Proposition 13: What The Results Tell Us So Far

RESULTS

(As of 6:39 a.m. Wednesday)

These results reflect about 95% of precincts in the state reporting. Keep in mind that even after all precincts have been counted, there will still be ballots to count. In some cases, it could be weeks before the official outcome is clear.

(Secretary of State)

Proposition 13 pitted some of the state’s most powerful education advocates, including the California Teachers Association and the Association of California School Administrators, against a small group of opponents headed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, the perennial opponent of tax hikes and bond debt.

In the end, it appears California voters sided with the opponents, who said they believed voters rejected the measure’s high price tag.

“They're saying we've had enough, no more debt for schools in California,” said San Diego-area State Senator Brian Jones, who co-wrote the argument against Prop 13.

THE VOTE IN LA AND ORANGE COUNTIES

As of the totals just before 4:15 a.m. Wednesday, voters in Los Angeles County were split at 52.2% approval, and 47.8% voted against the measure. The measure’s failure to garner strong support in the state’s largest county ensured its defeat, Jones said.

Orange County reflected the sentiments of most other voters around the state — the tally there was about 64% no to 36% yes.

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BACKGROUND

Prop. 13 would have raised $15 billion in bond funds to improve facilities at public schools and public colleges and universities. It would have also hired more nurses and funded Career Technical Education programs at community colleges and public schools.

The total cost to state taxpayers was estimated at $26 billion, including $11 billion from the interest on the bonds.

Jones didn’t dispute the need among schools’ and public colleges and universities to fix dilapidated facilities. He thinks lawmakers should tap into California’s healthy state surplus for that.

The California State Parent Teachers Association urged its 700,000 members to vote for Prop 13. The association’s leaders said the measure’s defeat isn’t the end.

“We still have more opportunities in the future to support public education in California, there's likely to be a Schools and Communities First measure in November,” the group’s president, Celia Jaffe, said.

That measure would raise property taxes on businesses and commercial properties.