Measure R takes biggest lead yet

The half-cent sales tax for transportation projects in Los Angeles County known as Measure R took its largest lead yet on Tuesday, as the Los Angeles County Registrar posted updated results from the Nov. 4 election. The results are unofficial.

Measure R now holds 67.51% of the vote out of the almost 2.85 million ballots cast. It needs 66.67% to be approved. The Registrar estimates there are still approximately 185,000 votes to be counted, with most of those provisional ballots. The next update of results is scheduled to be posted on Friday afternoon.

In terms of raw votes, Measure R's lead is now about 23,051 -- an increase from about 16,675 after last Friday's update. The fewer votes there are to be counted, the more difficult that lead will be to overcome.

In related news, a sales tax increase in Santa Clara County to extend the BART rail system to the southern Bay Area has taken an extremely narrow lead after trailing since Election Day. The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting today that the difference between winning and losing is less than a dozen votes. About 9,800 votes remain to be counted, reports the Chronicle.

--Steve Hymon

Comments

[lsm]

Apparently LA County does not enjoy a monopoly tonight on good news about transit funding. The Mercury News announced Measure B (to fund a BART extension to San Jose) passed in Santa Clara County: http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_11045734?nclick_check=1 The story shares an interesting outsider's take on what our Union Station may become.

[lsm]

My bad! Earlier I ignored one million farsighted voters in LA County who opted to tax themselves to invest in their futures. In tonight's tally, Measure R leads by 1,024,470 votes, not by 24,470. More importantly, it exceeds the 2/3 threshold by 28,598 votes; the County Clerk's website does not say how many (if any) ballots remain uncounted.

[Dan W.]

R - MTA SALES TAX -
YES 1,963,147 (67.65% )
NO 938,677 (32.35% )

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Keep smiling all Measure R supporters. Friday's total makes it better and better.

[lsm]

With 2,901,824 votes now counted, Measure R now leads by 24,470 votes, 67.65% to 32.35%!

[Kymberleigh Richards]

My hope is that, once the votes are cast and (it seems likely that) Measure R passes, the naysaying, parochial politicians such as Supervisor Antonovich get with the program and start the processes to leverage this new funding source against whatever the Feds allow.

There is no reason why those projects which have gone through Alternatives Analysis cannot be fast-tracked; given enough leveraged funding, the subway extension, Expo phase two, Crenshaw, the downtown Regional Connector, both Green Line extensions, and the Gold Line extension (both Foothill and Eastside) cannot have overlapping construction schedules.

The faster these projects can be started, the sooner they will be carrying passengers, and that will reinforce the decision made by the voters to finance these projects.

[David Galvan]

Wow, less than a dozen vote lead for extending the BART southward?

Would be cool if it passed though. Another county passing a pro-transit initiative only adds more of a mandate to show the federal government and the rest of the state that the people here want to try something other than more cars and wider freeways to enable transportation.

[Dan W.]

The news about R just keeps getting better and better.

That's also good news about BART if it holds.

Election day was very good for transit in the Pacific Rim.

Not only did R and Prop. 1a pass, but Seattle approved the expansion of its light rail system and Honolulu approved creation of a light rail system.

Watching Denver expand its system should encourage all of us who are transit activists.

[Dana Gabbard]

Gads, the percentage went UP? All the naysayers must be gnashing their teeth just about now. Uber Gadfly John Walsh at the Metro meeting on the Wilshire BRT last night in his comments loudly announced audience members should call the authorities about investigating voter fraud, which he hinted he thought was behind the passage of R. Poor John, his moment in the spotlight has ended but he can't help trying to get a few last seconds of attention.

How ironic just after the election Antonovich's deputy Michael Cano laid out the scenario for R failing from the count of provisional and absentee votes. Obviously history is moving in the other direction.

http://www.insidesocal.com/pasadenapolitics/2008/11/the-scenario-where-measure-r-f.html

[lsm]

If my math is correct (not always a safe bet), and all of the provisional ballots count and all include a vote on Measure R and 53.70% voted "Yes," the measure passed. Perhaps more realistically, if only 90% of the ballots count and only 90% include a vote on Measure R and 50.65% voted "Yes," the measure passed. I expect to hear great news on Friday.

[Dan W.]

This just keeps getting better and better.