Prop 23 really has nothing to do with Hesperia or the High Desert. My theory is that its the big oil money funding that the local politicians are after. The building industry that would normally fund these guys is broke, so they are searching for a new source of money for their politics. Watch for their campaign disclosure form 460's here over the next few months and they will tell the real story. The 2 Texas oil companies behind it  are Valero Energy Corp. and Tesoro Corp. They have contributed more than $4.5 million to Proposition 23, which seeks to suspend a 2006 law intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Their contributions represent nearly 75 percent of the funding for the initiative.

Official summary: Suspends State law that requires greenhouse gas emissions be reduced to 1990 levels by 2020, until California's unemployment drops to 5.5 percent or less for four consecutive quarters. Requires State to abandon implementation of comprehensive greenhouse-gas-reduction program that includes increased renewable energy and cleaner fuel requirements, and mandatory emission reporting and fee requirements for major polluters such as power plants and oil refineries, until suspension ends.

If voters approve the proposition, the global warming law would not take effect until unemployment falls to 5.5 percent and stays there for a year. That has happened just three times during the past 30 years, according to California Employment Development Department statistics.
 

California's unemployment rate, now at 12.3 percent, has been above 12 percent for months.

How Would Valero And Tesoro Benefit From A Suspension?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency listed Valero's oil refinery in Benicia as the fourth largest emitter of chemicals in the state in 2009. Tesoro's refinery in Martinez ranked eighth.

 Since 2008, Tesoro has been fined more than $1.8 million by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District for violating air quality regulations. The violations included excessive emissions of carbon monoxide, particulate pollution, ammonia, sulfur dioxide and smog-forming pollutants.
 

 Valero disclosed in January that it had 29 outstanding violation notices from the South Coast Air Quality Management District and was pursuing a settlement.
 

"It shows that they're one of the biggest polluters in the state, and they're willing to spend millions of dollars at the ballot box instead of cleaning up their mess," said Steve Maviglio, spokesman for the "No on 23" campaign. 

What does prop 23 have to do with Hesperia? Ask Thurston Smith.