YES ON PROPOSITION 55
THE CHILDREN’S EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE
PROTECTION ACT OF 2016
How Did We Get Here?
Initial Focus Group/Polling Research
• Our research demonstrated that California voters
are cautious about our economic future, and
want to avoid going back to the days of major
budget cuts.
• The specifics of Prop 30 are not remembered by
many voters, but voters believe that the money
generated has helped the state more than the tax
increases have hurt those paying them.
FINDINGS BASED ON A COMPILATION OF RESEARCH CONDUCTED IN 2015
Voter Awareness: Service Cuts and Funding Priorities
Most voters
remember
budget cuts and
believe services
have only been
partially
restored
K-12 schools are
highest priority
for funding –
but are not the
only priority
When forced to
choose between
service cuts or
increased taxes –
voters prioritize
funding key
services by nearly
2 to 1
3 Distinct Voter Groups Emerged in Initial Research:
Prioritizes
funding state
services - feels
we need more
revenue
Prioritizes
funding state
services – feels
we have
enough
revenue
Prioritizes
avoiding
tax
increases
Initial Research
• A Prop 30 extension received the most support
out of all the different revenue options tested
• A Prop 30 extension with a health care
component for kids held strong support under
stress testing.
Examining Title and Summary
Most react positively to ballot language,
with support for funding education and
extending the income taxes on the wealthy.
Prop 55 Message Research
• The words matter – support increases after
voters hear more details about the initiative
around education funding
• People remember the cuts, and don’t want
to go back.
Prop 55 Message Research
Extensive testing around key message word choice.
For example:
1. Only affects income taxes for the wealthiest
Californians
2. Only affects income taxes for the top 2% of
CA taxpayers
3. Mainly affects income taxes for millionaires
4. Prevents a tax cut for the wealthiest
Public Polling History on Prop. 55
Proposition 55 Key Messages
Why is Proposition 55 on the ballot?
• In 2012, public education and other vital services were
struggling after years of recession and deep cuts – our schools
had lost over $50 billion in funds – meaning teacher pink slips,
staff layoffs and programs cut to the bone.
• With the passage of Prop. 30, Californians stopped the
bleeding and began to restore the funding that had been lost
during the recession
• But now the taxes on the wealthiest are set to expire and
California is forecasted to lose billions of dollars each year.
That’s where Proposition 55 comes in.
Internal Document Only
Proposition 55 Key Messaging
• California students, schools and colleges can’t afford to go
back to the days of massive teacher and staff layoffs, larger
class sizes, and cuts to everything from art and music to
student transportation and school lunch programs.
• Proposition 55 does not raise taxes on anyone; it simply
maintains the current income tax rates on the wealthiest
Californians.
• Proposition 55 prevents nearly $4 billion in funding cuts
to public education and protects other vital services, like
children’s health care.
– Governor Brown has said that the state will be
forced to make cuts if Prop 55 doesn’t pass
Internal Document Only
Proposition 55 Key Messaging
• Money goes to local schools and the Legislature can’t touch
it. Prop. 55 contains strict accountability requirements to
ensure funds designated for education go to local schools and
community colleges - not to bureaucracy.
• Tough independent annual audit and transparency
requirements prevent waste, fraud and abuse. Authorizes
criminal prosecution for any misuse of money.
• Vote Yes on Prop 55 – To Help Our Children THRIVE.
Proposition 55 – The Details
• Places revenues into the Education Protection
Account, a dedicated fund that the legislature can’t
touch
• Also allocates up to $2 billion per year to improve
access to health care for low-income children and
their families, and puts money in the Rainy Day Fund
• Includes tough accountability and transparency
requirements – Requires annual audits to be posted
so the public can access them.
Internal Document Only
To Summarize – 5 FACTS ON 55
1.
Can't Go Back – Prevents up to $4 billion in cuts
to public education
2.
Not a tax increase – only affects the wealthiest
Californians
3.
Money goes directly to local schools
4.
Mandatory audits & strict accountability
requirements
5.
Improves access to health care for low-income
children
Internal Document Only
Current Ads (Video)
• Can’t Go Back
• Betty Yee
• Can’t Go Back--Spanish
• Digital 15 Seconds
Tough Questions
Tough Questions
• Wasn’t Prop. 30 supposed to be temporary?
• Is Governor Brown Supporting Prop. 55?
• Where do the revenues from Prop. 55 go exactly?
• How do the revenues for Prop. 55 impact the
state budget?
Tough Questions
• How will the money in Prop. 55 for health care
be spent?
• Some argue that taxes are too high already,
that we should cut taxes?
• Won’t people and businesses leave the state
because of higher taxes?
• But we’re not in a recession anymore – why is
Prop. 55 needed?
