Measure F holds lead

Bond has 55.2% of vote at 11:30 p.m., just over percentage needed to pass, with 37.3% of votes tallied.Measure F, the $282-million school bond that would renovate every campus in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, appeared on the verge of passing Tuesday as statewide election results poured in.

By 11:30 p.m., the Daily Pilot’s press time, the measure had won 55.2% of the vote, slightly more than the 55% it required to pass. The number represented 37.3% of the total ballots cast, with 22% of precinct ballots and 15.3% of absentee ballots counted.

Also awaiting final results were two statewide education measures: Proposition 74, which would extend the probationary period for newly hired teachers, and Proposition 76, which would give the governor greater control over education spending. By press time, statewide numbers showed Proposition 74 losing -- 47.3% in favor -- while Proposition was trailing with 40.1% support.

Most Newport-Mesa leaders, along with educators throughout the state, have opposed both measures.

After the polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday, the Measure F campaign team, Citizens for Quality Schools, met at the Newport Rib Co. to await the results. The group congregated in a large room in back with a “Yes on F” banner strung across the wall and a buffet of appetizers.

Once or twice an hour, an announcement of new results brought a cheer from the crowd of about 50. At the start of the evening, Measure F had 51.9% support from absentee ballots; during the evening, the number gradually climbed.

Among those in attendance were Supt. Robert Barbot, Deputy Supt. Paul Reed, school board president Serene Stokes and a number of principals. Douglas Bader, the environmental activist who lent Citizens for Quality Schools its campaign headquarters on Newport Boulevard, arrived as well.

“I think it’s the well-being of the next five generations,” Bader said when asked about his personal stake in Measure F.

As statewide updates scrolled across the bottom of the television screen in front, a few Measure F supporters walked to an office behind the kitchen every few minutes to check the results online. By 11 p.m., the crowd had thinned substantially, with just a small group of supporters putting off sleep to hear the latest numbers.

Citizens for Quality Schools, a campaign team independent of the district, began lobbying voters for support in September. During election day, volunteers stopped by polling places to check the voter lists.

If Measure F passes, it will entail the largest renovation in the history of the Newport-Mesa district. Among the planned projects under the bond are a football stadium at Estancia High School, a replacement for the closed Robins Hall at Newport Harbor High School and science classrooms at all elementary sites.

John Garcia, the principal of Costa Mesa High School, said he hoped that all members of the school community would rally behind Measure F -- even ones who wouldn’t be around to enjoy the changes.

“Some of them may not stay long enough to see the benefits, but it’s important to know that those who come behind are going to reap them,” Garcia said.DOUGLAS ZIMMERMAN / DAILY PILOTCosta Mesa City Councilwoman Katrina Foley, left, and Jim Huffman react to a report from John Ursini, who runs Newport Rib Co., that support for Measure F was climbing closer to the 55% needed to pass. 20051109ipofh0kn(LA)