Vote, make your voice heard!

Today, voters will decide on two state propositions, the position of Los Angeles County District Attorney and an important measure for the Latino community in Compton, among other items on the ballot. Make your voice heard and vote!

This is the first election in California under the open primary system, in which the two candidates for state positions with the most votes will go to a runoff in November. Because of this system, combined with new electoral districts, we have decided to wait until then to issue those endorsements.

These are our recommendations:

Trutanich for L.A. District Attorney

Current City Attorney Carmen Trutanich has experience as a D.A., has done a good job managing his office with budget cuts and has proposals on the state prison realignment that emphasize prison release alternatives. While the D.A. will have little to do with the policy of impounding cars from unlicensed drivers, Trutanich’s position of supporting the LAPD’s policy change is another positive factor in the eyes of the immigrant community. Trutanich has the ability to break the continuity in the D.A.’s office.

Measure B: Yes

This measure changes the voting system so elections are by district instead of at large. This change can give Latinos in Compton the political presence they lack today.

Proposition 28: Yes

Term limits for state lawmakers are a good idea, but after years of seeing how they have been implemented in Sacramento, it is obvious that changes need to be made. This initiative will allow lawmakers to be more efficient while reducing even more the amount of time they can stay at the Capitol.

Proposition 29: Yes

This initiative charges smokers a tax to fund cancer research, among other measures to discourage addiction to a product responsible for tens of thousands of deaths per year. We could analyze the measure for imperfections and highlight matters of little importance, like the tobacco industry’s multimillion-dollar campaign. But at the end of the day, the tobacco companies defend their revenues and the initiative protects Californians.