Shoppers who plan to buy big-ticket items like cars or boats this week may want to wait until Friday, when state sales taxes will fall by 1 percent and vehicle license fees will drop statewide. The expiration of the temporary taxes will cost the state about $5.8 billion a year.

State parks, including those on the North Coast, could suffer more service cuts and partial closures after California voters this week rejected Proposition 21, a parks spokesman says. Sonoma County voters backed the proposal, but most Californians did not.

Even in lean times, voters in Sonoma County were willing Tuesday to dig deeper into their own pockets to pay for school improvements and help bail out Santa Rosa’s budget. Six out of seven Sonoma County school bond measures won approval, and a quarter-cent sales tax increase in Santa Rosa also passed easily. Analysts said that local voters are willing to hike their taxes if they see a clear benefit.

UPDATE 7 AM: Measure W, a measure that would add $10 to vehicle registration fees in Sonoma County, was defeated by voters. The measure, which needed a simple majority to pass, was supported by only 42 percent of the voters with all precincts reporting.

Grateful Dead drummer creates video urging fans to vote for Prop. 21. Remember that TV ad that showed viewers what your brain looks like on drugs? See what it looks like on parks.

Measure W would increase the vehicle license fee by $10 in Sonoma County. Supporters say it would provide much-needed money to fill pot holes, build bicycle and pedestrian safety projects and support local bus service. Opponents say it would impose a permanent tax to deal with a temporary revenue problem. Check out the arguments on both sides. What do you think?

The Press Democrat Editorial Board endorsed Prop. 21, which would increase vehicle license fees by $18 a year to raise about $500 million annually to fund state parks. Did the PD Editorial Board make the right pick? Disagree with the choice? Discuss the endorsement here.

They are opposed to legalizing pot. And they favor raising vehicle license fees to support parks. The Board of Supervisors staked out positions on nine measures on the November ballot. See where they stand.

The proposed hike in vehicle registration fees for Sonoma County residents is intended to make up for cuts in state funding. The transit board approved the ballot measure on a divided vote.

The Sonoma County Transportation Authority gives tentative approval to a November ballot measure that would raise vehicle fees by $10, primarily to fund transit projects. But board members included pothole repair in the mix, bowing to the results of a recent poll.