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