<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;">Dear Subscribers,<div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Earlier than ever (but <i>not </i>last week, when some of you — understandably! — didn’t get past the subject line and thought my <i>alert </i>was the <i>guide — </i>here is my Guide. It’s attached. </div><div><br></div><div><u>Important Bitsd</u></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>This early production would not have been possible without the many sources I use (mostly listed at the end of the Guide) being prepared <i>early </i>with their helpful information. </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I’ll note that I didn’t credit the ACLU of Northern California as a resource, because their helpful info is relatively new this year. Nonetheless, <b>their slide presentation <a href="https://www.canva.com/design/DAGRDDGJpDI/B99q1oa6CEG-cWRk2yzzKA/view?utm_content=DAGRDDGJpDI&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=editor#57">here</a> is very helpful</b>. (As in that sentence, I’ve incorporated many hyperlinks into this year’s Guide. Those work <i>only </i>when read electronically. So if you’re printing the Guide, be sure to save (or mark) the electronic version so you can find it, because you might want to review some of that supplemental info.)</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>The easy mnemonic for this year’s recommendations is <b>vote yes on all but the last three! </b>(No on 34, 35, 36.)</div><blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;"><div><p class="western" align="center" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 10); line-height: 18.4px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; margin-bottom: 0.05in; direction: ltr; background: none; font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif; font-size: medium;"><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><u><b>The Short Version </b></u></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><u>(My “Bare” Recommendations</u></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><u>)</u></font></p><p class="western" align="left" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 10); line-height: 18.4px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; margin-bottom: 0.05in; direction: ltr; background: none; font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif; font-size: medium;">• <u><b>Prop. 2</b></u><b> – Public Schools & Community College Bonds – </b><u><b>Yes</b></u></p><p class="western" align="left" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 10); line-height: 18.4px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; margin-bottom: 0.05in; direction: ltr; background: none; font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif; font-size: medium;">• <u><b>Prop. 3</b></u> – <b>A Calif. Constitutional Amendment to Establish a Right to Marry – </b><u><b>Yes</b></u></p><p class="western" align="left" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 10); line-height: 18.4px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; margin-bottom: 0.05in; direction: ltr; background: none; font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif; font-size: medium;"><a name="__DdeLink__4447_1711189839_Copy_1_Copy_1"></a>• <font style="font-size: 12pt;"><u><b>Prop. 4</b></u></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"> – </font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Bonds for Drinking Water, Environmental, and Climate Projects – </b></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><u><b>Yes</b></u></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"></font></p><p class="western" align="left" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 10); line-height: 18.4px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; margin-bottom: 0.05in; direction: ltr; background: none; font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif; font-size: medium;"><a name="__DdeLink__4447_1711189839_Copy_1_Copy_2"></a>• <font style="font-size: 12pt;"><u><b>Prop. 5</b></u></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"> – </font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><i><b>Lowers </b></i></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>% to Pass </b></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><i><b>Local</b></i></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><b> Measures</b></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><b> for</b></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><i><b> </b></i></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Housing and Infrastructure – </b></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><u><b>Yes</b></u></font></p><p class="western" align="left" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 10); line-height: 18.4px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; margin-bottom: 0.05in; direction: ltr; background: none; font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif; font-size: medium;"><a name="__DdeLink__4447_1711189839_Copy_1_Copy_3"></a>• <font style="font-size: 12pt;"><u><b>Prop. 6</b></u></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"> </font><font style="font-size: 12pt;">– </font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>No More Slavery in Our Prisons – </b></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><u><b>Yes</b></u></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><b></b></font></p><p class="western" align="left" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 10); line-height: 18.4px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; margin-bottom: 0.05in; direction: ltr; background: none; font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif; font-size: medium;"><a name="__DdeLink__4447_1711189839_Copy_1_Copy_4"></a>• <font style="font-size: 12pt;"><u><b>Prop. 32</b></u></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"> – </font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>No More Near Slavery: Minimum Wage Increase – </b></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><u><b>Yes</b></u></font></p><p class="western" align="left" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 10); line-height: 18.4px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; margin-bottom: 0.05in; direction: ltr; background: none; font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif; font-size: medium;">• <font style="font-size: 12pt;"><u><b>Prop. 33</b></u></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"> – </font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Empowering Local </b></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><i><b>Broad </b></i></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Residential Rent Control – </b></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><u><b>Yes</b></u></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><i><b></b></i></font></p><p class="western" align="left" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 10); line-height: 18.4px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; margin-bottom: 0.05in; direction: ltr; background: none; font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif; font-size: medium;">• <font style="font-size: 12pt;"><u><b>Prop. 34</b></u></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><i> </i></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;">– </font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Only</b></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><i><b> Barely</b></i></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><b> about Health Care: Abuses Voters – </b></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><u><b>No</b></u></font></p><p class="western" align="left" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 10); line-height: 18.4px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; margin-bottom: 0.05in; direction: ltr; background: none; font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif; font-size: medium;">• <font style="font-size: 12pt;"><u><b>Prop. 3</b></u></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><b><u>5</u></b></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"> – </font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Channels Existing Special Tax $$$ to Fund Only </b></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><i><b>Some </b></i></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Medi-Cal Services </b></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>– </b></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><u><b>No</b></u></font></p><p class="western" align="left" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 10); line-height: 18.4px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; margin-bottom: 0.05in; direction: ltr; background: none; font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif; font-size: medium;">• <font style="font-size: 12pt;"><u><b>Prop. 36</b></u></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><b> – More Felonies, Longer Sentences, More Prisons Costs</b></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><b> </b></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>– </b></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;"><u><b>No</b></u></font></p></div></blockquote></blockquote><div><br></div><div><u>Some More Background Info</u></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>On the perennial question of <i>what about judges races, </i>Ballotopedia has some info. Also, I’ve routinely searched judges’ names online to find out about their background and past work experience (which shapes their perspective) and other <i>clues. </i>Judges <i>are important, </i>but — reluctantly — I don’t vote rather than imagining that a <i>woman </i>I don’t know anything about is going to be “better” than the man.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>My Guide is no longer the tight one sheet, two sides that it started as <i>decades ago. </i>(Is there someone out there who’s been with me from early on who can tell me what year that was?) I try to make the Guide “open” enough that folks of somewhat different political perspectives will find its analyses and arguments useful. I welcome your feedback on the current level of info and analysis. (Email me at conjoin@sonic.net; you <i>can’t </i>reply to this email.) I also welcome courteous phone calls: 916/739-0860 — <i>after 9 am PDT!</i></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Also, anyone who wants to <b>subscribe </b>(or <b>unsubscribe</b>) can do so easily: Just email that <b>one word message</b> (subscribe — or unsubscribe) to <b>Dariens_Ballot_Guide-request@lists.sonic.net</b> . (Please copy and paste that email address. Don’t ask me why it won’t just act as a link!)</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Finally, thank you to all of you who seek to be informed voters! I hardly need to emphasize how important this year’s election is.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>With enormous appreciation <i>and compassion </i>for all of you, Darien</div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></div></body></html>