Los Banos Rotary Club History
Senator Hatfield Opposes No. 13

Declaring that of all the propositions to be voted upon the people of California at the general election on November 2 none is as vitally disastrous to the welfare of the people of Merced county as is Proposition No. 13, Senator George J. Hatfield Tuesday noon urged that the people of this county register an overwhelming "No" vote against this proposition.

Speaking at the local Rotary Club luncheon, Senator Hatfield explained that Proposition 13 would re-apportion the state Senate on the basis of population rather than by the present territorial basis, thus giving the four metropolitan counties, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Alameda and San Diego, full control of the state senate – as they already have of the state assembly.

The state senate has 40 members, with no more than three counties forming any one senatorial district. This means that the majority of the state senate are representatives of the rural area, of the state. Proposition 13 would create senatorial districts on a population basis, giving Los Angeles alone 10 senators, with four from Alameda county, five from San Francisco county and two from San Diego county; and at the same time taking away 17 or 18 senatorships from the rural counties.

The state assembly is already allotted on a population basis. Of the 80 members, 32 are from Los Angeles county, 8 are from San Francisco county, 6 from Alameda and 3 from San Diego.

By the same token, in the executive branch of the state government, almost always our governors have come from the large metropolitan cities; and the same situation is true of the judicial branch of our state government, with seven out of the nine present Justices coming from one of the four large population centers.

Hence, Senator Hatfield explains, the state senate as now constituted remains the only branch of the government not dominated by metropolitan centers. As a concrete example of what this might mean, he pointed to apportionments of the state gasoline tax funds through the years. Under the old system, when the funds were allotted on a basis of motor registration (population basis) Alameda county received about $3000 a mile for its highways while Merced county received less than $90 a mile. Under the Burns-Collier Act, which distributes the funds on a basis of highway mileage, Merced county now receives $370 a mile for highway construction and maintenance. This has enabled the county board of supervisors to discontinue the previous 25c road tax for maintenance of county roads.
Senator Hatfield predicted that if Proposition 13 is approved it will be but a very few years until this same road fund is again re-apportioned on a basis more favorable to the large cities.

Proposition 13, Senator Hatfield declared, was instigated and is being supported primarily by certain labor groups in retaliation for certain laws passed by the Senate during the 1947 session which were not favorable to them, and by numerous communist and leftist groups who seek to destroy America's stabilized system of government. Proof that the proposition is not sponsored by the thinking citizens of the large cities is shown by the fact that the measure is being vigorously opposed by the State C. of C., San Francisco, Oakland, Alameda and San Diego C. of C.'s, the League of California Cities, and many other groups.

"It is my sincere hope and wish," Senator Hatfield concluded, "that the people of Merced county will rise as one man and cast an overwhelming "No" vote against Proposition 13."

Senator Hatfield was introduced by program chairman George Nickel.
Rotary President Francis Buck announced that the annual Gustine-Los Banos football dinner would be held Monday evening November 1, at Gustine.

October 8, 1948

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