A Local Voter's Guide

Today is Election Day, and though some people chose to mail in their ballots, there are many who still enjoy the act of walking into a polling site to cast their vote.

If you fall in the latter group, Mountain View Patch has created this handy Election Guide with links to candidate profiles, related articles on local measures and state propositions, and also links to important government sites.

Where to vote

There are 20 polling sites in Mountain View and one in Los Altos where registered voters can go cast their vote.

If you are unsure where to go, visit the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters Internet site.

Once you have the address, hover over the map at the right to find the polling site closest to you.

Who to vote for

In Mountain View, six candidates are running for three City Council seats. Below are links to their websites:

• Margaret Abe-Koga, margaretforcouncil.com
• Ronit Bryant, ronitbryant.org
• Greg David, mvgreg.com
• Aaron Jabbari, facebook.com/jabbari2010
• Jac Siegel, jacsiegel4mv.org
• Dan Waylonis, waylonis.com

For the Santa Clara Valley Water District, two candidates want to represent Mountain View and Los Altos on the water board for District #7 .

• Lou Becker, loubecker.com
• Brian Schmidt, brianforwater.org

Three seats are up for grabs on the Santa Clara County Board of Education.

• Michael Chang
• Lynette Lee Eng, lynette4coe.info
• George Tyson, georgetyson.org

California Governor's Race

• Jerry Brown, jerrybrown.org
• Meg Whitman, megwhitman.com

United State Senator's Race

• Barbara Boxer, www.barbaraboxer.com
• Carly Fiorina, www.carlyforca.com

What's on the ballot

Mountain View Measure

• Measure T would update how the utility user tax—the phone tax—collects money from calls made to locations outside of the state and internationally, whether online or by mobile device.

Countywide Measures

• Measure A Wants Tax To Keep Healthy Kids Program Alive
• Measure B Asks Voters To Chip In For Road Improvements
• Measure C Seeks to Impose Term Limits on Water Board

State Propositions

Mountain View Pete Stahl summarizes state propositions and add his ratings. Whether you agree with him or not, you can use his analysis as a start and then check out the propositions yourself on the California Secretary of State website.

• Proposition 19: Legalizes marijuana under California but not federal law. Permits local governments to regulate and tax commercial production, distribution and sale of marijuana. Initiative statute.
• Proposition 20: Redistricting of congressional districts. Initiative constitutional amendment.
• Proposition 21: Establishes $18 annual vehicle license surcharge to help fund state parks and wildlife programs. Grants surcharged vehicles free admission to all state parks. Initiative statute.
• Proposition 22: Prohibits the state from borrowing or taking funds used for transportation, redevelopment or local government projects and services. Initiative constitutional amendment.
• Proposition 23: Suspends implementation of the Air Pollution Control Law (AB 32) requiring major sources of emissions to report and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming, until unemployment drops to 5.5 percent or less for a full year. Initiative statute.
• Proposition 24: Repeals recent legislation that would allow businesses to lower their tax liability. Initiative statute.
• Proposition 25: Changes legislative vote requirement to pass budget and budget-related legislation from two-thirds to a simple majority. Retains two-thirds vote requirement for taxes. Initiative constitutional amendment.
• Proposition 26: Requires that certain state and local fees be approved by two-thirds vote. Fees include those that address adverse impacts on society or the environment caused by the fee-payer's business. Initiative constitutional amendment.
• Proposition 27: Eliminates state commission on redistricting. Consolidates authority for redistricting with elected representatives. Initiative constitutional amendment and statute.