Proposition 4, which would have required doctors to notify the parents of minors seeking abortions, was voted down yesterday 52.3% to 47.7%. The breakdown in Los Angeles County was 53.6% (no) to 46.4% (yes). So, in the spirit of making ourselves very clear (thanks, John McCain, for the inspiration: “The American people have spoken, and they have spoken clearly”), here’s a brief memo to proponents of the initiative. Jim Holman, Don Sebastiani, Katie Short*, et......

As election day closes in, a Field Poll shows 45% of voters in favor and 43% opposed to Prop 4 (parental notification for minor's abortions). An earlier Field Poll, from September of this year, showed the initiative ahead by 49% to 41%. If history is any indicator of the outcome, it's heartening to know that nearly identical initiatives from the past two election cycles (Prop 85 and Prop 73) were also leading in the polls......

Photo by adshaw80 via Flickr Whether you're sitting in front of your absentee ballot or you're readying yourself for voting in person on November, you're looking at national and local elections as well as a slew of California ballot propositions -- 12 to be exact. Well, over the course of this election cycle, LAist writers have posted about 10 of the 12 propositions. We present to you our posts on each proposition, for a......

The fight over the ballot initiatives, as you know if you've turned on the TV for even half a second in the past few weeks, is heating up fast. Last week, the Los Angeles Times' Dust Up blog featured Miriam Gerace, Spokesperson for the No on 4 Campaign for Teen Safety and director of communications for Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, and Katie Short, coauthor of Proposition 4 and legal director of the Life Legal Defense......

...where it receives a resounding no: "California voters were right to reject this...on the first two attempts. They should do so again." The article also discusses anti-abortion ballot initiatives in South Dakota and Colorado, calling the measures, respectively, "unconstitutional" and "preposterous." Prop 4, the initiative we face here in California, would require doctors to notify the parents of minors who are seeking abortions. The South Dakota initiative, like Prop 4, is nearly identical to an......

Ever since LA Times' major slash of staff this summer (and a bunch more coming soon), little factual typos have appeared in the paper more often than usual. This is the most blaring and we hope it didn't make the print edition. Sooooo, Prop 4 will change the state constitution's language in regards to abortions and minors; it will not provide mortgage funds for veterans--that's Prop 12's job. Talk about a major burn from......

Looks like proponents of Proposition 4, which would require doctors to notify the parents of minors seeking abortions, are hoping that people don't remember what's been said about this initiative so far. In an op-ed published in today's Los Angeles Times, Yes on 4 Communications Director Margaret Pearson tries to convince voters that Prop 4 isn't an anti-abortion initiative. Unfortunately, it's too late for that kind of posturing. As LAist has reported from the get-go,......

The first Yes on Prop 4 ad will be debuted tonight during the Vice Presidential debate, according to a press release sent out by the campaign. The ad will be 60 seconds long and will air on KVIQ-CBS, and will also be posted on YouTube and on the campaign's website. A Yes vote on Prop 4 would alter the state constitution to require that doctors notify the parents of a minor before she can obtain......

The Los Angeles Times yesterday editorialized against Proposition 4 (parental notification for minor's abortion). The Times addresses concerns that Proposition 4 would limit access to safe abortion care, and that it's passage could lead pregnant teens to harm through illegal abortions, not receiving prenatal care, or worse.......

Not sure what to think about Proposition 4 (parental notification for minor's abortion)? Listen to a live debate on KPCC (89.3)'s Pat Morrison show, today at 1:00 p.m. Debating the initiative will be Vince Hall of Planned Parenthood San Diego on the “NO” side, and co-author of the proposition/spokeswoman Katie Short on the “YES” side.......

The San Francisco Chronicle today editorialized against Proposition 4, the Abortion Waiting Period and Parental Notification Initiative. The newspaper has editorialized against parental notification legislation in the past, and asserts that the reasoning they've used before holds true for this year's souped up version as well. As we have said before, the arguments for parental notification may sound reasonable, but the real-world experience of the medical professionals who deal with scared pregnant teens suggest its......

Today's AirTalk program on 89.3 KPCC, hosted by Larry Mantle, featured a discussion on Proposition 4 (forced waiting period and notification for minor's abortion), and opened the subject up for comments on the AirTalk blog. The program featured Margie Pearson, volunteer and spokeswoman for the Yes on Proposition 4 campaign, and Miriam Gerace, Strategic Communications Director of the No on Prop 4 Campaign. The entire segment can be heard on the AirTalk website.......

The Daily Aztec, a San Deigo State University newspaper, reports on students that are organizing against Prop 4. "'We are educating the students on the dangers of this deceptive proposition," [former president of the SDSU Vox organization Vanessa] Cooney said."' According to Cooney, students are calling voters, conducting visibility events and handing out materials about the initiative.......

California Catholic Bishops have endorsed Prop 4 (forced parental notification and waiting period for minor's abortion). The news was published today in the California Catholic Daily, the San Diego newspaper owned and operated by Jim Holman. Holman has been a major financial backer of parental notification initiatives each of the three years that they have been on the ballot. This year alone, he has given at least $1.5 million.......

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan organization, has recommended a "no" vote on Prop 4 (forced waiting period and parental notification for minor's abortion). According to a summary released over the weekend, "Parents rightfully want to be involved in their teenagers’ lives, but good family communication can’t be imposed by government."......

A poll released yesterday by the Public Policy Institute of California showed that voters are split nearly evenly over Prop 4 (parental notification of minors having abortions), with 47 percent in favor and 44 percent opposed. Polls were similarly split in the past, when attempts were made to pass nearly identical measures (Prop 73 in 2005 and Prop 85 in 2006), and the initiatives were nevertheless defeated both times. Republican voters show the most......

A new poll conducted by the Public Policy Insititute of California has come out showing three state proposition on the November ballot as losing or nearly even in outcome. Prop 8, which seeks to eliminate gay marriage in California, is losing, according to the poll. However, when it comes to favoring gay couples marrying, people are still evenly split. From the document's findings: Proposition 8, which would amend the state constitution to eliminate same-sex marriage,......

Last week, proponents of Prop 4 acknowledged that "Sarah's Law" wouldn't have applied to the teenager from Texas for whom it's named. Yet Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael P. Kenny ruled Friday that the language referencing "Sarah's" story could remain on the voter guide. The Sacramento Bee reports that Kenney states, although he was "'troubled by the Proposition 4 proponents' artful characterization' of Sarah's story, he declared 'there is no convincing evidence' it misleads voters......

The San Jose Mercury News has published an editorial against Prop 4. The piece was, in part, related to the recent discovery that Prop 4, or "Sarah's Law," wouldn't have actually applied to "Sarah." The editorial includes a response to this discovery from one of the backers of the initiative, betraying an unsurprising tone of desperation: "'The point is that bad things happen to girls who have secret abortions,' said Katie Short, one of the......

Photo not of Young Dems, but pretty cool shot anyway | Photo by ercwttmn via Flickr For left-leaning teens and young adults aged 14 through 35, the California Democratic Party has an official "youth arm" for them called the California Young Democrats. The organization has already taken a position on November's ballot, which is three months away as of yesterday. “Mobilizing young voters in California will be the key to victory on many important......