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Create jobs - Vote Yes on May 19In these tough times, state and local government construction projects are a vital source of work for union carpenters. But if we don’t pass Propositions 1A–1E in the Special Election on May 19, the state of California may run out of that cash, which is vital in putting carpenters back to work. That is why the Northern California Carpenters Regional Council is recommending a YES vote on all these measures. The current deep recession has taken its toll on state revenue, leading to a large deficit. We’ve reported over the past couple of months about the difficulty politicians in Sacramento had doing their job and balancing the budget. Back in mid-February, the state stopped funding nearly 5,000 public works projects, from schools to roads and bridges. In fact, when the budget stalemate ended in late February, Caltrans was just a few days from shutting down nearly $4 billion worth of highway projects that were already under construction, which would have resulted in the loss of thousands of jobs. When the budget was passed and signed by Governor Schwarzenegger, the cash crisis was eased, and those jobs continued. Since then, the news has gotten a little better. The state was able to sell bonds for the first time in eight months, resulting in $6.5 billion in funding. President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (also called the "stimulus package"), which included billions in funding for infrastructure, including almost $5 billion for California projects. All of this funding is for projects that are "ready to go", meaning we could see union members going back to work by late spring or early summer. But the bad news is that the budget that was passed and signed in February included several important elements that need voter approval. That's why the Governor scheduled a special statewide election for Tuesday, May 19 that includes Propositions 1A through 1E. Taken together, these measures will bring some stability to California’s budget. If they fail, we'll be back in budget gridlock- that will dry up the funding for infrastructure, and may even make California ineligible for some of the federal stimulus funding. Instead of more carpenters going to work, we could see more carpenters losing their jobs and signing the out-of-work list. The choice is clear. Vote YES on Propositions 1A through 1E, and put union carpenters back to work! Proposition 1A will put a limit on state spending and temporarily extend increases in sales and income taxes. Proposition 1B will begin paying back some of the cuts to schools when the economy improves. Proposition 1C will provide $5 billion in new revenues by allowing the lottery to add new games. Propositions 1D and 1E address funding for children’s health care and mental health care.
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