Voters Overwhelmingly Approve of Prop. 50

One of the weirdest proposition campaign in the state was apparently very appealing to voters, who overwhelming approved of the measure on Tuesday night.

Proposition 50, which would amend the California constitution to allow legislators to suspend members without pay, passed 77.4 percent to 22.6 percent.

Both proponents and opponents have spent very little money on campaigning for the measure, so little that they didn't even have to file campaign disclosures with the state.

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The proposed constitutional amendment came about after legislators were unable to force three suspended members to forfeit their pay until criminal proceedings against them were dismissed. In 164 years, the California legislature has never had to suspend a member until March 2014 when it voted to suspend Ron Calderon, D-Montebello, Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, and Rod Wright, D-Baldwin Hills.

Among the supporters of the measure included Ian Calderon, the nephew of Ron, who was one of the reasons for the proposition.

The measure would allow the legislature to terminate the pay and benefits of a suspended member with a two-thirds vote. The legislature already has the ability to suspend members, but a suspended member can continue to receive his or her roughly $100,000 annual salary.

The measure would also prohibit a suspended member to exercising any rights or privileges of his or her office while the suspension is in effect.

Voters seem to want to hold elected officials accountable for their actions.

Opponents say the proposition will impose "taxation without representation."

"When a legislator is 'suspended' instead of expelled, that means that the citizens in their districts have no one representing their interests in the State Legislature," Stop Prop 50! wrote on its website.

State Sen. Joel Anderson said he is worried that the proposition would be used by the political majority to punish the vocal minority and deny them their voice in the legislature.

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