By Mary O’KEEFE

Tuesday’s election results will bring about change to Washington and a return to past leadership in California.

The laid-back attitude of California voters was more of a myth than a reality during several hotly contested races from the U.S. Senate to the governor’s office.

Jerry Brown, at 72, was elected for his third term as the governor of California. He was first elected in 1974, again in 1978, and for a third time on Tuesday.

The battle was hard-fought with Republican opponent Meg Whitman, former eBay CEO, giving Brown a run for his, and her, money. Whitman reportedly spent about $160 million – most of that from her own pocket. But even with that record spending, she could not get to the governor’s office. Brown garnered 52% of the vote with Whitman at 43%.

The political battlefield was fierce when it came to the U.S. Senate as well. Democrat Barbara Boxer will keep her Senate seat, which she has had since 1992. Republican Carly Fiorina did not concede defeat until Wednesday. Boxer received 52% of the vote with Fiorina at 43%.

In California, the democrats won the governor’s race, the Senate, Secretary of State, Controller, Lt. Governor, State Treasurer, Attorney General and Insurance Commissioner. That was not the trend nationwide, however. Democrats lost control of the U.S. House and lost power in the U.S. Senate. The House now stacks up with 185 seats to the Democrats and 239 seats to the Republicans. The U.S. Senate has 52 seats that are filled with Democrats and 46 seats to Republicans.

“I am very grateful to my constituents for giving this continued opportunity to serve when my party took such a drubbing nationwide,” Rep. Schiff said. “We are entering another period of divided government and will have to redouble our efforts to find common-sense ways to put our economy back on track. I think we should focus on helping small businesses grow and create jobs, investing in our infrastructure, leading the green energy revolution, and strengthening education. These should be bipartisan priorities.”

Congressman David Dreier (R) will be retaining his seat in Congress, defeating Democrat Russ Warner.

“It’s a privilege to represent our communities in Congress, and I thank the voters for their support. Now it’s time to get Californians back to work,” Dreier said. “Restoring our economy and our job market by reining in the federal government’s excesses is my top priority. Congress must learn to follow the example of hard-working families who have had to tighten their belts and live within their means. For too long, Washington’s failures have held our economy back. If we want to start creating jobs, Congress has to start doing its job right.”

Following are the election results for the state propositions:

No on 19 – Legalizing marijuana

Yes on 20 – Redistricting of congressional districts

No on 21 – State park funding

Yes on 22 – Prohibit state from taking some local funds

No on 23 – Suspend air pollution control law

No on 24 – Repeal allowance of lower business tax liability

Yes on 25 – Simple majority vote to pass budget

Yes on 26 – Two-thirds vote for some state/local fees

No on 27 – Eliminate state redistricting commission

For more information and election results visit http://vote.sos.ca.gov.

  david dreier, jerry brown, midterm elections