The Fall Of The Last Action Hero Results Thread #2

by: David Dayen

Tue May 19, 2009 at 20:49:57 PM PDT

17.4% precincts reporting

1A: 36.6% Yes, 63.4% No
1B: 40.1% Yes, 59.9% No
1C: 38.6% Yes, 61.4% No
1D: 38.0% Yes, 62.0% No
1E: 37.5% Yes, 62.5% No
1F: 76.4% Yes, 24.6% No

Just to make a point, in the city of Palmdale, a mildly conservative city in LA County, they have Measure B, a transient occupancy tax (hotels), on the ballot.  Right now it's passing with 67% of the vote.

Don't tell me this is a repudiation of taxes.  It's a repudiation of bad governance.

...Update: 21.9% precincts reporting

1A: 36.7% Yes, 63.3% No
1B: 40.2% Yes, 59.8% No
1C: 38.6% Yes, 61.4% No
1D: 38.0% Yes, 62.0% No
1E: 37.6% Yes, 62.4% No
1F: 76.4% Yes, 24.6% No

Interesting that the measure giving money owed to schools is doing best, ay?

... Brian checks in from the war room with the news that the AP called 1F for the Yes side.  Yay!  Now the legislators will be REALLY motivated!

Just a matter of time before 1A-1E get called.

...I'm done updating the ballot measures, as it's obvious what's going to happen there. So far LA County has yet to update any totals for the local and federal elections, so we wait.

...Arnold concedes: "We have heard from the voters and I respect the will of the people."  Whew, for a second there I thought he was going to institute the spending cap anyway!

You know what he's intimating here, of course.  He'll pull out his budget #2 and try to implement it.  The May 20th strategy is upon us.

UPDATE by Brian: Check the flip for the No on 1A Press release about the results. Arnold is flying back tonight to have a Big 5 meeting tomorrow. Would love to be a fly on the wall for that one.

...just to update, there have been, um, no updates from the LA Registrar of voters on these local races.  Here, pulled up from the bottom, are the results for the top six finishers, I assume among absentees, in CA-32 thus far.

JUDY CHU                          DEM    6,388   41.98
GIL CEDILLO                       DEM    2,628   17.27
BETTY CHU                         REP    1,938   12.74
EMANUEL PLEITEZ          DEM    1,233   8.1
TERESA HERNANDEZ     REP    1,202   7.9
DAVID A TRUAX                 REP    1,036   6.81

...Todd Beeton tweets in from Judy Chu HQ to say that people there feel good.  

...Finally starting to get some more numbers from LA County.

City Attorney: Trutanich 52%, Weiss 48%.  The spread is about 3,200 votes with 12% in.

5th District City Council: Koretz 53%, Vahedi 47%.  The spread is about 700 votes with 10% in.

Nothing new from CA-32 or SD-26.

SacBee has a post-mortem up.  Pretty much just CW.

VOTERS OVERWHELMINGLY REJECT FLAWED AND UNWORKABLE PROP. 1A

Low Voter Turnout Rebukes Costly Special Election, Says to Governor, Legislators: Get Back to Work

SACRAMENTO, CA -- California voters overwhelmingly rejected the flawed and unworkable Prop. 1A and sent a clear message to Governor Schwarzenegger and legislators that they are tired of gimmicks and costly special elections and instead want real leadership and solutions to California's budget crisis.

"Tonight's results sent a message from the people of California that the Governor and the legislature must stop passing the buck and do the job they were elected to do.  It's time for the governor and legislative leadership to put the same level of enthusiasm and effort into finding real solutions for California's budget problems as they did trying to convince voters to vote for a flawed and confusing Prop. 1A," said Willie L. Pelote, Sr., Assistant Director, Political Action Department, AFSCME International.

Today's dismally low voter turnout demonstrated that this was not an election driven by anti-tax fervor.  Instead, it shows voters are tired of gimmicks and costly special elections and instead want real leadership and solutions to this crisis.

"The Governor and the legislature must develop budget solutions that put California on a real path to fiscal stability and stop sending voters flawed proposals that won't work," said Lillian Taiz, President, California Faculty Association.

Marty Hittelman, President, California Federation of Teachers added, "Now that these flawed and unworkable reform proposals have been voted down, the governor and legislative leaders must put aside the campaign rhetoric and work to craft real budget solutions with adequate revenue to solve our problems and put California back on track."

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