initiatives for the election on November 7, 2017, in Maine. If an initiative petition is certified as sufficient, it is sent to the state legislature, where officials have the option to approve the measure or take no action. Taking no action would allow the initiative to appear on the ballot for a popular vote. This deadline applied to proponents of six initiatives that were filed and cleared for signature gathering. Signatures were turned in for two of the six. The signatures for one initiative were already verified, and the initiative was sent the legislature. The other is still awaiting signature verification. So far, one measure has been certified in Maine for a 2017 ballot. On June 13, 2017, voters will decide on a bond issue designed to issue $50 million in bonds for business loans and investment. It was referred to the ballot by the legislature.

Local

Filing Deadline in Glendale, California

  • FILING DEADLINE: The filing deadline passed to run in the general election for three of the five seats on the Glendale Unified School District school board—one of the largest school districts in California, as measured by student enrollment. The general election will be held on April 4, 2017. The Glendale Unified School District is the state’s 45th-largest school district. It served 26,168 students during the 2014-2015 school year—approximately 0.4 percent of all public school students in the state.

Preview of the day

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #49 of The Tap, which was published on January 21, 2017. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

State

Maine’s 2017 elections

  • SIGNATURE DEADLINE: The deadline will pass for submitting signatures to qualify ballot initiatives for the election on November 7, 2017, in Maine. If a measure is certified, it is sent to the state legislature, where officials have the option to approve the measure or take no action. Taking no action would allow the initiative to appear on the ballot for a popular vote. This deadline applies to proponents of six initiatives that were filed and cleared for signature gathering. Signatures were submitted for one of them on December 22, 2016. So far, one measure has been certified in Maine for a 2017 ballot. On June 13, 2017, voters will decide on a bond issue designed to issue $50 million in bonds for business loans and investment. It was referred to the ballot by the legislature.

Local

Glendale Unified School District Elections

  • FILING DEADLINE: The filing deadline will pass to run in the general election for three of the five seats on the Glendale Unified School District school board—one of the largest school districts in California, as measured by student enrollment. The election will be held on April 4, 2017. The Glendale School District served 26,168 students during the 2014-2015 school year—approximately 0.4 percent of all public school students in the state.



The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.
March: 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
April: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
May: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
June: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
July: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
August: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
September: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
October: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7• 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
November: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
December: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 31
January: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
February: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17
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