Only One Real Surprise

Since I don't make predictions or otherwise dwell upon elections, I wasn't really expecting any surprises. I figured results would be the same as past ones: Some bad things with maybe one or two good things- usually more bad than good. That seems to be what happened.

The one surprise was Eureka's minimum wage increase, Measure R, losing by more than 60 to 40 percent. I had a lefty friend (he opposed it) tell me a month or two ago that he foresaw R losing big time along the lines of 60/40. Whatever. I don't make predictions and expected the worst but I figured, if anything, it might be close. I thought he was a bit off on that one.

Nope. He was right, and that was one the one measure I was really concerned about and hoped would fail. No real surprises other than that.

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Measure R might already have caused some damage, though. I was told by someone in the know a while back that some company was considering starting up some kind of call center in the Times- Standard building. When they heard of Measure R in the works they backed out and opened that call center in Chico instead.

I hope I have that story right. I got into a back and forth with someone yesterday who swears he didn't say what I thought he said. Maybe I don't always get things right (but I don't think so)?

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The one other contest I definitely wanted to check on was the measure in Healdsburg to stop fluoridation of their water supply. From the chatter I'd read in the Santa Rosa Press- Democrat I had a feeling it might at least be close. That measure failed spectacularly with at least 66% of voters opposing.

I would have loved to see it pass, but even if it had I knew it wouldn't be a libertarian victory. People in Healdsburg, as in the rest of Sonoma County, are mostly authoritarians. If they voted against fluoridation it would have been because of arguments over the "science", not because they believed in individual choice.

No real surprise, but still disappointed.