Patrick Range McDonaldGovernor Jerry Brown got very lucky on election night and pulled off a major win by the seat of his pants, with the Associated Press calling the victory for Brown's Proposition 30.
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As of 4 a.m., Proposition 30, which will raise the state sales tax and income tax on people making over $250,000, received 53.6 percent of voter support. 46.4 percent of voters opposed the initiative.
Brown battled a well-funded No on 30 campaign, which got major backing from multi-millionaire Charles T. Munger. His sister, Molly Munger, also caused headaches for Brown with her competing measure, Proposition 38. That initiative went crashing down in a huge defeat.
Brown got off to a late start in wooing voters to support Proposition 30, which seeks to plug California's multi-billion-dollar budget deficit.
Not only did Brown place the initiative on the November 2012 ballot late in the game, but he was also missing in action on the campaign trail this summer.
Brown, however, barnstormed the state over the last few weeks. A talented and veteran campaigner, the governor worked enough magic to put Proposition 30 over the top.
California will now avoid “trigger cuts” to the state's public education system.
While Proposition 30 does not bring in the same kind of billions for local schools as Proposition 38 would have, education advocates are still relieved that Brown's initiative won.
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Contact Patrick Range McDonald at pmcdonald@laweekly.com.
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