Other Ballot Measures on Tuesday's Election

California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada voted to legalize recreational marijuana. All four Clinton states need to get high to recover from Tuesday’s election. They join three other Clinton States, Colorado, Oregon and Washington in toking up. Alaska is the only Trump state that legalizes recreational marijuana. The Evergreen Washington State rejected a “revenue neutral” carbon tax. That tax will also be going nowhere in the Trump Administration. Albany, California, Boulder, Colorado, San Francisco, and Oakland voted to fight childhood obesity by imposing soda taxes, the effect of which will be to push soda sales to neighboring stores. The taxes will be ineffective in fighting obesity. What will be next? Sugared cookies, pastries, donuts, rolls, ice cream, candy, fruit juices, flavored milk? What about Animal Crackers? How about Twinkies? Four states, Arizona, Colorado, Maine, and Washington voted to increase the minimum wage, thereby raising the Black teenage unemployment rate. Massachusetts in response to teacher union ads rejected an increase in charter schools. California voters signed on to tax, bond, and spend measures. They even agreed to pay 10 cents/plastic bag at retailers. Stater Brothers, the self-proclaimed "low-cost leader," immediately charged ten cents per bag. Let’s see if a repeal provision will be on the ballot in a year. They rejected though a ban on capital punishment, but voted instead to seed up the process, which will be ineffective against anti-capital punishment judges. Los Angeles County made large strides in diversity. Two women were elected to the 5 member County Board of Supervisors, which now has four women, including a Latina, and an African American male. Incidentally, each supervisor has an annual slush fund of $3 million and long term limits. California and Nevada approved stricter gun control measures. Strict gun control laws have been incredibly ineffective in Chicago. Los Angeles, Seattle, and the San Francisco Bay Area supported mass transit. Los Angeles voters also approved funding for homeless shelters and more low income housing. Colorado defeated a single payer healthcare proposal, but approved assisted suicide. San Diego voters overwhelmingly rejected a new stadium for the San Diego Chargers, also known as the “Bolts,” who will bolt the city, thereby joining the Clippers who left San Diego decades ago. Yorba Linda voters were incensed by a $25 water rate increase. They voted to recall the directors who approved the rate increases. The biggest surprise of Tuesday was not the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. Instead, as blue turned red on the national map, Orange County, California, the reddest of the red for 80 years, turned blue. Orange County voted for Hillary.