Tough Questions
• Why are we extending the taxes now and
not when it expires?
• Why a 12-year extension?
• Why aren’t you extending the sales tax? Are you
doing it just to appeal to lower income voters?
• How can we be sure the money is being
spent as intended?
Media Training Tips
Advice for Media Interviews
• Preparation is Key.
Just because it’s a
“short” interview, you
must still take time to
prepare. Never wing-it.
• Know the headline
(or ‘Sound Bite”)
you want.
Before any interview, ask,
“What would the headline
be if we could write this
story ourselves?” Write
that ideal headline down
on a piece of paper or the
back of a napkin.
Advice for Media Interviews
• Your message is your
anchor.
Every response to every
question should be
woven through your
message frame. Your
message should hold
you in place when an
interview gets tough.
• Never fill the silences.
Reporters are trained to
coax you off message by
creating deliberate
pauses. Don’t take the
bait. Say what you came
to say, then stop
talking. If the reporter
persists, politely ask if
they have any more
questions.
Advice for Media Interviews
• Let a reporter finish their
question before you start
your response.
It’s polite. Second, it gives
the TV and radio producers
an opportunity to cleanly
edit your answer. It also
provides you the time to
think about and “compose”
your response.
• Short responses for the
tough questions.
For controversial topics:
less is more. Short, crisp
responses reduce the risk
of mistakes. If “yes” or
“no” works as a response
– use them.
Advice for Media Interviews
• Never repeat the charge.
Q: “Opponents of your measure say this is really a new tax
increase on millions of hard-working families, not just an
increase on the wealthy.” A: “We don’t think this is a new
tax increase on millions of hard-working families, it’s
actually a…”
Viewers listen selectively. They’re more likely to hear: “a
NEW tax increase on millions of hard-working families”
more than anything else.
Always begin on the offensive, like, “To protect our schools
from the deep and damaging cuts we’ve seen in the past,
this measure maintains the current tax rate on the top 2%.”
Advice for Media Interviews
• Never let reporters put words in your mouth.
If you hear questions that begin, “Are you
saying that…” or “Isn’t it really the case…” –
watch out. They’re trying to bait you into
repeating the charge.
Example: Q: “Isn’t California already spending
enough money on our schools, why do we need
more taxes ?” A: “No, I wouldn’t say California
is already spending enough money on our
schools.” Whoops – you just did.
Advice for Media Interviews
• Avoid Acronyms and
Technical Jargon.
Terms like “LAO,” “ESEA,”
and even “Prop 30” are
confusing to most voters –
and more importantly –
those terms take you out
of a relatable conversation
and put you into a
bureaucratic “insider”
frame.
• You are in control of
the interview.
Don’t be intimidated by
the bright lights, cold
studio, or microphone in
your face---mentally
prepare yourself to
conduct the interview in
an unfamiliar setting
before the interview
begins.
Advice for Media Interviews
• Eye Contact.
Ask the cameraperson
where you should look
during the interview. Keep
your eyes on that person
or camera throughout the
ENTIRE interview. At the
end of each question, keep
your lips closed with a
comfortable face.
• Practice, practice,
practice.
There is no substitute for
practicing delivering your
message out loud before
an interview. No public
appearance is too small,
and no interview too
routine for you not to
make an impression – or
a mistake – on behalf of
your campaign.
Public Speaking and Presentations
• Go Slow.
Take your time, gather
your thoughts, set
yourself at the podium in
a comfortable position
before you begin
speaking.
Tip: Obey the
punctuation marks. A
period means to stop
talking – take a breath.
• Have your first two
lines memorized –
bullet proof.
The best way to build
confidence in a speech
is to start strong.
Memorize and
rehearse your first
couple of lines.
Public Speaking and Presentations
• Keep it simple.
Don’t feel obligated to
tell everything you
know. It’s a
conversation, not a
test. So…be
conversational.
• Eye contact is critical.
Build a relationship with
your audience; eye
contact promotes trust,
attention, and
engagement.
Before you speak, identify
three or four friendly faces
in the audience and
deliver your presentation
to them.
Public Speaking and Presentations
• Turn your shoulders,
not just your head.
As you make eye contact
on both sides of the
audience, turn your body
at the waist and shoulders
– don’t just turn your
head. Opening your body
to the audience opens the
audience to your
message.
• Use your hands.
Energy and animation
add to your presentation.
For television: keep your
hands inside your body
frame – or the “strike
zone box”.
Public Speaking and Presentations
• Finish your sentences
looking UP.
Too often speakers look
down at their text while
delivering the end of a
sentence. Look down
and scoop up your line at
the beginning of the
sentence and continue
looking at the audience
until the period.
• Practice,
practice,
practice…
How to hook into the campaign
• Social Media Profiles