Governor Was on Their Mind, No Matter How They Voted

Mathew Tekulsky was lingering near his Brentwood polling place Tuesday morning, just moments away from marking his ballot.

But he still had questions.

So Tekulsky, a Democrat, turned for advice to the closest available resource -- a protester in a rubber Arnold Schwarzenegger mask.

"So wait," Tekulsky said to the masked man. "Tell me again what I'm supposed to do?"

Los Angeles-area voters could be forgiven for feeling overwhelmed by Tuesday's special election ballot with its eight complicated statewide measures.

They were asked to decide such weighty issues as abortion rights, legislative redistricting and the re-regulation of California's energy markets, and to grapple with controversial reforms in teacher hiring, labor's role in politics and the budget process.

Locally, voters decided the fate of a nearly $4-billion school-construction bond and voted to fill two L.A. City Council seats.

The election also was widely viewed as a referendum on the governor, who campaigned vigorously for a yes vote on four propositions, portraying them as essential reforms.

And so the people came and voted -- usually with Schwarzenegger on their minds.

At a Brentwood polling place, school counselor Gail Bliss, 51, said she supported the governor and the special election, but acknowledged that he faced tough odds on his initiatives.

"I believe his intentions were good," she said, "and I wish California would have given him a chance." That stood in stark contrast to Efrain Sanchez's take. Sanchez, an architect and independent, said the election was a prime example of Schwarzenegger's arrogance -- spending millions of dollars unnecessarily to promote his own interests.

"The only thing he's improved in the last few years is his pronunciation," quipped Sanchez at the Sanchez Burrito Co. in Monterey Park, which had opened its doors as a polling place.

Jedidiah Lobos, 27, of Palmdale didn't necessarily think an off-year election was needed. But he was glad to vote for the governor's reform package and reaffirm his support for Schwarzenegger, whom he voted for in 2003.

"I think he gets a bad rap because he took over a state in turmoil," said Lobos, an Antelope Valley College instructor.

Karla Archuleta, a Palmdale Republican, also voted for Schwarzenegger in 2003. But the stay-at-home mom was worried that propositions to extend probation for new teachers and curtail state spending might harm public schools.