BALLOTS PACKED WITH BIG CHOICES VOTERS TO DECIDE STATE'S FISCAL PATH.

Byline: Rick Orlov Staff Writer

John Kerry or John Edwards? Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's recovery plan or no plan? More money for schools? Who will challenge Sen. Barbara Boxer? There is a lot at stake in Tuesday's election.

Oddly, the race that has generated the least excitement is the one to pick a Democratic candidate for president, and that's because by the time they got to California, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts had run up such a big lead that neither he nor Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina invested any money in television ads.

``There is almost zero interest in this election,'' said Republican consultant Allen Hoffenblum. ``Neither one has spent any money on television. The only people paying attention to that race is political junkies.''

Hoffenblum said the same is true for the GOP contest for U.S. senator to try to unseat two-term incumbent Democrat Boxer.

Former Secretary of State Bill Jones is ahead in most polls, followed by former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin, former Assemblyman Howard Kaloogian of San Diego and former Los Altos Mayor Toni Casey.

Where the stakes are highest is where the political money is going: Schwarzenegger's campaign to get his fiscal recovery plan, Propositions 57 and 58, passed and the campaign for Proposition 56, the measure that is heavily financed by public employee unions that would make it easier to raise taxes.

Proposition 56 would reduce the requirement from a two-thirds vote to 55 percent for state legislators to adopt a budget.

Proposition 57 asks a majority of voters to approve a $15 billion bond issue to refinance the state's massive deficit caused by overspending in the face of the recession. It doesn't raise taxes but allocates general fund revenue to pay off the bonds over time.

Proposition 58 seeks to make it harder to repeat that mistake by requiring the state to limit future spending and establish a reserve fund. The measures are linked so both have to pass or they both fail.

``If this doesn't pass, it puts Schwarzenegger in a vulnerable position,'' Hoffenblum said. ``There is this belief, and it's backed up by the polls, that he is enormously popular in the state.

``If the voters reject these measures, he will not be able to go over the head of the Legislature directly to the voters. Right now, that gives him tremendous clout. If he fails, it will just embolden those in the Legislature who are more liberal and more partisan.''

Democratic consultant Kam Kuwata, who is managing the Proposition 55 campaign, which asks voters to approve a $12.3 billion school bond issue, said the challenge to Schwarzenegger in the election also is a test.

``He has tried to build a spirit of bipartisan cooperation since his election,'' Kuwata said. ``What I have been hearing from the governor is that he wants to build coalitions to get things done. If this fails, no one is sure what will be done.''

Kuwata said he believes the public wants to see more cooperation among officials - that the message of the recall of Gov. Gray Davis was a rejection of partisan politics.

To further that, Schwarzenegger has been appearing in commercials with state Controller Steve Westly, a Democrat. The state's leading Democrat, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, has appeared in commercials on behalf of the propositions as well.

In addition, the governor kicked off a statewide bus tour from the San Fernando Valley on Saturday with planned stops in Bakersfield and Fresno - all with a contingent of Democrats who are supporting the measures.

Schwarzenegger, after initially saying failure of the bond issue would lead to an Armageddon in the state, has toned down some of his rhetoric.

Instead, he has been saying ``failure is not an option,'' and has been bolstered by polls showing the measures gaining support.

He has been able to wage his campaign with almost no opposition.

State Treasurer Phil Angelides, expected to run for governor in 2006, has been the major voice against the bond issues, saying they are too expensive and will have to be paid off over 15 years.

However, his campaign has been limited chiefly to some Sacramento-area news conferences and an e-mail campaign to reporters and supporters throughout the state.

Angelides has proposed raising taxes as a contingency plan if the measures fail.

``If we do not have an alternative, then the fiscal chaos that some have predicted could become a self-fulfilling prophecy,'' Angelides said. ``We need to be ready to do what is in the best interests of the state.''

His proposal would use one quarter-cent of the sales tax and increase personal income tax on high-wage earners for a three-year period to cover the current debt, coupled with short-term borrowing.

Also to be decided in the election is Proposition R, a $3.87 billion bond issue for the Los Angeles Unified School District. Unlike the state bond measures that require a simple majority, Proposition R - designed to build and improve schools - needs approval from 55 percent of the voters.

It would raise property taxes $60 a year per $100,000 in assessed valuation.

Los Angeles County voters will decide the fate of three county supervisors and the district attorney and nominees for a number of state and federal legislative races in Tuesday's election.

Incumbents are running for re-election in all local congressional, state Senate and Assembly districts except one. In the 37th Assembly District, incumbent Tony Strickland, R-Westlake Village, is forced out by term limits; four Republicans are competing in the heavily GOP Ventura County district.

Rick Orlov, [phone]

rick.orlov(at)dailynews.com

HIGHLIGHTS

Here are highlights of local measures and contested races that will appear on Tuesday's election ballot:

--Measure R: $3.87 billion construction bond for the Los Angeles Unified School District.

--Los Angeles County District Attorney: Incumbent Steve Cooley faces challengers Roger Carrick of Toluca Lake, Tom Higgins of La Verne, Denise Beryl Moehlman of Van Nuys, Nick Pacheco of Eagle Rock and Anthony Patchett of Glendale.

--Los Angeles County Supervisor: 5th District incumbent Michael Antonovich faces challengers Lynne Plambeck of Santa Clarita and Linda Jordan of Pasadena.

--Ventura County Supervisor: Incumbent Kathy Long faces Camarillo City Councilman Mike Morgan for the 3rd District seat.

--37th Assembly District: Jeff Gorell, Eric McClendon, Mike Robinson and Audra Strickland seek to be the GOP candidate in November's election to succeed termed-out incumbent Tony Strickland.

--Measure T: $25 parcel tax for library services in San Fernando.

--Measure E: $98 parcel tax for four years in the Las Virgenes Unified School District.

--Measure S: $13.1 million construction bond for the Acton-Agua Dulce Unified School District.

--Measure D4: $197 parcel tax for five years in the Oak Park Unified School District.

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