To my disappointment, Santa Clara County voters rejected a proposed half-cent increase designed to rescue the financially imperiled BART extension to Silicon Valley and restore health services for the poor.

Proposition 82, a 1.7 percent tax on individuals with over $400,000 annual income (and on couples with $800,000+ annual income) to support development of a public preschool program was defeated. Southern California voters supported it, but the Silicon Valley venture capitalists opposed it and spent a lot of money on negative advertising.

It remains to be seen if Proposition 81 — a measure to fund public libraries that direly need renovation and funding for acquisitions — will pass. I hope it does.

And of course there were numerous elections (mayoral, etc.) as well as the Democratic gubernatorial primary. Voter turnout in our precinct was very low, but I did my part!