Proposition 38 Election Results: Molly Munger's Tax-Hike Falls To Massive Voter Opposition

Nanette Gonzales

Molly Munger

Major media outlets have concluded that Molly Munger's Proposition 38 is a big loser -- and by a huge margin if current numbers hold up.

As of 10:20 p.m., the California Secretary of State web site shows that voters shot down Prop. 38 by 74 percent -- no other initiative on the 2012 state ballot is losing that badly.

The major defeat comes after multi-millionaire and Pasadena civil rights attorney Molly Munger personally spent $44.1 million on the Yes on 38 campaign. Her husband, Steve English, gave over $3 million to Proposition 38.

Munger and her campaign team, which she and her husband headed up, clearly failed to connect with California voters and effectively explain the merits of Proposition 38.

The failed ballot measure sought to increase incomes taxes for California residents on a progressive scale, with that money -- billions of dollars worth -- funneled directly to local public school districts.

Munger and English are successful products of the California public education system, and say they wanted to give back by helping to better fund cash-starved schools.

The civil rights attorney came under heavy attack by the Democratic political establishment and Governor Jerry Brown, who saw Proposition 38 as a threat to the success of his own tax-hike initiative, Proposition 30. But Munger stood strong -- for the most part.

Munger blinked, however, when she pulled an effective TV ad that sent Brown and his supporters into hysterics. The ad compared Proposition 38 with Proposition 30, making note that Sacramento legislators could not touch Prop. 38 money -- unlike Prop. 30.

With Democratic officials crying foul and calling on Munger to ditch the TV ad, the civil rights attorney pulled it off the air after a week.

It may have been the wrong decision.

Soon after, polls showed that Proposition 38 was losing major support from voters, and Munger's campaign never again picked up steam.

Public education advocates are now closely watching the numbers for Brown's Proposition 30, which promises to prevent "trigger cuts" to state funding for local school districts.

During an L.A. Weekly interview a few weeks ago, husband Steve English promised that he and Munger would continue to seek more funding for California's public schools. Munger and English may come back in a year or two with another ballot measure -- and, most probably, a better campaign strategy.

Contact Patrick Range McDonald at pmcdonald@laweekly.com.

Tags:

huge defeat, Jerry Brown, Molly Munger, Patrick Range McDonald, Proposition 38, public schools, tax hike

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rockinlinus

It's a shame Prop 38 didn't pass. Even with Prop 30 CA schools will remain 47th in the nation in per pupil spending. And even with prop 30 school districts will struggle financially to provide a well rounded, 21st century education for all students. It will be up to local parents and communities to fund their own educational foundations, PTAs and possible city parcel taxes to keep their local schools viable and vital. The gap between the "have" public school districts and the "have not" public school districts will grow even wider, inequity will remain rampant and our children, communities and state will have to pay the price.

poppymea

She should have done what Marc Zuckerberg did for the schools in Newark, NJ. Just donate those millions directly to the school district and be done with it! What a waste of $44+ millions!!

dgabbard

The election is over, you can stop being apologist for Ms. Mungher and her ill conceived measure. The sentence "increase incomes taxes for California residents on a progressive scale" is your way of evading that one advantage Prop 30 had is its income tax increase was only on the rich while Munger's would hit everyone, which is more regressive than progressive. It polled poorly from the get-go, obviously this was a scam by consultants to nick millions from the well intentioned but easily fooled Ms. Munger who only bought a reputation for being clueless for spending her millions on a lost cause/poorly drafted measure. Hopefully this is the last we'll ever see of this deluded fool. 27.7%? Even Frankenfood measure did better. As I said before, Munger proves your can be rich and obtuse.

http://vote.sos.ca.gov/returns/ballot-measures/