It's the result most experts had predicted. California voters, at least the few who voted in Tuesday's special election, overwhelming rejected five of the six propositions on the ballot.
Those propositions were supposed to help California deal with its growing budget crisis. But now that the voters have spoken, politicians in Sacramento will have to go back to the drawing board to find new solutions.
There's a lot on the line, now that the election results are in. We could see cuts across the board: firefighters and police could lose their jobs, thousands of state workers could also be laid off. And the school year might have to be shortened by several days.
Proposition 1A, “Rainy Day Fund” - defeated 66% to 34%.
Proposition 1B, Education Funding - defeated 63% to 37%.
Proposition 1C, Modernize Lottery - defeated 65% to 35%
Proposition 1D, Child Services Funding – defeated 66% to 34%
Proposition 1E, Mental Health Budget – defeated 66% to 34%
Proposition 1F, Elected Official Salaries – passed 74% to 26%
Reaction to Tuesday’s Special Election:
Assembly Leader Mike Villines: "I believe that California can emerge from this crisis fiscally sound and strong. But there's a long and difficult road ahead."
Lou Paulson, President of the California Professional Firefighters: "The voters’ cynicism is understandable. But public safety will be affected; fire stations will close and police officers will be laid off."
Jim Earp, Executive Director of the California Alliance for Jobs: "This election makes clear that voters are upset about the current state of affairs in Sacramento. It is crucial that we put politics aside, and act quickly to address this crisis."
Governor Schwarzenegger released this statement following the election results Tuesday night: "I respect the will of the people who are frustrated with the dysfunction in our budget system. Now we must move forward from this point to begin to address our fiscal crisis with constructive solutions."
