This post is from Burnt Orange Report's coverage of the 2009 Constitutional Amendment election. For coverage of the 2011 Constitutional Amendment election, CLICK HERE.
Early voting is on for the Constitutional Amendments election. Yesterday and today, Burnt Orange Report is providing some information about the 11 propositions on the ballot. Our aim is to give a broad sense of how different Texas entities perceive these amendments. In the table below, we've compiled their yea, nay, or no-endorse. Sources are all linked at the bottom. Friday, BOR will issue our official endorsements on some or all of these amendments. For more on the Amendment process, see the post on Amendment 1.
Proposition 9: Establishing a Right to Use and Access Public Beaches
|
"Proposition 9 would establish the public's unrestricted right to access public beaches as a permanent easement. ... The proposed amendment would also authorize the Legislature to enact laws to protect the public access to the beach and the easement from interference and encorachment. There would be no right of private enforcement." --League of Women Voters Guide
|
| Source: | Endorsement: |
| Austin Chronicle: | YES. "A very good amendment. This is actually an important defense of the constitutional right of all Texans - but not currently stated in the constitution - of permanent access to public beaches without interference from developers or other private interests." |
| El Paso Times: | NO. "This proposition involves public access to beaches and doesn't need to be in the Constitution." |
| Fort Worth Star-Telegram: | YES. "How many miles of Gulf of Mexico beaches in Texas are publicly owned and open for year-round use? All of them. 624 miles, from Sabine Pass on the Texas-Louisiana border to the Rio Grande, ... are federally protected. In the Nov. 3 constitutional amendment election, Texans have a chance to keep it that way." |
| Houston Tea Party Patriots: | NO. "Under the Open Beaches Act, the state has forced homeowners to move or remove their houses after hurricanes and other changes to the coastline. The law should be weakened, not placed in the Constitution." |
| Sen. Kirk Watson's "Watson Wire:" | YES. "It also says beaches would continue to belong to the public, even if storms or erosion move the beach under houses or other buildings." |
These posts will continue throughout the day. Endorsements by the Burnt Orange Report staff will follow on Friday.
Sources:
League of Women Voters Guide (PDF)
Austin Chronicle Endorsements, October 16, 2009
El Paso Times, October 18, 2009
Fort Worth Star-Telegram Endorsements, October 16, 2009
Houston Tea Party Patriots, October 15, 2009
Sen. Kirk Watson's Watson Wire, October 12, 2009
|
