With ballots all counted, Measure R's victory is complete

The Los Angeles County registrar finished counting ballots on Friday, and here's the final line score for Measure R, the half-cent sales tax increase for transportation projects -- including the start of the Westside subway extension -- in Los Angeles County:

Yes: 2,039,214 votes, 67.93%

No: 962,569 votes, 32.07%

Measure R needed two-thirds votes to pass, meaning it won by a raw vote total of about 37,000 votes.  The county Board of Supervisors is scheduled to declare the results official at its meeting on Tuesday.

Measure R was the seventh countywide transportation bond or tax to go to voters in Los Angeles County since 1968. Of those, Measure R received the highest percentage of the vote and the most votes. The list, courtesy  of Matthew Barrett at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's library:

1968: Rapid Transit Bond, 62 rail miles, 44.88% yes, 50.01% no. FAILED

1974: One-cent sales tax in perpetuity, 46.39% yes, 50.01% no. FAILED

1976: 1/2-cent sales tax for 232 miles of rail construction, 40.64% yes, 50.01% no. FAILED  

1976: 1/2-cent sales tax in perpetuity, 39.64% yes, 50.01% no. FAILED

1980: 1/2-cent sales tax in perpetuity,  54.33% yes, 50.01% no. PASSED

1990: 1/2-cent sales tax in perpetuity, 50.44% yes, 50.01% no. PASSED

2008: 1/2-cent sales tax for 30 years, 67.93% yes, 32.07% no. PASSED

If you were a proponent of Measure R and want to know which politicians worked this issue, here's a short list -- all people we've mentioned before on this blog:

-- Assemblyman Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles). Feuer took an old state bill from 2004 that would have authorized a sales tax back then and revamped it for 2008 and helped navigate the often tricky currents of the Legislature. He also stumped hard for it in recent weeks on both the airwaves and with community groups.

-- MTA and Metrolink board member Richard Katz. He did a lot of the behind-the-scenes work, meaning he negotiated with a lot of other concerned pols who wanted to see their projects included in Measure R.

-- County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky. He wrote the countywide measure in 1998 that banned sales tax money from the 1980 and 1990 elections from being used for subway tunneling, saying that the subway was consuming too much resources. But he got behind the subway extension this time around, saying that with a new pot of money the project could become a reality.

-- And, finally, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. When trying to oust James K. Hahn from office in 2005, Villaraigosa campaigned on building the subway to the sea -- and at times was mocked by the Hahn campaign for making such a promise. Upon taking office, he commissioned a study to show tunneling in methane gas-prone areas was safe, used that study to convince Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills)  to repeal the congressional ban on subway tunneling in those areas and then, as an MTA board member,  voted to launch the ongoing alternatives analysis to see if a subway is needed and what route it might take.

Measure R was the fourth step and could provide the subway up to $4.1 billion. Measure R proponents say that should get the train from its terminus at Wilshire and Western to Westwood.

In addition, Villaraigosa ran the Measure R campaign -- meaning he did a lot of the fund-raising -- and he also put his longtime political strategist Ace Smith in charge of a campaign. "When he ran for mayor, everyone told us that it" -- the subway -- "was not doable," Smith told me on Monday. "But the guy did it."

Interestingly, the subway was not mentioned per se in Villaraigosa's inaugural speech in July 2005 -- a speech that carried a theme of dreaming big:

I’d like to now turn to another matter that may not sound like the stuff of dreams, but is critical if we are to improve the quality of life of our city’s residents. And that’s traffic.

The time we spend stuck in traffic is time we do not spend helping our kids with their homework or being productive at work.

So, Los Angeles, join me in fighting for the investment in public transportation that is the hallmark of any great city. Join me in implementing the common sense traffic plans that have been bottlenecked for too long. Join me in transforming Los Angeles into a city that connects our communities and brings us all closer together.

All that said, the hard work is likely just beginning. Measure R is expected to bring in as much as $40 billion over the next three decades for a variety of transit and road projects. It also freezes MTA fares for everyone until mid-2010 (and some longer) and will return millions of dollars to cities in the county to spend on transportation projects.

What remains to be seen is whether the Measure R transit projects are built in a first-class way that provides a good alternative to driving and whether the road projects can help erase some of the longstanding tie-ups that cause congestion. It's one thing to talk about transportation, it's another to pick up the shovel and to start digging.

-- Steve Hymon

Comments

[Roberto]

In the name of politics (to make sure other districts get some of their projects going before the most expensive one -- the subway -- breaks ground), the soonest the first segment to Wilshire/Fairfax would be completed would be in about 7 years, if matching funds are received from the Feds and there are no unexpected delays. SGV will get their Gold Line extension to Azusa first, and also the Expo line to at least Culver City would be funded first, and perhaps the Green Line connection to LAX. Remember that the East L.A. Gold Line is already scheduled to open next year, so over the next three decades there should be a fairly steady roll-out of new projects. They can never be built fast enough, but at least now they're coming (they've all been on hold with no funding for quite some time).

[Dan W.]

This is phenomenal.
Woo Hoo!!!

Such high hurdles and it passed.

L.A. County has really invested in its future.

