State-Funded Design and Engineering Services. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.
	Argument against Proposition 224

BEWARE: Proposition 224 is NOT what it pretends to be. It's a wolf in sheep's clothing.

That's why EARTHQUAKE SAFETY EXPERTS, CITIES, COUNTIES, SCHOOL DISTRICTS, HOSPITALS, BUSINESSES, LABOR, TEACHERS, PARENTS and TAXPAYER GROUPS throughout California OPPOSE PROPOSITION 224 !

--WHO'S BEHIND PROPOSITION 224? WHY HAVE THEY DISGUISED ITS REAL PURPOSE?

A group of state bureaucrats (primarily Caltrans employees) spent millions to put Proposition 224 on the ballot. Why? They want you to believe it's to save taxpayers money. Would a state bureaucrats group really spend millions of their OWN dollars to save YOU money? Hardly.

Read the fine print! DISGUISED as a "competitive bidding" initiative, Proposition 224 creates a RIGGED formula that virtually PROHIBITS STATE GOVERNMENT, CITIES, COUNTIES and SCHOOL DISTRICTS FROM CONTINUING to CONTRACT for design, environmental and engineering work with the private sector.

--PROPOSITION 224 VIRTUALLY PROHIBITS THE CONTINUED USE OF PRIVATE SECTOR SEISMIC EXPERTS TO MAKE HIGHWAYS, OVERPASSES AND BRIDGES EARTHQUAKE-SAFE.

Contracting out design work for seismic retrofitting, schools, hospitals, highways and bridges keeps the government payroll from ballooning and permits the use of private expertise. Proposition 224 would essentially halt this practice. The bureaucrats behind Proposition 224 want more work brought in-house , CREATING MORE PUBLIC PAYROLL JOBS.

--PROPOSITION 224 REPRESENTS A HUGE SHIFT OF JOBS FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO THE PUBLIC PAYROLL. MORE STATE BUREAUCRATS! BIGGER GOVERNMENT! HIGHER TAXES!

Economic analysis reveals it would mean thousands of LOST PRIVATE SECTOR JOBS and force California to HIRE up to 15,600 NEW BUREAUCRATS at a TAXPAYER COST of $1,700,000,000 ANNUALLY--that's BILLION, with a "B".

--LOCAL GOVERNMENTS OPPOSE PROPOSITION 224. IT TAKES AWAY LOCAL CONTROL. CREATES COSTLY BUREAUCRATIC DELAYS AND GIVES ONE POLITICIAN ENORMOUS NEW POWERS.

It forces cities, counties and school districts to seek the state controller's approval before contracting out design work on school, road, hospital, water treatment and other building projects. That's TOO MUCH POWER to give ONE POLITICIAN. It would DELAY VITAL PROJECTS and REDUCE TAXPAYER ACCOUNTABILITY.

--THESE AND HUNDREDS OF OTHER GROUPS SAY: VOTE NO on PROPOSITION 224!

California Taxpayers' Association OPPOSES
Alliance of California Taxpayers and Involved Voters OPPOSES
Responsible Voters for Lower Taxes OPPOSES
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association OPPOSES
Structural Engineers Association of California OPPOSES
American Institute of Architects OPPOSES
League of California Cities and over 100 cities and counties OPPOSE
California Teachers Association OPPOSES
California School Boards Association OPPOSES
California State PTA OPPOSES
National Federation of Independent Business OPPOSES
California Association of Homes and Services for the Aging OPPOSES
California Healthcare Association OPPOSES
California Building Industry Association OPPOSES
California Chamber of Commerce OPPOSES
Consulting Engineers and Land Surveyors of California OPPOSES
California Minority & Women Businesses Coalition OPPOSES
California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance OPPOSES
California Association of School Business Officials OPPOSES
Association of California Water Agencies OPPOSES
California Park and Recreation Society OPPOSES
State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, AFL-CIO OPPOSES
Operating Engineers, Local 3, AFL-CIO OPPOSES
California Association of Realtors OPPOSES
Associated General Contractors OPPOSES
and
HUNDREDS of SEISMIC ENGINEERS OPPOSE PROPOSITION 224!

LARRY MCCARTHY
President, California Taxpayers' Association
LORING A. WYLLIE, JR.
Past President, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute
RON BATES
President, League of California Cities