Trust is the Thing

Wednesday’s greetings, mortals! This Friday at 8PT, we were shaken by the unsettling hauntings last week—but the show must go on! & it turns out, TRUST IS THE THING! Can we trust each other enough to complete the show? Is one of us secretly an assassin, working towards the other’s doom? Is anyone who they claim to be?? Find out with us Friday at 8PT when TRUST IS THE THING!

Speaking of paranoia & mis-trust, I gazed into my silver scrying bowl—away from the necromancer’s prying, undead eyes—& assessed the various options upon the ballot for those residing in California. Ye may vote already, & so rather than wait ‘til November, I present our CALIFORNIAN VOTER’S GUIDE:

For a more extensive guide, covering far more States than California, I recommend the one published by the Working Families Party!

& for high-quality, factual reporting on races & measures across the country, BallotPedia remains the most & only reliable resource!

2026 Californian Mortal Voting Guide

Some YEA, Some NAY, Some I REFUSE

I shall dispense with my usual hectoring about the necessity of moving beyond electoralism, in the interest of keeping the guide brief. But, I believe, there are truly only three seriously important items ‘pon this ballot. If nothing else, please heed:

YES on 40
to tax the ultra-wealthy

NO on 41 & 42
which are trick measures to kill 40

In other words—if ye wish to attempt to tax the wealthy’s assets, vote YES on 40. But then ye MUST vote NO on 41 & 42, as those two measures were planted on the ballot by the wealthy to ensure 40 cannot come into effect!

42 outlaws taxes on assets & non-income wealth; 41 prevents the people from establishing taxes via ballot. ‘Tis as if there were a measure to outlaw murder on the ballot, but then, murderers planted measures which prevent outlawing murder.

& so again I plead ye to tell all who will listen: YES on 40, NO on 41 & 42. More than anything else, this tax, if it were to succeed, may actually transform California & the world—if it were to succeed. ‘Tis the most important vote, & the most precarious.

Now, for the other items:

• PROP. 1: A bond for affordable housing.
  YES, the debt is irrelevantly horrendous anyhow.

• PROP. 2: Allow the State to save more money for emergencies.
  YES, there shall be so many more emergencies.

• PROP. 3: Continue tax on very-high incomes.
  YES, let them pay their share.

• PROP. 4: Allow State & local funding for candidates.
  YES, allow poorer mortals to run for office.

• PROP. 5: End the recall election circus by following normal State procedure for filling vacancies, instead.
  UP TO THEE—personally, I think the routine display of absurdity keeps California grounded.

• PROP. 38: Bonds for medical research.
  YES, clearly, someone must fill the NIH’s shoes.

• PROP. 39: “Voter ID” + citizenship scanning
  NO, never vote for disenfranchisement & never hand fascists new tools.

• PROP. 40: Tax on the assets of billionaires
  Say it with me: YES

• PROPS. 41 & 42: Counteract tax on the assets of billionaires
  Say it with me: NO

• PROP. 43: Prevent locals from taxing themselves
  NO, people ought to be able to choose to pay for schools or roads.

• PROP. 44: Yet another attempt to destroy the AIDS Health Foundation
  NO, do not affirm a savage rich man’s quest to ruin the AHF.

• PROP. 45: Make it easier to pollute & harder to regulate pollution
  NO, do not weaken what meager environmental protections ye have!

California remains both a proud example of, & a fevered argument against, the ballot proposition system. Now, as for the governorship:

In the race between billionaire rot-fiend Hilton & Chevron’s shining knight Becerra, I refuse to endorse either one.

Obviously, Hilton is the greater villain, & all who vote for him are puzzling scum. But neither man will set California on a path to success. In the choice between Large Cruelty & Medium Cruelty, with the arquebus at my temple, I REFUSE TO SIGN MY NAME TO IT.

In closing, let us pray the voters select YES on 40, NO on 41 & 42, though I confess to an ill feeling when I attempt to scry into November. & let us also pray that voters in San Francisco choose YES on funding BART…let us pray, rather quite a lot.

Thank ye for reading—& thank ye to the growing cadre of generous mortals who can & do support our works here with coin!

I hope ye shall join us this Friday for TRUST IS THE THING! For if not, well, who knows what that necromancer may do when the audience gazes astray…? I shall write ye again Saturday afternoon, assuming I am not betrayed & slain on the air. ‘Til then—be safe, be well, & YES on 40, NO on 41 & 42.

Cheers,
Amoenus Franco
Wizard, Writer, YES on 40, NO on 41 & 42