One of the most important rights we have in California is the power to vote directly on issues that affect our lives. When voters go through the hard work of qualifying a ballot measure — gathering signatures, building coalitions, making their voices heard — that process deserves respect. What happened with SB 623 is a slap in the face to every Californian who believes in that process.
Uber and the Consumer Attorneys of California made a private deal, turned it into legislation, and Governor Newsom signed it on June 26th — wiping two voter-qualified measures off the November ballot in one stroke. Nobody asked voters. Nobody held a real public debate. Two powerful interests just decided they'd rather settle things in a back room than let the rest of us weigh in. That's not democracy. That's exactly the kind of corporate end-run around voters that erodes trust in our institutions. If companies can simply cut a deal and have the Legislature bury a ballot measure whenever it's inconvenient for them, what is the initiative process even worth?
I'm asking you to introduce or support legislation that requires full public hearings and a clear waiting period before any bill can remove or replace a voter-qualified ballot measure — and to speak out publicly against what happened here. Californians earned their place on that ballot. No private agreement should be able to take it away.
Please protect California voters' right to have the final say — not corporations cutting deals behind closed doors.
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