Wednesday, November 7, 2012

State and Local Election Results

I was surprised and disappointed by state and local election results.  Filner's victory is really bad news for the city.  I boldly predict he will undermine the implementation of Proposition B.  Most likely, he will block the city's defense of the legal assault on the initiative by the unions.  His victory was not a landslide, but 3% is still substantial.   He doesn't care that the city will be bankrupt in a decade, he'll be probably be addled or six feet under by then.  We will see how well the real fiscal constraints he inherits inhibit his ability to reward his union supporters.  With Filner winning, it seemed inevitable that Bilbray would lose, but its still very close.  We'll see if a principled conservative can defeat Peters in 2014.  Who is ready for that challenge?

Proposition 30's victory also surprised me.  It's victory defied the trend of tax increases not passing when more than one is on the ballot.  It passed well beyond what polling would have indicated.  Make no mistake, these tax increases will not raise the revenue promised, will not be temporary and will hurt the poor more than the rich because of the sales tax hike.  Hard to imagine that it won with 54% of the vote, but there you go.  How soon will the state hit the fiscal wall?

Most of my proposition recommendations went down to defeat.  A couple of exceptions were the revision of the three strikes law and genetically engineered food labeling.

Results from the state office.  Changed the color of the props to indicate how I did, red, I lost and green my position won:


Proposition TitleYes
Votes
%No
Votes
%
Yes30Temporary Taxes to Fund Education4,967,03953.9%4,251,55846.1%
No31State Budget, State and Local Government3,376,28639.2%5,229,65960.8%
No32Political Contributions by Payroll Deduction3,983,60343.9%5,094,49256.1%
No33Auto Insurance Prices Based on Driver History4,056,30245.4%4,879,95454.6%
No34Death Penalty4,276,46347.2%4,787,67752.8%
Yes35Human Trafficking7,324,72181.1%1,701,73418.9%
Yes36Three Strikes Law6,193,43168.6%2,832,60231.4%
No37Genetically Engineered Foods Labeling4,285,78746.9%4,845,29153.1%
No38Tax for Education. Early Childhood Programs2,493,39827.7%6,509,12772.3%
Yes39Business Tax for Energy Funding5,305,40060.0%3,530,53740.0%
Yes40Redistricting State Senate6,081,07171.4%2,431,52428.6%

Eventually this state will come to its senses, or run out of money.

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