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

Measure R's lead expands yet again

The Los Angeles County Registrar updated the vote totals for Measure R late Wednesday. The half-cent sales tax increase for transportation in L.A. County now has 67.89% of the vote, its largest total yet.

Measure R needs two-thirds of the vote to secure passage. I'll post the number of votes left to be counted on Monday when the Registrar's office reopens. As of now, Measure R has a raw vote lead of about 35,550 votes -- so, if there are fewer outstanding ballots than that number, it's over. Measure R will have won.

-- Steve Hymon

Another map of Measure R results

Here's a map of Measure R results in Los Angeles County that was assembled by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, using only the results from polling places. That will likely turn out to be about 75% of the votes cast for Measure R, so it's a good sample but not complete one.

The map certainly provides a broader view of results by percentage than the Google map I posted a few weeks ago. That map looks strictly at whether Measure R passed or failed in cities around the county.

Click on the link below to see a version of the MTA map that allows you to zoom in and out to see how Measure R fared in different parts of the county.

-- Steve Hymon

Measure R Yes Votes in Los Angeles County

 

Measure R now ahead by full percentage point

The end is near on the counting of ballots: The Los Angeles County Registrar updated the numbers again on Measure R today. The half-cent sales tax increase in L.A. County for transportation projects now has 67.79% of the vote -- the first time it has led by a full percentage point. The lead in raw votes is about 32,164. The results are still unofficial.

The registrar's office said about 75,000 votes still need to be counted -- about 65,000 provisional ballots and 10,000 absentee.

Though it's mathematically possible for Measure R to lose, it's extremely unlikely from a statistical point of view.

--Steve Hymon

Measure R's lead keeps growing

The lead for Measure R reached almost a full percentage point on Friday, as the Los Angeles County Registrar updated vote totals from the Nov. 4 election. Measure R now has 67.65% of the vote, the largest lead it has had. Two-thirds approval is needed for passage. The vote totals are still unofficial.

The lead for Measure R in terms of raw votes now stands at about 27,630. I'll find out the number of outstanding votes still to be counted on Monday. At this point, the majority of absentee and provisional ballots have been counted.

Measure R, if approved, would raise the sales tax by a half-cent in Los Angeles County to pay for mass transit and road projects. The largest project is an extension of the subway to the Westside.

--Steve Hymon

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

Lead widens for Measure R

The lead grew larger on Friday for Measure R, the half-cent sales tax increase for transportation in Los Angeles County. Measure R now has 67.31% of the vote, according to unofficial election results from the Los Angeles County Registrar. On Tuesday, Measure R had 67.23% of the vote. It needs two-thirds of the vote to pass.

In terms of raw votes, Measure R now holds a lead of about 16,675 votes -- an increase of almost 2,400 from the lead it held after the Tuesday update.

I wasn't able to verify Friday afternoon exactly how many absentee ballots and provisional ballots remain to be counted. I'll try to get that number on Monday. The next update on results will be Tuesday afternoon.

--Steve Hymon

Measure R's lead increases, chances of defeat grow slimmer

The lead for the half-cent transportation sales tax hike in Los Angeles County grew slightly on Tuesday from 67.22% to....67.23% with another 121,700 votes having been counted, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar. Measure R needs two-thirds voter approval to pass.

There could still be more than 288,000 absentee and provisional votes to be counted, but the number likely isn't that high (I explained why in this morning's post). With a raw vote lead of at least 14,280 (if, for example, .667% is the threshold), it appears that the results of the remaining ballots will have to be substantially different from the nearly 2.69 million ones that have been counted for Measure R to be defeated.

--Steve Hymon

Measure R election results update

Election results for Measure R will be updated later today by the Los Angeles County registrar. The proposed half-cent sales-tax increase for transportation in Los Angeles County has so far received 67.22% of the vote, which translates into a lead of about 13,200 votes. Measure R proponents are confident that will hold up.

As of Monday afternoon, there were about 160,000 absentee ballots and 250,000 provisional ballots still to be counted, said Marcia Ventura, a spokeswoman for the registrar. The ballots are being counted each day, but the results are only being updated twice a week -- on Tuesday and Friday afternoons. It takes longer to count these ballots because the registrar has to check that each absentee ballot was signed and that each provisional ballot came from a registered voter, Ventura said.

It's not likely that all 410,000 ballots will all count toward Measure R. About 91% of the voters in L.A. County who cast a vote in the presidential race also voted in the Measure R race. And, in the February primary of this year, 87% of the provisional ballots were eligible to be counted, an increase from 82% in the 2004 presidential race.

Ventura said that today's tally will likely add another 160,000 ballots or so to the countywide results. I'll update later when the results are posted.

--Steve Hymon

Measure R's lead shrinks

The lead became thinner for the transportation sales tax hike known as Measure R, as the Los Angeles County Registrar on Friday resumed counting ballots from the election.

Measure R needed two-thirds approval and Friday's tally brought yes votes down from 67.41% to 67.22%. There are still about 450,000 late-arriving absentee and provisional ballots to be counted, with the Registrar scheduled to resume its tally on Tuesday and Friday of next week.

Campaign officials for Measure R say they expect it will pass because the late absentee votes and provisional ballots tend to favor Measure R more than the early-arriving absentee ballots counted on Friday. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other proponents held a news conference Wednesday to celebrate Measure R's passage.

--Steve Hymon