It appears that the Earned Sick Time initiative in Orange County could fall short of garnering the required number of petitions to earn a spot on the November ballot after all.
Up until yesterday, July 12, some 37,154 petitions had been turned in, but only 21,410 were valid according to the Supervisor of Elections Office. 43,605 valid petitions of Orange County registered voters are needed for the initiative to make it onto the November ballot.
A few months ago, Citizens for a Greater Orange County, a progressive coalition, launched an energetic effort to protect workers’ rights locally through a citizen initiative guaranteeing earned sick days for workers. Dozens of other organizations, such as Jobs with Justice and the NAACP have also jumped in to assist the effort and to help collect the needed petitions to place Earned Days on the November ballot.
Notwithstanding the energy behind the initiative, it seems unlikely to make it on the ballot, in view of the August 7, pending deadline from the Supervisor of Elections Office.
One major problem is that only about 50 percent of the petitions being turned in are judged to be valid. Then, you know that things are bad when groups are now paying for petitions.
Sadly, a breakdown of the data shows some districts are doing very poorly in terms of petitions submitted against what’s needed. For example, in District 4, 10,006 valid petitions are needed. Yet, up until July 12, a mere 2,999 or 30 percent had been turned in.
District 5, didn’t fare much better. Some 6,829 valid petitions are needed, but only 1,982 or 29 percent have been turned in, to date. And in District 1, 9, 313 valid petitions are required, but only 2,123 have been submitted.
District 6, has exceeded the number of valid petitions required by 734.
In a County that relies heavily on tourism, hotels and restaurants, an Earned Sick Time initiative, you would think, ought to be a “no brainer,” making it onto the November ballot with ease.
According to the 2010 census estimates, only about 46 percent of private sector workers in Orange County receive earned sick time.
Where can I sign? This is the first I have heard about this and would like to sign.
It is INCREDIBLY hard to gather signatures in Orange County!! I mean, just ask Mike Cantone who had a “people-powered” campaign and stated from the outset that he would qualify by petition. Even HE, a GENIUS at campaigning couldn’t do it. If Mike Cantone can’t gather a significantly smaller number of signatures to qualify for a Mayor’s race, then it is a wonder that any group or person would even try! Bless your hearts!
Cheryl, you can sign the petition by going to http://www.earnedsicktime.com
I really want to like West Orlando News, but “sources”? Really? Why can’t we get real journalism by real journalists who are willing to stand behind their work?
Anything less than that is a rumor mill.
Unfortunately, this is happening so often on WON, it’s rare that anyone expects a well-written and cited article anymore. If that’s the direction you’re going in, fine. Just be honest enough to stop calling it NEWS.
West Orlando Gossip, perhaps?
[…] Earned Sick Days campaign in Orange County has fallen short of the needed petitions and time may be up. In a turn for the worse, Citizens for a Greater Orange County and their coalition are in for a […]