The election to recall Governor Gavin Newsom takes place Sept. 14, but local registrars have only until Aug. 16 to mail out ballots to all registered voters in California.
It was an unusually busy news week for California elections in a non-election year. Secretary of State Shirley Weber announced that the campaign to recall Governor Gavin Newsom officially has enough signatures to trigger a recall vote, while California's unprecedented population exodus cost a congressional seat.
The measure asks California taxpayers to provide an additional $5.5 billion dollars for the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) so it can continue funding research using human embryos
The California Catholic Conference of Bishops opposes Proposition 20 on the grounds that it threatens to overturn the important criminal justice reforms advanced by Propositions 47 and 57.
The Orange County Register: "For one thing, times have changed and the original rationale — California doing what the feds wouldn’t — is no longer applicable. For another, private enterprise has taken a bigger interest and stepped up research in this field. For another, Prop. 14 doesn’t resolve a longstanding lack of oversight and accountability. And finally, imposing new costs on residents is hardly merited when most are struggling."
California is a leader in correctional justice reform and the Church has been a strong voice in that effort. Recent reforms have produced many policies aimed at preparing incarcerated people to return safely and productively to the community while simultaneously expanding services to help crime victims heal and recover.
The California Catholic Conference of Bishops has voted to oppose Prop 14 on the November ballot. The measure would provide an additional $5.5 billion dollars for the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) which supports research on discarded human embryos from in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments among other projects.
When the pope publishes an encyclical, it is a newsworthy event anticipated by both Catholics and many non-Catholics. Encyclicals can be controversial – both within the Church and in the outside world – but they are almost always relevant, thought-provoking and challenging.
What are papal encyclicals and what do they mean for Catholics?