I just got off the phone with Sandy Smoley, the chairwoman of the Yes on Measures Q & R campaign. Here are her answers to some of my questions:

On the incredible margin of defeat:

On the timing of the next ballot effort:

On whether the pro-arena team is wedded solely to the Kings, or is more concerned with getting an arena regardless if the Kings leave:

On countering the widely-held view that this is a "business vs. grassroots" issue:

On how the proponents will counter this view:

On what Kings fans can do to help the effort:

Clearly, this was a worse defeat than Smoley's crew expected. The next campaign starts now, because there are a host of issues that need to be resolved and a host of misconceptions need to be addressed in the public eye. For seven years, the underlying battle between the sides have inched towards the opposition. Proponents need to stop the bleeding and begin pushing back. To do that, the Maloofs need to be smarter in their public image decisions. Hold off on that Carl's Jr. commercial until after the vote, okay?The Maloofs haven't been strong in the post-debacle recovery thus far. They made a statement last night, essentially whining about the results without acknowledging they were probably the biggest reason for the incredible defeat. There has to be some accountability there if Sacramento voters are ever going to get on board with this.