Citizens in Charge

Many have waited to see which side the California Democratic Party would stand on the controversial Proposition 19 which will appear on the November ballot. The party decided to take a neutral approach and not endorse either side last Sunday. Many cite the reason for this stance as trying not to contradict the party’s current candidates Jerry Brown and Barbara Boxer, who have come out and made a stance in opposition to the measure. The two candidates are in hotly contested races this coming election and separation between them and the party could be detrimental.

The Democrats in the meeting room left little doubt that many were in strong support of the initiative. Many echoed the words of the public policy director for the Courage Campaign Robert Cruickshank.

“If we endorse Proposition 19 and take a courageous position to support reform, just as we took courageous positions on same-sex marriage and other contentious issues, we will win the moral argument, we will win Proposition 19 and we will win races in November,” Cruickshank said.

This issue has brought widespread intrigue from both sides as this possible landmark initiative heads towards a vote. The proposition has gained the endorsement from such prominent groups and figures as the California NAACP, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, Retired Orange County Superior Court Judge Jim Gray, The Oakland City Council and Gary Johnson, a Republican and two-term governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 to name a few.

The most notorious leading oppositionists are Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, Republican and Democratic Gubernatorial candidates Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown.

To learn more about the developments read here from The L.A. Times

Matthew Slaughter is an intern with Citizens in Charge Foundation