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Lights not Out for Gray Davis nELECTION: California governor wins a second term, narrowly defeating Bill Simon By Benjamin Becker
Daily Titan Staff Writer Californians officially spoke yesterday, re-electing Gov. Gray Davis for another four years in office with 47.6 percent of the votes. Davis’ opponent, GOP candidate Bill Simon, received 42.2 percent of the statewide vote, while Green Party candidate Peter Camejo Governor received 5.3 percent, according Lieutenant to California’s Governor official government Web site at press time. Secretary of Davis, whose State campaign platform focused on Attorney issues such as General energy, education and the budget, is serving his 72nd second and final Assembly term as governor. District These last few weeks have seen Control of him promoting the Senate his pro-choice philosophy and promising to Control of enforce stricter the House gun control. N a t i o n a l l y, Republicans dominated the gubernatorial races, down two seats from last election settling at 25 state leaders, while Democrats gained four seats finishing with 19 (6 races were still in contention during press time), according to the CNN Web site. Democrat Cruz M. Bustamante was re-elected as lieutenant governor with 49.7 percent of the votes while Democrat Kevin Shelley was elected secretary of state with 46.5 percent, according to the CNN Web site. Camejo and all seven candidates for secretary of state have visited Cal State Fullerton within the last month. In local elections, Assemblywoman Lynn Daucher (R-72) beat her opponent, CSUF professor G. Nanjundappa, for the 72nd State Assembly District (which covers Fullerton, Brea
PERSPECTIVES: A weekend of field exercises teaches CSUF ROTC cadets that teamwork gets the job done better than “an Army of one” Please see page 4
NEWS: Woolly mammoth! Fossils of mammals from the Pleistocene period were found in a construction site near Cal State Fullerton Please see page 11
SPORTS: With a high school championship under their belts, Audrey Taylor and Andrea Adams could be the surge the Titan basketball team needs Please see page 12
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Check out the Daily Titan online this year at http:// dailytitan.fullerton.edu. New features and sections will be available this year!
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Water, Kids, CSUFWin Key Measures nPROPOSITIONS: California voters passed five out of seven ballot items on Tuesday
Prop 46
YES The proposition will provide emergency shelters for battered women, affordable housing for seniors and low-income families and shelters with social services for the homeless by selling $2.1 billion in the state’s general obligation bonds.
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Prop 47
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YES Will provide $13.05 billion to fund education facilities including Cal State Fullerton. The funds would be used to upgrade and build new classrooms at California community colleges, California State Universities and the University of California. The proposition would appropriate money from the State General Fund to pay off the bonds. CSUF will receive $17.3 million of the $13.05 billion. ASI recently signed a formal resolution in support of the proposition’s passage.
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Prop 48
YES Proposition will amend the California Constitution to delete references
to municipal courts. The consolidation of superior and municipal trail courts into unified superior courts have made these references obsolete. The change will come at no cost to the state.
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Prop 49
YES A r n o l d Schwarzenegger and supporters of Prop 49 won $26.2 billion (to be paid over 30 years) for before- and after-school programs. The proposition will increase state grant funds for before and after school programs which provide tutoring and homework assistance. The proposition provides for priority funding for schools with predominantly low-income students.
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Prop 50
YES Proposition will authorize $3.4 billion in general obligation bonds that would be repaid with money from the state’s General Fund to fund a variety of water projects. The projects include protecting and restoring costal wetlands near urban areas and providing grants for desalination and drinking water disinfecting projects.
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and Placentia, and portions of Anaheim, La Habra, Yorba Linda and Orange). Daucher, who received 67.8 percent of the votes, also beat Nanjundappa for the same position in 2000 and has focused much of her campaign on the public school system with more than 13 years of experience on school boards. Her campaign Gray Davis platform focused on improving California’s budCruz M. get and allocatBustamante ing proper public Kevin school funding. Shelley N a t i o n a l l y, the Republicans Bill Lockyer swept congress, gaining control of the Senate Lynn with 50 seats Daucher (three races were still in contention during Republicans press time) and remaining in control of the House Republicans with 226 seats (8 races were still in contention during press time), according to the CNN Web site. The last time the Republicans controlled both the presidency and Congress was during the beginning of the Bush administration before Vermont Senator Jim Jeffords defected from the Republican Party on May 24, 2001. He defected to the Independent party, leaving Democrats in control of the Senate. Concerning California, Democrat Steve Westly was elected controller with 45.6 percent of the votes while Treasurer incumbent Democrat Philip Angelides was re-elected with 49.6 percent. Incumbent Democrat Bill Lockyer retained his position as attorney general as he was re-elected with 51.7 percent of the vote. All statistics were accurate as of press time at 1:30 a.m.
(Some) CaliforniansVote nTURNOUT: Only 28 percent of Orange County residents exercised their democratic right to vote By Alex Yeo
Daily Titan Staff Writer Nearly 1.3 million Orange County residents are registered to vote and in yesterday’s general election only —percent of those actually voted. California elections have shown a steady decrease in voter turnout since 1960. According to the California Secretary of State’s Web site, in the 2000 general election 66 percent of the registered voters in Los Angeles cast their votes. In 1998 the lowest voter turnout was recorded with only 53 percent of the registered population voting. The primary election received an even lower percentage of voters when compared to these mid-elections. In the 2000 primary election 48 percent of L.A. registered voters came to the polls and in 1998 the elections were 10 percent lower. When compared to other countries, the United States ranks last in voter turnout. According to the Center for Voting and Democracy, Mexico had 60 percent of its registered population vote in recent elections, Denmark had 83 percent, Great Britain had 69 percent and France had 60 percent. Cal State Fullerton students have different opinions when it comes
SHANNON GIBSON/Daily Titan
Voters in Orange County took to the polls on Tuesday. down to voting. “I don’t vote because I really think that one vote doesn’t make a difference,” said junior Radio/ TV/Film major Ana Lilia Raya. She also believes that different presidents or state governors don’t change her personal life because she still has the same job, same boyfriend and goes to the same school no matter who is in gubernatorial office. On the other hand, senior RTVF major Ruby Bates, who is a manager at The Gap, said, “Voting affects me in every aspect of my life. My father is a dockworker and is on strike because of Bush. The merchandise my dad processes is the clothing that I am waiting for at work.” Many studies show that people between the ages of 18 and 25 have a dismal turnout at polls. Women generally represent over 50 percent of the votes, according to the Bureau of the
Census. Measures have been taken to increase voter turnout, including the ability to vote before election date. Absentee voting is open for people that are unable to go vote on the day of the elections. Absentee ballots are available 29 days prior to each election and need to be mailed or turned in to the Registrar’s Office before voting polls close at 8:00 p.m. on election day. Another measure that is being put into effect is same day voter registration with Proposition 52. Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Wyoming and Wisconsin have sameday registration and have shown a 5.1 percent increase between 1996 and 2000, according to the Committee for the Study of American Electorate.