Initiatives

With a host of made-for-media statewide initiatives on Tuesday's ballot, little has been made of local Proposition AA, which seeks $205 million to improve landscaping and lighting at the nine campuses of the Los Angeles Community College District--and has fueled debate over raising taxes. Proponents say Proposition AA is a frugal and fair use of property tax assessments. But anti-tax groups say the measure is an example of how property owners unfairly are made to subsidize community services.

The votes haven't been counted yet, but some results already are clear: Many of the biggest winners in this election are political consultants, especially ones with a piece of California's initiative business. By the time receipts are totaled, more than $83.6 million will have been spent on the 15 propositions on Tuesday's ballot. It's not a record. The fattest year remains 1988, when more than $100 million was spent.

Tuesday, Orange County voters will decide the fate of 23 local measures. A quick look at the issues and the areas affected: Countywide A: Limits Orange County Board of supervisors to two consecutive four-year terms. Anaheim B: Retains city's 2% transient occupancy tax, which is a levy on hotel and motel rooms. C: Eliminates requirement for full reading of emergency ordinances at City Council meetings. D: Permits publication of city ordinance summaries as alternative to publishing full text.

Here is a look at three countywide issues on Tuesday's ballot: Measure A: What it would do: Create a countywide property tax increase to pay for $319 million worth of improvements to existing parks and provide funds to buy more parkland and open space. Additional funds would be provided to maintain park facilities. Requires majority vote for passage. FOR Argument for: Parks across the county need repairs and up-grading. Additional parkland and open space is necessary.

For years, Bay Area environmentalists have fought a mostly losing effort to keep farmlands and open space from giving way to housing tracts and shopping malls as the region's population spiraled. But now, local voters have handed environmentalists a victory that they hope will spark a grass-roots movement across California.

Big, fast and clever, the American black bear has roamed the deep forests of this state for hundreds of years, proving a most elusive quarry for hunters. "We call him the 'ghost of the woods,' " said Chris Schumacher, a bear expert for the U.S. Forest Service here. "He's very adept at staying out of sight when man is around."

A campaign to impose term limits on City Council members will probably share a place on the April ballot with a measure designed to do the opposite, city officials said Monday. City Atty. Scott Howard has ruled that a second initiative, proposed by a homeowners group opposed to restricting how many terms a council member may serve, also qualified for the same ballot.

Traditional religion shared the pulpit with the gospel of political involvement in Pacoima on Sunday as a community group used a packed Mass at Mary Immaculate Church to urge Latino parishioners to flex their electoral muscle in voting booths Nov. 5.