Proposition 31 Two-Year State Budget: Election Results Show Likely Defeat for Reformers
Proposition 31, the ballot measure pushed by good-government types to change how money is spent in Sacramento, appears to be headed to defeat, according to preliminary election results tonight.
Nicholas Berggruen
Also known as the "California Government Performance and Accountability" proposition, Prop 31 was a host of reforms: It would require that bills be posted three days before passage. It would mandate two-year budget plans instead of just one. It would block the Legislature from spending money it doesn't have. It would allocate some sales tax revenues to local governments instead of the behemoth state government.
The measure appears to have failed to convince voters.
With 66 percent of ballots counted, just 40 percent of voters were in favor of these reforms. A total of 60 percent were opposed.
The non-partisan group California Forward drew up the proposition. Its major backer was the Nicolas Berggruen Institute, the foundation started by the eponymous German/American billionaire philanthropist.
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