Election: Time to punch your ticket
Claudia Figueroa
Measure F may be the biggest local election issue today, but primary
contests for the presidential race, statewide offices and a host of state
propositions will also be vying for equal time in voting booths.
Still, Measure F is certainly the most important of the bunch, with
probably the biggest land-use issue facing the county at stake -- the
proposed airport at the closed El Toro Marine Corps base.
Local El Toro advocates have been campaigning against the measure, saying
that if it passes, it could block the development of a second county
airport but not future expansion at John Wayne Airport.
Airport activist Tom Naughton said Monday that he feels good about the
“No on F” campaign, which will continue today throughout polling hours.
“We’ll continue with what we have been doing all along,” said Naughton,
who is president of the Newport Beach-based Airport Working Group. “We’ll
be answering the phones, explaining Measure F. There’s still a lot of
confusion out there.”
In the evening, the volunteers who have helped campaign against the
measure will watch the results at an election party.
But South County’s Measure F activists said they will be the ones
celebrating.
“We’re optimistic about the outcome,” said Leonard Kranser, a volunteer
with the “Yes on F” campaign. “The concept that voters should make the
final choice on where we put airports and jails is very popular
countywide.”
Measure F, which was designed to block the El Toro airport, would require
a two-thirds majority of voters before the county could build airports,
jails and hazardous waste landfills.
In a broader scope, the California primary is a key battle between Texas
Gov. George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain in the contest for the
Republican presidential nomination. Also vying for the GOP ticket is
Allan Keyes.
Vice President Al Gore and Sen. Bill Bradley are the choices for the
Democratic nomination.
The ballot also includes races for two seats on the Orange County Board
of Supervisors. Charles “Chuck” Smith, of the 1st District, and Todd
Spitzer, who represents the 3rd District, are up for reelection. There
are two seats open for the county Board of Education as well as several
races for superior court judge posts.
There are also several federal and state government races. Rep. Chris Cox
(R-Newport Beach) is running for reelection in the 47th Congressional
District.
In the 45th District, longtime incumbent Rep. Dana Rohrabacher
(R-Huntington Beach) is squaring off against Long K. Pham, a Republican
from Newport Beach; Newport Beach resident Constance Betton, of the
Natural Law Party; and Costa Mesa’s Don Hull, of the Libertarian Party.
State Sen. Ross Johnson (R-Irvine), of the 35th District, is running for
reelection against Steve Ray, a Democrat from Sunset Beach.
Bea Foster, a Democrat from Santa Ana, and Gary Beck, a Republican from
Orange, are challenging state Assemblyman Bill Campbell (R-Orange) for
the 71st District.
Five of the state ballot propositions -- 12, 13, 26 and 28 -- could have
a big impact on the Newport-Mesa area.
Prop. 12 is a $2.1-billion bond measure to protect land around lakes,
rivers, streams and the coast. The initiative includes up to $13 million
for the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve to help pay for the bay’s
next dredging project.
Prop. 13 is a $2-billion bond measure to ensure the reliability and
quality of California’s water supply. The “water bond” would also fund
more than a dozen Orange County programs, ranging from waste water to
reclamation to urban runoff.
Prop. 26 authorizes local voter approval by majority vote, not the
current two-thirds, for school construction and improvement bonds and
property taxes. If approved, the measure could make it easier to get
voter approval in a June special election when the Newport-Mesa Unified
School District asks voters to pass a $100-million school bond to fix
aging schools.
Prop. 28 would a repeal a 1998 50-cent tobacco surtax. The tax has been
used to fund children’s health programs, including some in Costa Mesa. If
passed, this proposition will result a loss of $670 million in an annual
state fund for early childhood development programs and activities.
ELECTION INFORMATION
The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters who do not know their
polling location can call the county’s Registrar of Voters at (714)
567-7600 or (714) 567-7620, or log on at o7 www.oc.ca.gov/electionf7 .
Election results will also be posted on the county’s Web site and will be
available one hour after the final vote count by telephone at (714)
567-7600.
REGISTERED VOTERS
Costa Mesa: 45,621
Newport Beach: 46,582
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