Calif. Says No To Laxer Rules for Bond Votes

By Jessica L. Sandham

Voters in California rejected a measure last week designed to make it easier for districts to win financing to build and repair schools, despite the efforts of a coalition of education and business groups that had promoted the plan with a $22 million campaign.

Proposition 26 failed by a slim margin even as the state's voters approved $4.6 billion worth of state bonds for parks, libraries, and improved water quality. The measure would have lowered the share of votes needed to pass local bonds for school construction from a two-thirds majority—as is currently mandated by a 121-year-old clause in the state constitution—to a simple majority.

Opponents of the plan hailed its defeat as a victory for fiscal accountability, while proponents called the loss disappointing. But supporters said they were consoled by the narrow margin; out of 6.5 million voters, 48.8 percent cast ballots in...