Tax Measures Failing in California Special Election! - UPDATED!!

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

As expected, five of six budget-related ballot measures on Tuesday's special election that would help reduce California's projected $21.3 billion deficit were failing, early returns showed.

The defeat of the measures would put the state that's already in financial abyss into a deeper hole, but the voter rejection would further confirm Californians' disapproval of the way Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature are handling the state's fiscal crisis.

With nearly 14 percent of the precincts reporting results, Propositions 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D and 1E were failing while the only measure voters were approving was Prop. 1F, which would freeze salaries of top state officials including lawmakers and the governor.

I'll try to post a final entry later, when enough precincts report their tallies ...

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UPDATE: Okay, here's the headline at 10:15 at the Los Angeles Times: "Package of Budget Measures Heads to Defeat." And here's the San Francisco Chronicle's headline: "Californians Just Say No To Budget Measures":

California voters on Tuesday soundly rejected a package of ballot measures that would have reduced the state's projected budget deficit of $21.3 billion to something slightly less overwhelming: $15.4 billion.

The defeat of the measures means that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the state Legislature will have to consider deeper cuts to education, public safety, and health and human services, officials have said.

Propositions 1A through 1E - which would have changed the state's budgeting system, ensured money to schools in future years and generated billions of dollars of revenue for the state's general fund - fell well behind in early returns and never recovered.

The only measure that voters approved was Proposition 1F, which will freeze salaries of top state officials including lawmakers and the governor during tough budget years.In a written statement Tuesday night, Schwarzenegger said that he believes Californians are simply frustrated with the state's dysfunctional budget system.

"Now we must move forward from this point to begin to address our fiscal crisis with constructive solutions," the governor said.

Here's the table from the Fresno Bee, with 32.9% of precincts reporting:

Prop 1A (spending caps, taxes)	Yes	36.6%
	No	63.4%
Prop 1B (payments to schools)	Yes	40.1%
	No	59.9%
Prop 1C (lottery borrowing)	Yes	38.3%
	No	61.7%
Prop 1D (diverting child development funds)	Yes	37.6%
	No	62.4%
Prop 1E (reallocating mental health funds)	Yes	37.1%
	No	62.9%
Prop 1F (elected official pay)	Yes	76.4%
	No	23.6%

I'll review all the final results and analysis tomorrow ...