“Walker Survives Wisconsin Recall Vote,” read the tepid headline in Wednesday’s New York Times. Governor Scott Walker, however, did much more than survive. He defeated his rival, Tom Barrett, convincingly. His lieutenant governor did the same in her recall election. Significantly, this election marks the beginning of the end for dominance of state, county and city budgets by public employee unions.

Lost in the Wisconsin coverage is the fact that Tuesday’s election brought overwhelming votes elsewhere in favor of reducing overly-generous public employee pensions. In California, voters in two large cities decided enough was enough. San Jose voters passed Measure B by 71-to-29 percent. In San Diego, they endorsed Proposition B by 67-to-33 percent. In recent years both cities had been forced to cut back on libraries, recreation centers, fire and police services in the face of galloping pension liabilities. San Diego saw its annual contribution to pensions go from $43 million in 1999 to $231 this year, soaking up 20 percent of the city’s budget. In San Jose it went from $73 million in 2001 to $245 million this year — equal to 27 percent of the budget.

These events offer the necessary will to elected officials across the nation to pass reforms that will bring public employee pensions and health care contributions into line with private ones.

The process has already begun. In California, signatures have been gathered for a voter initiative, “Stop Special Interests,” on the November ballot that, if passed, would break the umbilical cord between the state treasury and union treasuries.

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  Wisconsin Gov. Walker survived? It was an earthquake