A look at elections and ballot measures around the country Tuesday.
CALIFORNIA:
San Francisco voters were to decide two proposals to acquire local operation of Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and provide power to city. PG&E spent more than $1 million fighting the measures.
San Francisco voters also decided whether to issue bonds to pay for solar power in public buildings and authorize board of supervisors to underwrite solar projects in homes and businesses. Voters can also reject construction projects that would fill in 100 acres of San Francisco Bay.
Voters in Carson, a Los Angeles suburb, decided whether to secede from troubled Los Angeles Unified School District. With 772,000 children, district is nation's second-largest after New York.
COLORADO:
Voters rejected a proposal to let the state spend $50 million to create prototype for monorail that would link Denver and Rocky Mountain resorts.
CONNECTICUT:
Democrat Eddie Perez, community activist and ex-Trinity College official, sought to become Hartford's first Hispanic mayor. Anointed successor to retiring Michael Peters, he faces six rivals.
Three people vied to succeed Waterbury's Republican Mayor Philip Giordano. He had planned not to seek re-election and is now jailed on federal charges of forcing sex on minors.
FLORIDA:
Miami Mayor Joe Carollo was ousted in a nonpartisan race involving nine candidates. The top two finishers - former Mayor Maurice Ferre and Manny Diaz, an attorney who represented the Miami family of Elian Gonzalez - will vie in a runoff Tuesday.
Miami Beach voters decided whether unmarried city employees with partners, heterosexual or gay, qualify for domestic partnership benefits.
GEORGIA:
Robb Pitts and Shirley Franklin were front-runners in field of five in nonpartisan race to succeed term-limited Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell. IOWA:
About 70 voters in newly incorporated Vedic City were expected to elect Bob Wynne, running unopposed for mayor. Wynne helped found community of followers of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who brought Transcendental Meditation to Iowa.
MAINE:
Portland residents voted on nonbinding resolution on whether city should endorse universal health care. Measure drew drawn fierce opposition from health insurers, who have mounted television ad campaign.
MASSACHUSETTS:
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino easily won re-election against City Councilor Peggy Davis-Mullen in nonpartisan contest.
MICHIGAN:
Kwame Kilpatrick, state House Democratic leader, and City Council President Gil Hill vied to succeed Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, who is pursuing other interests. Race is nonpartisan.
Gay bias referendums in three cities: Huntington Woods voters decided whether to keep ban on anti-gay bias, which city commission adopted this year. Kalamazoo and Traverse City voters asked whether to amend city charters to bar officials from approving such protection for gays.
In Dearborn, 16-year incumbent Mayor Michael Guido defeated Abed Hammoud, an assistant Wayne County prosecutor. After Sept. 11, Hammoud, a Lebanese immigrant in a community where 20 percent of the 98,000 residents are Arab-American, put out flier denouncing the terror attacks and proclaiming pride in his U.S. citizenship.
MINNESOTA:
Political novice R.T. Rybak defeated Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton, city's first black and first female chief executive, in nonpartisan race.
Seeking to follow outgoing St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman, who plans to run for U.S. Senate, were state Sen. Randy Kelly and City Councilman Jay Benanav.
MISSISSIPPI:
A field of 14 rivals vied to replace Lee County Sheriff Harold Ray Presley, cousin of Elvis Presley, who was killed in shootout. In the field was Harold Presley's brother, Larry W. Presley, a retired Tupelo police officer.
Interim Hinds County District Attorney Faye Peterson sought to become state's first elected black female prosecutor. She was named to fill vacancy when Ed Peters retired. State law requires a nonpartisan election to complete his term. Her opponent was former assistant district attorney Bryan Buckley.
NORTH CAROLINA:
Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, a Republican, defeated former City Council member Ella Scarborough. McCrory also soundly defeated the Democrat in 1999.
In Raleigh, Republican incumbent Paul Coble conceded to ex-councilman Charles Meeker, a Democrat, in mayoral runoff. Only 962 votes separated the two, and absentee and provisional ballots remained to be counted.
OHIO:
Jane Campbell, a county commissioner, became Cleveland's first female mayor. She turned back Raymond Pierce, a deputy assistant education secretary in the Clinton administration, in nonpartisan contest.
Incumbent Charlie Luken defeated challenger Courtis Fuller to become Cincinnati's first directly elected mayor in 76 years. Luken weathered criticism of his handling of riots last spring sparked by the shooting of an unarmed black man by a white policeman.
SOUTH CAROLINA:
Spartanburg Mayor James Talley sought third term against literally everyone else in town. He botched petition to get his name on the ballot, meaning election depended entirely on write-in votes. Any of city's 23,000 registered voters could win.
TEXAS:
Austin voters picked new mayor to follow Kirk Watson, who quit to run for state attorney general. Odds-on favorite among eight candidates in nonpartisan race was ex-City Council member Gus Garcia, who hoped to become city's first elected Hispanic mayor.
Houston Mayor Lee Brown, city's first black chief executive, sought third term in nonpartisan contest against five challengers.
Houston voters also decided ballot proposal to bar city from giving benefits to gay domestic partners.
Voters statewide were to decide 19 constitutional amendments, including proposal to create Texas Mobility Fund. It would let Texas borrow money for new and improved roads needed for growing population. Separate measure would build roads in poor communities on Mexico border known as ''colonias.''
Voters approved a constitutional change that would require the governor to call a special legislative session to appoint presidential electors under certain circumstances. The change was inspired by last year's close presidential election.
WASHINGTON:
Rivals in Seattle's nonpartisan mayoral race were County Councilman Greg Nickels and City Attorney Mark Sidran.
Swing District 21 in suburban Seattle could break 49-49 tie in state House of Representatives between Republicans and Democrats. GOP is counting on Joe Marine, insurance agent appointed in January to the seat when moderate Renee Radcliff resigned. Law requires special election to complete her two-year term. Democrats hope businessman Brian Sullivan will win. Polls show voters evenly split
Statewide citizen Initiative 773 would raise tobacco tax to $1.42 1/2 a pack, nation's highest. Another proposal, Initiative 747, would prevent property taxes from rising more than 1 percent a year unless voters approved larger increase.
