Unintended consequences of Steinberg’s ballot reform + Kiley, Scott Jones embrace Big Lie

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Happy Sunday, y’all. This is Yousef Baig, filling in for my colleague Robin Epley.

One reason Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg has been a force in California politics is because he balances his idealism with a level of pragmatism that appreciates the political realities of every issue. He’ll be the first to admit that his approach creates imperfect outcomes, but “if you look at the whole arc of time here, we have the potential now to do something very, very significant and positive,” Steinberg said to me during a recent conversation about Sacramento’s upcoming homelessness ballot measure.

While I respect this approach, it often overlooks unintended consequences, which politicians consider but journalists are obsessed with. The unintended consequences of a 2014 law Steinberg authored as state Senate leader, SB 1253, have come into focus at the local level recently. The law, signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, essentially allowed the Legislature to negotiate compromises with special interest groups to stop poorly-written statewide ballot measures from passing.

One example — which exploited the law — was the infamous local soda tax ban in 2018. The beverage industry weaponized a ballot measure that would have restricted cities and counties from raising any taxes unless they had a supermajority vote of local citizens. One state senator summarized the stakes at the time by saying the “industry is aiming basically a nuclear weapon at governing in California.” Steinberg’s law helped the measure get pulled but only because legislators struck a deal with business and labor groups to ban all soda taxes until 2031.

Special interests in Sacramento have mirrored this strategy on two major ballot proposals this year. One is the aforementioned homeless measure, which the Sacramento City Council reluctantly placed on the November ballot. The other is a Sacramento County sales tax proposal funded by sprawl developers and labor groups that are eager to build the controversial Southeast Capital Connector from El Dorado Hills to Elk Grove. As my column laid out last week, experts say the measure is written in a way that compromises the entire six-county region’s ability to secure state and federal funding, which is essential for almost every transportation and affordable housing project.

So, Steinberg is trying to broker an agreement that prevents that from happening. Unlike the state law, this deal would be a side agreement that still allows the initiative to reach the ballot. The problem, of course, is the unintended consequences of the measure — even if a deal materializes:

“What Steinberg is downplaying — less intentionally than measure proponents — are the consequences of spending the next 40 years hewing to old habits of transportation and land use that have fouled our air, clogged our roads and overheated our planet.”

I’ve only begun to cover the complexities of this initiative, which proponents say could have enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot as soon as this week. There are many more stories to tell about the powerful figures trying to push projects that could have serious climate implications for our region. Stay tuned.

Big (and) Little Lies

Misinformation, Trumpism and blatant partisanship were on full display in a debate last week between candidates vying for California’s 3rd Congressional District seat. Rocklin Assemblyman Kevin Kiley and Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, both Republican, refused to say whether Joe Biden legitimately won the presidential election, perpetuating the authoritarian lies that fomented the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

In a bizarre twist, Kiley falsely suggested that The Bee’s Editorial Board said the 2020 election was “tarnished” (we didn’t). To ensure such misinformation was addressed head-on, the board weighed in the next morning:

“There is no hint of a whisper of a kernel of truth to that statement. And yes, the truth can be known. We’re not unsure about the outcome, and never were. Biden is the president, as everyone of good faith has long since acknowledged.”

Last thing on Kiley: Hannah Holzer excoriated her fellow Granite Bay High School alum for ignoring the growing threat of gun violence and mass shootings in his Placer County district. The same day Kiley criticized “cynical politicians” for trying to curb mass shootings, a Granite Bay student allegedly told another that they were going to “shoot up the school.”

“In light of a barrage of mass shootings in Buffalo, Uvalde and other communities over the past month, Kiley has instead used his platform to decry school mask mandates and bash his Democratic colleagues.”

If you’re still undecided on that race, The Editorial Board endorsed Dr. Kermit Jones, a Democrat navy veteran and physician, who I’ve jokingly said is the most qualified person for any job in this region, let alone Congress.

Opinion of the Week

“Loss does change you, and it really is up to us to decide how.” — Melinda Henneberger on the lessons former Sacramento City Councilman Allen Warren learned after losing his father to a drunk driver. The fatal crash in Rocklin that killed 18-year-old Anthony Williams inspired Warren — and Henneberger — to share their own experiences losing loved ones to an accident.

Got thoughts? What would you like to see in this newsletter every week? Got a story tip or an opinion to tell the world? Let us know what you think about this email and our work in general by emailing us at any time via opinion@sacbee.com.

Make sure to vote Tuesday,

Yousef Baig