[video] California Election Results 2010: Brown, Prop 19, & Prop 23

Jerry Brown, a two-term governor during the late 70s and early 80s, recaptured California's top job Tuesday, edging Republican rival Meg Whitman by five points, major media outlets reported.

Despite just 11 percent of precincts reporting, major California television stations and newspapers called the election for Brown. Early in the vote counting, he led Whitman 50 percent to 45 percent.

I think it's going to be very tough for the next year or two because all signs point to some very hard decisions, Brown said Tuesday. We re in a very tough fix, but if we all pull together I think California can be prosperous again.

The race between Brown and Whitman, the former CEO of eBay, was contentious right up to Election Day. During the last week of the campaign, the candidates were asked by Today show co-host Matt Lauer if they would be willing to remove negative campaign ads from the airwaves.

The ads, which saturated the state's TV markets, were pointed. In one, the Whitman campaign portrayed Brown as a puppet of the state pension fund and teachers unions. And for his part, Brown approved a commercial showcasing sound bites from unpopular Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger followed by Whitman sound bites that repeated his words almost verbatim.

But what might have done in the Whitman campaign was a flap over how she treated a former housekeeper. Allegations arose that she underpaid the woman, and later fired her when she discovered her immigration status. The issue seemed to dog the Republican through Election Day.

Major ballot propositions in California (in percent):

Prop. 19 (legalize and tax marijuana): Failing, 55-45

Prop. 20* (congressional districts redrawn by citizens committee): 65 percent

Prop. 21 (hike vehicle registration fees $18 per year to fund state parks): Failing, 59-41

Prop. 22 (state government prohibited from using local funds): Leading, 64-36

Prop 23 (suspend state's global-warming plan until unemployment drops to 5.5%): Failing, 60-40

Prop 24 (eliminate three business tax breaks): Failing, 60-40

Prop 25 (budget can be passed by simple majority): Leading, 55-45

Prop 26 (requires 2/3 majority in Assembly to pass certain state, local fees): Leading, 54-46

Prop 27* (returning redistricting task to state Legislature): 60 percent

*The measure getting the most votes between Props. 20 and 27 will be the one to pass.

Sources:

www.foxnews.com

www.latimes.com

www.sfgate.com