LOS ANGELES (AP) - CALIFORNIA VOTERS ELIMINATED THE STATE'S 30-YEAR-OLD SYSTEM OF BILINGUAL EDUCATION ON TUESDAY.

PROPOSITION 227, THE BRAINCHILD OF SOFTWARE MILLIONAIRE RON UNZ, WILL ESSENTIALLY REPLACE THE STATE'S BILINGUAL EDUCATION PROGRAM WITH AN ENGLISH IMMERSION PROGRAM AFTER ONE YEAR OF TRANSITION CLASSES. PARENTS CAN ASK THAT THEIR CHILDREN GET BILINGUAL EDUCATION BUT ONLY UNDER LIMITED CONDITIONS.

WITH 24 PERCENT OF PRECINCTS REPORTING, 66 PERCENT, OR 1,099,308 VOTERS, HAD APPROVED PROPOSITION 227, WHILE 34 PERCENT, OR 571,461, WERE AGAINST IT.

PRE-ELECTION POLLS INDICATED A MAJORITY OF VOTERS BACKED THE BILINGUAL EDUCATION MEASURE, WHICH INCLUDES DLRS 50 MILLION A YEAR FOR 10 YEARS TO PAY FOR TUTORING. IT WILL ALSO ALLOW PARENTS TO SUE IF TEACHERS FLOUT THE LAW.

PROPONENTS SAID THE EXPERIENCES OF EARLIER GENERATIONS SHOW CHILDREN CAN PICK UP ENGLISH QUICKLY. THEY ARGUED THAT THE CURRENT SYSTEM CONDEMNS CHILDREN TO A LINGUISTIC LIMBO WHERE THEY FALL BEHIND THEIR ENGLISH-SCHOOLED PEERS.

OPPONENTS ADMITTED THERE ARE PROBLEMS IN BILINGUAL EDUCATION. BUT THEY SAID THE UNZ SOLUTION WILL PUSH A VULNERABLE POPULATION INTO DANGEROUS WATERS.

MORE THAN 50 LANGUAGES ARE SPOKEN ON CALIFORNIA SCHOOL YARDS AND THE STATE OFFERS INSTRUCTION IN 20 OF THEM. EIGHTY PERCENT OF LIMITED-ENGLISH CHILDREN ARE SPANISH SPEAKERS, TURNING THE DEBATE INTO A LARGELY HISPANIC ISSUE. POLLS SUGGESTED THE MEASURE HAD WIDE SUPPORT AMONG HISPANIC VOTERS.

SUPPORTERS OF THE MEASURE INCLUDED THE STATE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND JAIME ESCALANTE, THE EAST LOS ANGELES TEACHER WHOSE INNOVATIVE METHODS WERE THE SUBJECT OF THE MOVIE ``STAND AND DELIVER.'' OPPONENTS INCLUDED THE CALIFORNIA TEACHERS ASSOCIATION, U.S. PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, AND ALL FOUR CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR.

03 JUN 98