Difficult Decisions for Voters

Voters went to the polls Tuesday in two dozen Los Angeles County communities to cast ballots on nearly $400 million in school bond measures, vote tax increases up or down, elect mayors, and fill city council seats.

In the South Bay, the Torrance Unified School District was making its third try in less than a year to pass a school bond measure.

A citizens committee was formed in the South Bay city to campaign for the $80.5-million bond issue to pay for school renovations.

Last June, the bond measure was approved by 57% of voters, but was short of the required two-thirds majority. Then in November, the bond issue received a 62% “yes” vote, but still came up short.

The Compton Unified School District asked voters to pass the largest bond measure of the day--$107 million--to repair its badly neglected schools.

The Compton district has been under state supervision since 1993 because of financial and classroom problems. The bond measure generated heated opposition from Compton Mayor Omar Bradley and others, who contended that the advisory-only school board will have little say in how the money will be spent if the measure passes.

School bond elections also were being conducted in Duarte, Montebello, Paramount, South Whittier and Temple City. Little or no opposition formed to fight those bond measures.

The longest ballot was in Long Beach, the county’s second largest city, where residents voted for mayor, city attorney, city prosecutor and auditor, along with five of nine city council seats.