[Marc]

The actual margin of victory was over 38,000 votes -

2/3 of 3,001,783 is 2,002,188

Difference between that and Yes vote is 38,025

[KateNonymous]

Fantastic! I'm glad this passed. I hope that the money is actually put to its intended good use.

On a related note, can we get more bike racks and lockers at Orange Line stations? The racks at Balboa, for example, are full by 6:30 a.m., and there are long waiting lists for lockers at many if not all of the stations, even when there is clearly plenty of room for more locker installation.

[Jody Litvak]

I'd like to invite all those interested in the Westside subway to visit us at www.metro.net/westside. That's where you will find information from the Alaternatives Analysis (AA) Study that began in late 2007 and is now concluding. You can see what we've considered along the way, the conclusions we've reached and how we got there. You can also add yourself to our distribution list so we can keep you informed as the planning work goes forward, and leave us your thoughts and questions. For those of you on Facebook, you can also find us at "Metro Westside Extension."

In January, we plan to present the AA Study to the Metro Board of Directors and seek their authorization to proceed into a Draft EIR/EIS, the necessary next phase of planning for this project.

Jody Litvak
Metro Westside Extension Study

[Matt]

I think the no votes are mixed up with the threshold of victory needed to win. All measures prior to R only needed 50.01% to pass, Measure R was held to a higher 66.67% standard to win. The real news is that R got over a million more yes votes than Prop C did in 1990 - a sea of change in public opinion towards transportation issues.

[Joe C]

I'm guessing that those "50.01% no"s should be "50.01% required," right?

[Ken Alpern]

A belated "Thanksgiving" treat here--we've got a lot to give thanks for...but clearly we have to make sure this money is spent well and matched with federal and state funding initiatives as well.

Let's keep our fingers crossed that L.A. County just saved itself with respect to a respectable 21st century economic and environmental quality of life.

[Jody Litvak]

I want to invite those of you interested in the planning efforts for a westside subway to visit our website at www.metro.net/westside. That's where you will find all the information from the Alternatives Analysis (AA) Study that we have been conducting since late 2007. You can see what we've evaluated and how we have arrived at our recommendatiions. You can also leave us your comments and questions and let us know how to contact you so you can stay involved as we move forward. You can also join our "Metro Westside Extension" group on Facebook.

That AA Study is now concluding and we plan to present the recommendations to the Metro Board of Directors in January. That's when we'll be asking for authorization to proceed into a Draft EIR/EIS, the necessary next step for subway planning.

Jody Litvak
Metro Westside Extension Study Team

[calwatch]

In addition, I think one of the paragraphs in the Villaraigosa speech doesn't belong, and is the author's commentary.

Now jeers go to the anti-Measure R side for not putting together a campaign, or a coherent position on why it was a bad idea. Someone could have picked up the phone and purchased slate mailers. Back in September and October, the car dealers could have stepped up and funded an anti-R campaign (or furniture stores, or electronics stores, or any other industry that sells big ticket items). They could have explained to the 8 million licensed drivers in LA County that Measure R did very little for freeways or roads. Rather, they thought they could simply rely on the ballot pamphlet argument and free media from newspapers that fewer and fewer people read to sell the idea. Meanwhile, folks armed with only the ballot pamphlet and slate mailers (plus the one or two mailers paid for by the pro-R campaign) saw a rosy picture of trains everywhere, freeway expansion, and safety improvements.

John and Ken, stop your moaning about the sales tax, because you did nothing to stop it. Tom McClintock, you were totally asleep at the wheel. And to the San Gabriel Valley and Antelope Valley, note that no one reads your newspapers, and you were too cheap to mount an anti-R campaign. Get over it.

[Kymberleigh Richards]

"some of the votes add to more than 100%"

I have a copy of Matt Barrett's spreadsheet as well, and the problem is not math but that Steve identified the column labeled "% Yes Required" as "No".

An easy mistake to make.

[Irwin]

Let's move and move fast on the subway! When will the environmental impact study be completed? And when can we start digging? I'll pitch in and shelve some dirt myself...

[Oh Please]

Will the Times stop cheerleading for it now?

[Carter]

w000000000000000000000000000t!!!

I may just eat my words about getting the heck out of LA after college and heading to greener public transit pastures.

See you all in 2014.

[Roger Christensen]

The Mayor, Richard Katz and Zev are true heroes here. It's great when the heavy hitters team up to slam some home runs. Top of the list is Mike Feur - a true champion.

As for those on the Board of Supervisors and MTA Board who stayed in their own muck....there are some ironies:

The San Gabriel Valley is a big winner here as once again a low rated project leaps ahead of a dozen more worthy ones in the name of politics. (And they won't say thank you.) The Gold Line Foothill extensiion is LA County's version of San Diego's Santee line.

Palmdale and Santa Clarita are big winners also because the passage of High Speed Rail will give them a higher mode of rail service than just about anybody.

But both the Antelope and San Gabriel Valley residents are big winners mainly because thousands of new riders will for the first time hop on their current Metrolink and Gold Line stations as soon as there is a rail connection to the Westside!

PS -- and a special thank you to LACMA! Shrewdest and best investment they ever made!

[David Murphy]

An historic election, all around -- including what it will do for Los Angeles. Champagne all around!

[Brian]

some of the votes add to more than 100%.