Here’s why you should vote for the 5 propositions on the ballot

The five state propositions on the primary election ballot are snoozers — but deserve passage.

All the measures were put on the ballot by the Legislature.

Proposition 69 is a precursor to the fall gas-tax fight. The measure would make it a violation of the state Constitution for Sacramento politicians to do what gas tax opponents claim they habitually do: rob the highway repair kitty for nontransportation projects.

Actually, the main reason the Republican Party and GOP members of Congress are bankrolling the gas tax repeal is to draw conservative voters to the polls in November. They’re trying to save Republican congressional seats in California that are being targeted by Democrats. At stake is control of the U.S. House.

Proposition 69 simply says that all revenue raised from last year’s legislation to fund transportation projects must, in fact, be spent on transportation.

Sure, not all the tax increase money will be spent on highway repairs. Some will go for transit and — much less — for bicycle lanes. But that eases road congestion by keeping bus riders and bicyclists out of their cars.

Charges that Sacramento has been filching fuel taxes and vehicle fees for pet projects have been bellowed for years and are essentially a myth.

Before last year, California’s gas tax hadn’t been raised since 1990 under Republican Gov. George Deukmejian. But it wasn’t adjusted for inflation. So that tax was buying about half as much as it once did. Plus, cars now are more fuel efficient, and motorists pump less gas.

Polling shows, however, that 51 percent of registered voters support the repeal. Only 38 percent favor the tax.

That’s the big picture. As for Proposition 69, there’s no organized opposition. Who can argue with a straight face against spending transportation tax money as it was intended — on transportation? Now the other ballot measures: Proposition 68: $4.1 billion bond issue for parks, water, flood control and conservation projects

Brown held down the bond size to what he considered a prudent amount. Still, the total payback cost would be $7.8 billion, including interest. That’s about $200 million annually for 40 years.

There are a lot of worthwhile goodies in this measure. But in November, there’ll be a similar, privately sponsored initiative on the ballot that’s more than twice the size: $8.9 billion. That proposition will warrant more voter scrutiny.

Proposition 70: cap-and-trade revenue

Cap and trade is a climate-control program that forces companies to buy permits from the state to emit greenhouse gasses. It’s raising roughly $3.3 billion annually. To get it renewed last year on a two-thirds legislative vote, Brown had to agree to Proposition 70. The measure would require another two-thirds vote in 2024 to reauthorize how the cap-and-trade money is split.

Why is this significant? Brown’s embattled bullet train is drawing $730 million this year from the program. Proposition 70 would force legislators to take a hard look at the train’s progress in six years — maybe even derail it.

Proposition 71: ballot propositions

This says a proposition can’t take effect until five days after all the votes are counted and the secretary of state certifies its passage. What’s to argue?

Proposition 72: rain-capture systems and property taxes

My favorite. It says if a homeowner builds a system to save rainwater and uses it for landscaping or toilets, an assessor can’t raise the property value and pile on more taxes. This should be a model for future legislation.