Vote Tuesday

California’s longstanding budget dysfunction has come home to roost. With only a fraction of revenues the state was expecting, it now must slash deeply. Those cuts will be a bit less deep if voters adopt five of the six measures on Tuesday’s ballot.

The Times recommends:

Proposition 1A: Yes. This measure does not directly affect the current budget, but it would ease the state’s problem over the next several years by establishing a “rainy day” reserve fund for fiscal emergency, a cap on spending and a short-term extension on three tax increases adopted earlier this year: the vehicle license fee, the sales tax and the income tax.

Proposition 1B: No. Unlike four of the other propositions, this one brings no revenue to the table. The Times supports full funding of schools, but not when it could mean devastating cuts to other, equally essential services.

Proposition 1C: Yes. The so-called lottery-securitization measure would permit the sale of up to $5 billion in bonds now, to be repaid from future state lottery revenue. The lottery has never performed for California the way voters intended. With this measure, it may finally pay off.

Proposition 1D: Yes. This measure directs to the state budget five years’ worth of tobacco tax money that voters in 1998 allocated to the “First 5” preschool and child services programs. It’s a harsh move, but the alternative would be deeper cuts in other programs even more essential for children.

Proposition 1E: Yes. This measure redirects two years’ worth of “millionaires’ tax” money that voters called for in 2004 to pay for mental health programs. Losing the money will hurt, but the same clients would be hurt even more by cuts made necessary if this temporary diversion of funds fails.

Proposition 1F: Yes. Proposition 1F blocks lawmakers’ pay increases when California is running a deficit. It wouldn’t save much money, but it makes sense to halt pay raises when the state is short of cash.

Los Angeles city attorney: Carmen Trutanich.

Los Angeles City Council, District 5: David T. Vahedi.

Los Angeles Community College Board, seat 2: Angela J. Reddock.

Los Angeles Community College Board, seat 6: Nancy Pearlman.