New vote totalsNapa County voters were no more inclined to help lawmakers fix the state budget than other Californians, soundly rejecting the five key measures on the ballot Tuesday.

Election night results showed Napa County voters dumping the two most important measures, Proposition 1A and Proposition 1B, by wide margins.

Proposition 1A, which would extend recent hikes in property, sales and vehicle taxes while enacted long-term budget reforms, was losing 61 to 39 in Napa County. Proposition 1B, which would have reconfigured the state’s commitment to spending on K-14 education, was losing 57 to 43.

Similarly, Propositions 1C, 1D and 1E failed badly, with 60-61 percent No votes in election night results. The only measure to win was Proposition 1F, a largely symbolic measure barring lawmakers from getting raises in bad budget years. That measure won handily 3-1 statewide and led 82 to 18 percent in Napa County.

Assemblywoman Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, whose district include Napa County and who is chairwoman of the Assembly Budget Committee, said the results “are not entirely a surprise. They are disappointing, though.”

Evans said the state has “already cut the fat and muscle, now we’re in the bone.”

She warned that the state should now gird for deep cuts to education, law enforcement and other services.

Last week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled a doomsday budget should the measures fail, one that projected a budget deficit of $21 billion.

His proposal, which Evans recounted Tuesday night, called for $6 billion in borrowing from banks, $5 billion in further cuts to education, $2 billion in state borrowing from local cities and counties, $1.5 billion in health and social services cuts and $500 million in cuts to prisons.

In practical terms, Evans said, “Cities and counties are going to have to make significant cuts.”

She predicted schools would see larger class sizes, shorter academic years and more teacher layoffs. The Napa Valley Unified School District had already been preparing for           77 teacher layoffs.

She said local law enforcement agencies will “take a big cut” and noted that the governor’s budget called for a major reduction in funds for CalFire, the state agency most responsible for fighting blazes around the state. CalFire expenses are unpredictable because they rise and fall with the severity of the fire season.

She said changes in the public safety arena likely would include the release of some prisoners, most likely undocumented people who are likely subject to federal immigration holds and deportation.

She also said crimes called “wobblers,” which can be prosecuted as either felonies or misdemeanors, would be handled as misdemeanors. That would result in fewer people convicted of those crimes going to state prison and more in county jails.

Back to the grind

Evans said the Legislature would be back in session to deal with the fallout from the election starting Thursday, working “six or seven days a week for three or four weeks” to implement the necessary cuts.

Given that the $8 billion borrowed from banks and local agencies needs to be repaid in a relatively short period of time, Evans said the Legislature must already consider next year’s budget as it gets to work responding to the across-the-board defeat on Tuesday.

Note: Vote totals were updated Wednesday morning