Yesterday's Election Results

I was surprised Kevin Johnson did as well as he did in Sacramento's mayoral race. I figured Leonard Padilla's smear campaign would cripple Johnson, but voters apparently cut sports stars more slack than they would others for similar offenses.

The tree branch that fell on Heather Fargo's party at Vallejo's Restaurant looked like an omen; as the Chinese might say, she had lost the 'mandate of heaven'. I voted for her, but it was an unenthusiastic vote for 'Progress': her machinations over the years led to the rapid development of North Natomas, and to the risk that billions of dollars will be lost if/when that deep basin eventually floods.

I had thought of voting for Muriel Strand, since I once met her (on a bike ride from Chico to Sacramento in 1992), and liked her, but I couldn't stomach her insistence that global climate change is the biggest challenge facing Sacramento. Wrong scale of action for the Mayor of Sacramento.

Of course, I once met Leonard Padilla too, and liked him, but I found his intense focus on Johnson to be too smarmy.

On to the mayoral runoff election in November!

I was surprised and pleased that Prop. 98 went to defeat, and Prop. 99 won. Very perceptive voting on behalf of the electorate!

I was also surprised that Tom McClintock won the District 4 Republican primary over Doug Ose. It signals a deep ideological commitment by the Republican primary electorate, and it also signals a highly-polarized campaign this fall for John Doolittle's seat. More interesting than I would have anticipated!