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Measure B, the Los Angeles solar power ballot initiative, has now officially gone down to defeat.  The city clerk's election division completed its final tallies from the March 3 election on Thursday, and the results show the "No on B" votes ending up as 50.5% of those cast, a margin of 2644 votes over those ballots marked in favor of the measure.

The defeat of Measure B is a stinging rebuke of the coalition organized by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (pictured) in support of the proposition.

Ron Kaye, former editor of L.A.'s Daily News and a fierce critic of Measure B and city government in general, said the following on his blog:

"This wasn't an election about solar energy. We all want clean energy instead of the dirtiest power plants in America. We all want clean air instead of the dirtiest air in America.  It was an election about back room deals, about the DWP (Department of Water and Power) monopoly and whether it serves the public interest or private interests, about the IBEW and whether it has abused its power for the last time."

Despite Measure B's failure to pass voter muster, city and DWP officials are moving forward on laying the groundwork for the "Solar L.A." plans announced in November, which call for hundreds of megawatts of solar PV power to be installed around the city over the next several years.