Two California ballot measures funded by corporations are still too close to call after Tuesday’s elections. A utility company spent $46 million on a measure to make it harder for municipalities to set up their own utility companies; a car insurance company spent $16 million on a measure making it easier to hike fees on some drivers.
Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watch, said he was heartened that those propositions were so close despite tens of millions spent by companies that would benefit.
"I think it says the electorate isn't as stupid as the corporations think it is," Court said.
Yes, it’s encouraging that these measures might not pass, but the fact that they’re this close shows that millions of dollars in corporate spending is no joke. We’ll post an update when the results are in.
(And, speaking of a reasonable electorate, it looks like the Religious Right group seeking to elect judges who would push a "biblical worldview" on the bench isn’t doing so well).
UPDATE: Both corporate funded ballot measures have been rejected by narrow margins.