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Opinion: We have a proposition for you!

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Actually, we have 11 of them so far, all on the November 4 ballot. The deadline has passed for initiative measures put on the ballot by voter petition, but the Legislature still has time to add a few more. Secretary of State Debra Bowen assigned numbers to those already lined up, starting with Proposition 1.

But wait, you say. If we just voted on Propositions 98 and 99 on June 3, why don’t we get Proposition 100 in November?

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Ballot measure numbering runs on a 10-year cycle, and that cycle began in November 1998, so it just ran out and is starting over. If the Legislature adds more propositions, lawmakers can decide whether to add them to the end (Propositions 12, 13, etc.) or to the beginning (Proposition 1A, 1B, etc.).

Those are just the statewide measures. We could still get an MTA sales tax from the county, and on Tuesday the City Council could add a parcel tax to fight gang violence.

What will those be called on the ballot? We don’t yet know. They are lettered instead of numbered, and are designated by the registrar-recorder.

Backers of tax measures believe the November election is their best shot at victory. The thinking goes like this: Los Angeles voters will be coming out in droves to vote for Barack Obama, or against a Republican of any stripe, and against the ban on gay marriage (Proposition 8).

The ballot is still growing. To keep up, check in regularly at www.latimes.com/elections.

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