It’s official: Measure F passes with 56.1%

Registrar of voters announces final vote tally Tuesday; school district leaders breathe sigh of relief.Measure F, the $282-million bond that seeks to renovate all the campuses in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, has officially passed, the Orange County Registrar of Voters announced Tuesday.

The measure ultimately passed with 56.1% of the vote; it needed 55% to pass. Only 43.8% of registered voters participated in the election.

Over the weekend, the registrar conducted its final vote count on the measure, which went to the ballot in the Nov. 8 special election. Acting registrar Neal Kelley signed the official certification for the results Monday and brought it to the Board of Supervisors the following day.

The news, posted early Tuesday on the registrar’s website, drew sighs of relief from school district administrators who had waited nervously for two weeks to get the final result.

“We’re thankful, really,” said Supt. Robert Barbot. “It couldn’t be a better time with Thanksgiving coming.”

When the early results showed Measure F with a lead, the district began outlining plans to form two community groups that will monitor the school projects and ensure that each area of the district receives the same attention.

With the measure now officially passed, Barbot said, the district will set about appointing members of the committees.

Measure F passed by a much lower margin than Measure A, Newport-Mesa’s last school bond, which won 72% of the vote in 2000. Some in the community, including the Orange County Young Republicans, opposed the new bond, but Newport-Mesa administrators said the narrow victory didn’t discourage them.

“We may have not gotten as many votes as we did with Measure A, but considering the number of people voting, we did remarkably well,” said school board president Serene Stokes.

With the two committees expected to be filled in the next few months, work on Measure F should begin within the year.

Among the projects proposed are a gym at TeWinkle Middle School, science classrooms on all elementary school campuses, a football stadium at Estancia High School and an Olympic-sized swimming pool at Costa Mesa High School. The principals of the last two schools expressed gratitude at the measure’s passing.

“This is a great step forward for the cities of Costa Mesa, Corona del Mar and Newport Beach,” Estancia principal Tom Antal said. “It will enhance schools and serve kids with enhanced programs for 20 years.”

Costa Mesa principal John Garcia said he was “ecstatic” about the victory and hopes to expand not only the campus pool but also its performing arts facilities.

The residents group Costa Mesa United has spent the last two years raising funds for the stadium and pool and to date has accumulated more than $4 million in cash and pledges. Gordon Bowley, a volunteer for Costa Mesa United, said the group will meet Monday to discuss its plans. Two possibilities, he said, are to give the money to the school board or to donate it to Costa Mesa youth sports.

Dan Diehl, the principal of TeWinkle, said students and faculty are eagerly awaiting their own gym -- mostly since the school’s basketball teams are unable to play games at home.

“We’re very excited about the passage of Measure F,” Diehl said. “There are some items left over from Measure A that didn’t get completed, and we look forward to having a gym on campus.”

* MICHAEL MILLER may be reached at (714) 966-4617 or at michael.miller@latimes.com.