Maybe if the LA Times hadn’t come out against Proposition 29, it would have squeaked by. According to this story from the Associated Press, the results were razor thin:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/06/19/national/a121829D84.DTL&tsp=1 

I say… take one more run at Big Tobacco. Even if a cigarette tax fails, I’ll take some solace in knowing it cost Big Tobacco a fortune to defeat it. 

And next time, LA Times… try and be on the right side of the issue.