November ballot crowded with weighty measures

California voters will face a long and weighty list of statewide ballot measures this November — 17 measures in all made Thursday’s fall election deadline and they include big decisions on the death penalty, marijuana use and taxes on the wealthy.

Among the issues voters will decide are whether Death Row inmates should be executed faster or not at all in two competing measures.

Other initiatives would legalize the recreational use of marijuana, require background checks for ammunition sales, overturn a 1998 initiative that banned bilingual instruction in public schools and overhaul the state’s prison parole rules to allow inmates to be released earlier.

Inmates would face life without parole and could, if ordered to, pay 60 percent of wages earned while incarcerated to victim restitution.

Opponents say shortening appeals increases the likelihood of executing innocent inmates.

The tax, which primarily funds K-12 schools and community colleges, is paid by individuals earning more than $250,000 and couples making more than $500,000.

Proponents argue the extension is needed to prevent billions in cuts to schools and vital services, while opponents say Prop. 30 was temporary and should remain that way.

The Legislature placed this initiative on the ballot to repeal most of Proposition 227, the 1998 measure that barred bilingual education programs in public schools.

Should money charged for paper bags be sent to a special fund for environmental projects?

If the plastic bag ban becomes effective, this initiative would require bag fees charged by grocery and retail stores for paper bags to be sent to a fund administered by the Wildlife Conservation Board.

Sponsored by Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, the measure would also ban possession of large-capacity rifle magazines, require gun owners to notify police when their weapons are lost or stolen and create new procedures for confiscating guns from persons prohibited from possessing them.

The initiative would let inmates with nonviolent offenses seek parole after serving time on their primary offense, while erasing secondary offenses or enhancements with good behavior.

Should voters authorize $9 billion in general obligation bonds for new school construction and modernization, with $2 billion for community colleges and the rest divided among K-12 districts, charter schools and vocational education?

Should the state be barred from issuing more than $2 billion in public infrastructure bonds without voter approval if repaying those bonds would require an increase in taxes or fees?

Supporters say the initiative ensures the state doesn’t have a blank check while opponents, like the governor, say it would result in costly delays in repairing roads, buildings and water systems.

The proposition would make producers, distributors, talent agents and in some cases performers liable for violations.

Should lawmakers wait 72 hours after a bill is made public before voting on it except in cases of a public emergency?

Should the amount state agencies pay for a prescription drug be capped to match what the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs pays?

Supporters say the measure would lower drug prices on lifesaving treatments, while opponents say the measure would reduce the availability of some drugs and impact research on new drugs.

The controversial 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling opened the door for unlimited spending by corporations and unions in federal candidate campaigns.

Should lawmakers be required to meet a two-thirds majority vote — instead of a simple majority vote — when they divert Medi-Cal fees meant to fund health care for the state’s poor?