Preschool Measure Ad Campaign Gets Going

Supporters and opponents of the universal preschool initiative on the June ballot are launching a multimillion-dollar advertising blitz they hope will sway state voters divided over Proposition 82.

The ads and mailers come at a time when many Californians are unaware of the initiative, even though the election is a little more than three weeks away and absentee ballots are already arriving in voters’ mailboxes.

On Monday, the first television ads supporting the measure will be aired. In Southern California, they will feature Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa extolling the benefits of the measure in English and Spanish.

“Education changes your life. It did for me,” Villaraigosa says in the 30-second spot. “By voting yes on Prop. 82, we can help all our kids start their education the right way.”

A statewide ad will feature a teacher.

Last week, the first mailers opposing the measure were sent -- to absentee voters. The pieces highlighted the existing educational needs that could be covered by the $2.4 billion that Proposition 82 is projected to raise annually. Included were modernized schools, class-size reduction and more teachers, classroom computers and textbooks.

“How does Prop. 82 add up? It doesn’t,” says the mailer, featuring a worried-looking woman standing in front of a chalkboard.

The measure calls for taxing individuals who earn more than $400,000 and couples who earn more than $800,000. It would offer a year of free half-day, voluntary preschool to every 4-year-old in the state.

Until now, both sides’ campaign efforts had been largely limited to competing endorsements, piles of contradictory studies and bickering statements.

The largest media buzz to date was over proposition architect and filmmaker Rob Reiner’s stepping down as chairman of the state’s First Five Commission after it was revealed that the panel spent money on ads touting preschool as signatures were being gathered to place Proposition 82 on the ballot.

Political analysts question why it took so long for both campaigns to gear up, especially when an April 19 Field poll showed that 56% of surveyed voters had not seen or heard anything about the initiative.

“If this was a real campaign, we would be getting mail starting Tuesday, May 9, the opening of absentee balloting,” said Fred Smoller, a Chapman University political science professor, who added that as much as half the electorate might cast absentee ballots.

A key factor in the delay is money.

“Remember, it’s expensive to do what we require people to do in this state -- TV advertising,” said Mark Petracca, a UC Irvine political science professor. “My best guess is they are husbanding their resources.”

Supporters have raised about $10 million, more than twice as much as opponents. But that figure is paltry compared with many recent elections. In the November special election, the most expensive in California history, more than $300 million was spent on eight ballot initiatives.

Nathan James, spokesman for Proposition 82, said supporters have enough money to fund an intense campaign of television ads and mailers through election day. They also have the support of groups, such as those representing teachers, that can reach voters, he said.

“I think it makes a big difference in terms of reaching out to voters before election day, calling folks and making sure they know how important it is to go to the polls,” he said.

Opponents have raised a little more than $4 million, and campaign manager Rick Claussen said that explains why they didn’t start campaigning earlier.

“It really was just the money,” he said. “If we had $20 million, we would have started on Labor Day.”

Supporters had a head start on fundraising, and the opposition came into the race as an underdog, Claussen said. But despite the financial disparity, he expects the measure to fail.

Claussen said support for the measure has been dipping in the polls. In the February Field poll, the proposition enjoyed a 21-point lead; that had shrunk to 13 points by the April survey.

At that time, among likely voters surveyed, regardless of whether they had previous knowledge of the measure, 52% said they would vote for it. A description was read to all likely voters questioned in the poll.