EDITORIAL BAD TIMING VOTE NO ON PROPOSITIONS 53 AND 54.

PROPOSITION 53 would dedicate part of the state's general fund to fixing roads, hospitals, colleges, water projects and other infrastructure. That would amount to just 1 percent in 2006-07, increasing in annual increments of .03 percent until it tops off at 3 percent per year in 2013-14.

One of the greatest failings of state government over many years has been the lack of investment in the future to ensure California's prosperity for generations to come.

This measure, authored by Assemblyman Keith Richman, R-Granada Hills, with bipartisan support, would seek to correct this lack of investment by forcing state government to set aside money every year for infrastructure.

But given the state's budget crisis, legislative gridlock and the uncertainties of the fallout from the recall campaign, this is the wrong time to impose this kind of spending restriction. Richman and other backers of Proposition 53 have made little effort to win support, acknowledging that being placed on the same ballot as recall was fatal to the measure.

The other proposition on the ballot, Proposition 54, seeks to bar government agencies from collecting most racial and ethnic data in recognition of the progress made toward achieving a truly colorblind society where all people are equal under the law and in their opportunity.

While great progress has been made in the last 50 years, America still has a long way to go, and this is an idea whose time has not yet come.

Proposition 54 author Ward Connerly, the University of California regent responsible for ending racial preferences on the UC campus, sincerely wants to obliterate the racial and ethnic lines that too often divide us. And his vision of a colorblind society is one we should all share and work toward.

But there also are problems with the wording of the measure that leave in question whether important information about health problems and law enforcement practices can be gathered. That means it will be dragged through the courts for years.

For that reason alone, voters should reject it.

BE SURE TO VOTE!

Registered voters throughout the state may take part in the elections Tuesday. Polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

To find the location of your polling place, see the information shown on the back cover of the official sample ballot you received in the mail.

Or call Los Angeles County's automated look-up service at [phone], toll free, 24 hours a day. Operators are also available to help callers who want to speak to an actual person or who cannot find their information in the automated system.

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