Calif. Sends Pickens Packing; Alt-Fuel Initiative Crushed Despite Bankroll Behind It

Calif. Sends Pickens Packing; Alt-Fuel Initiative Crushed Despite Bankroll Behind It

Perhaps with all the talk we've been hearing lately pitting the middle class against the upper class -- the 95 percent against the 5 percent -- a ballot initiative bankrolled by a Texas billionaire didn't have a snowball's chance in Houston Tuesday.

Or perhaps all the recent talk of the economy taking a flying leap into Great Depression Land got voters to focus on the bottom line, which in this case said: "Fiscal Impact: State cost of about $10 billion over 30 years to repay bonds."

Whatever it was, millions of Californians went to the polls Tuesday and an overwhelming majority of them voted no on a statewide ballot initiative that would have benefited very few of them while throwing a tremendous amount of money behind an automotive fuel that isn't particularly green and would have made T. Boone Pickens even more filthy rich than the 80-year-old oil tycoon already is.

With 85.2 percent of the precincts reporting at the time this was typed, 60.2 percent of the voters voted against Proposition 10 while 39.8 percent in favor of it.

This lopsided defeat occurred despite the fact that Pickens and others -- all with very deep pockets who stood to gain handsomely had the natural-gas initiative passed -- spent at least $23 million backing it, in large part with television commercials that flooded living rooms throughout the state in recent weeks.

Conversely, Prop 10's opposition, cleverly named the No On Prop 10 campaign, raised so little money that it wasn't able to pay for a single TV commercial. The No people were outspent 179.9 dollars to 1. And still they prevailed?!

"California voters didn't fall for a Texas oil tycoon's $10 billion money grab, no matter how much he spent camouflaging it as green," No spokesman Richard Holober said. "Proposition 10 is the ultimate example of a wealthy special interest abusing the ballot initiative process to enrich itself."

Or it's the ultimate example of a wealthy special interest abusing the ballot initiative process to enrich itself only to be collectively decked by an electorate that doesn't like being manipulated.

Had Pickens been able to pull the wool over the eyes of the voters with commercials featuring cute little girls talking up something they likely didn't understand, California's 36 million residents would have been stuck with a $10 billion bill. That's $277 plus change per Californian. Boo. Hiss.

Scott Doggett, Contributor

Scott Doggett:  is an AutoObserver.com Associate Editor.