Voters say no to 98
By Joe Piasecki 06/05/2008
A state ballot initiative that would have ended Pasadena’s affordable housing polices, made rent control illegal statewide and threatened renter protections was soundly defeated by the few registered voters who went to the polls Tuesday.
With very few partisan primary races featuring more than one candidate, most LA County voters apparently did not feel the need to turn up at the polls. Participation totaled only 16.48 percent of 4,027,819 registered voters, according to the LA County Registrar-Recorder’s Office.
Statewide, voters rejected Proposition 98, which would have also placed new restrictions on the use of eminent domain and was supported primarily by real estate interests and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association, by a count of 2,091,890 (61 percent) to 1,342,655.
Voters supported Proposition 99, a competing measure that also dealt with eminent domain, by a similar margin statewide.
In Los Angeles County, where voters favored 99 over 98 in even greater numbers, Supervisor Mike Antonovich and District Attorney Steve Cooley each easily won another term against lesser-known and underfunded candidates.
Antonovich pledged in a victory statement to prioritize public safety and progressive foster care system reforms — including raising the age of emancipation for foster kids from 18 to 21. He’s also supporting changes to mental health care laws that would expand treatment.
Meanwhile, a man with a history of pushing for the rebirth of racial segregation failed to find significant support in his bid for a seat on the LA Superior Court bench. Bill Johnson, author of a book calling for the repeal of the 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution, was defeated by prosecutor James Bianco by nearly 224,000 votes.
Superior Court hopeful Richard A. Nixon, a San Fernando Valley attorney who shares a similar name with America’s 37th president but did not campaign and refused to speak with the media, also did not find much support in his race against prosecutors Allan Nadir and Kathleen Blanchard. Blanchard won the seat with 64 percent of the vote.
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