Here’s why this Tuesday in Los Angeles County matters (politically speaking, of course).
The conventional wisdom, borne out by the evidence, is that primary elections suffer from lower voter turnout than general elections.
But, hey, you’ve gotta start somewhere. And actually, in a big way, for many key local races, it’s not just a primary but an election that could determine, outright, the major political players for years to come.
It’s the primaries — like the one that ends this Tuesday night after weeks of early voting — that determine at state and federal levels which candidates will go head-to-head against each other in the November election.
Your ballot contains candidates for U.S. Senate, governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state controller, treasurer, attorney general and insurance commissioner.
And voters will choose from candidates for local seats. While Tuesday’s primary is not the final word in many races, a candidate who does well in the primary can become the lawmaker who goes on to determine policy for years to come — on issues from law enforcement to social services.
Who will be the county’s top cop? Who will be among the county supervisors dealing with that sheriff? Gun safety, reproductive rights, healthcare, immigration reform, drought, business development, kitchen table issues and the market economy, homelessness, affordable housing.
It’s just a primary, you might say, but who wins matters, and that’s up to you.
The candidates who come out winners on Tuesday will be a step closer to being your representative, making decisions on your behalf that might very well touch on the biggest issues of our time, and ones that in this republic will find a way to impact you.
At the state and federal level, this Tuesday is a top-two primary, meaning that in races for offices like state Assembly and Congress, the top two vote-getters — regardless of party — will move on to the General Election in November.
At the city and county level, the top two also move on to November — unless a candidate gets more than 50% of the vote. If that’s the case, well, bingo, you’ve got a winner.
In L.A County, there are plenty of reasons to care about elections that will reshape the Board of Supervisors, elevate a new L.A. mayor who will greatly influence executive municipal power in the region, and congressional races that will shake up or maintain the status quo. Even children are directly impacted, in school board races that will shape school districts from the San Gabriel Valley to the San Fernando Valley to the coast.
In the San Gabriel Valley, get ready… local voters have much to consider.
For instance, on the ballot in Pasadena, voters in three City Council Districts will need to choose who will represent them.
In the city’s District 3, for instance, who will represent the the district that includes the city’s Old Town and some of its northwest area is on the ballot. Will it be the incumbent, Councilman John J. Kennedy or his challenger, Brandon Lamar, chairman of the city’s Human Relations Commission?
The race has drawn contrasts over issues of police accountability, development, retail cannabis and rent control. Both candidates are homegrown, making for an interesting choice for voters.
And on the city’s southern end, the retirement of District 7 City Councilman Andy Wilson has opened up the seat, which Northwest Commissioner Allen Shay, City Planner Ciran Hadjian and Planning Commissioner Jason Lyon are vying for.
Housing affordability has emerged as key issue in the race. Bottom line, the Pasadena City Council will look different after Tuesday, and that will impact city policy on everything from housing development to who the new city manager is to who the new police chief is. Stay tuned for more in this space.
But if the future of Pasadena City County wasn’t enough, how about the future of its beloved city college, which draws many students from the San Gabriel Valley.
Six candidates are vying for a total of three seats in a Pasadena City College Board of Trustees race that touches on issues of student housing, staff retention and declining enrollment. Again, stay tuned on election night for more.
Speaking of education, moving east, in Arcadia, the school board race for two seats on the Arcadia Unified School District has pitted experience against youth over issues such as the district’s response to the pandemic.
In Monrovia, the at-large seat for mayor is up for grabs between a current City Council member and a resident who has run for the seat six times previously, and lost.
Also in Monrovia, two City Council seats are up for grabs in a race that — emblematic of many other local cities’ debates — revolves around homelessness, affordable housing, law enforcement, social justice and the environment.
Chalk up Rosemead, Covina and San Dimas as cities in the region also working through their own City Council elections and related issues.
At the L.A. county level of government, Supervisor Hilda Solis is up for re-election, seeking a third term on the powerful board of supervisors (each of the five, by the way, represent 2 million people). The First District includes the lower two-thirds of the San Gabriel Valley and much of L.A.’s Eastside.
Solis is formidable. But a bevy of candidates have challenged her — from David E. Argudo, 51, a La Puente City Council member; to Brian Smith of Azusa, 43, an LA. County Sheriff’s deputy; to Kevin Dalton of Pomona, 45, a father, yoga instructor and entrepreneur; and Tammy Solis, 47, a businesswoman from West Covina.
Boring issues? Anything but… At issue are Measure H, the one-quarter cent sales tax that raises about $355 million annually to combat homelessness; the roll COVID-19 county policy; clinics; affordable housing for unhoused and low-income people; the board’s relationship with the county/s sheriff.
Heading into the southeast area, Democrat Lisa Calderon from North Whittier and Republican Jessica Martinez are on the ballot for a rematch in the new 56th Assembly District. But Republican Natasha Serrano, a procurement buyer from Industry, the third person on the ballot, could have something to say about that.
And straddling the Orange County/LA County line, there’s the 64th Assembly race, where two mayors, a vice mayor, a councilwoman, a school board member and a pest control manager/pastor are competing, most of the Democrats – a contest that is particularly competitive on the left side of the political spectrum.
By the way, across L.A. County we’ve endeavored to write about many of these races. Over recent weeks, these stories have appeared in the L.A. Daily News, Daily Breeze, The Press-Telegram, the Pasadena Star-News, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune and the Whittier Daily News.
But wait a minute. Now that you’re convinced that if you haven’t voted yet, maybe you should, how can you still do that?
Worry no more. While early voting has been going on for weeks, you still have until “Election Day,” Tuesday, June 7, to vote. Here are some resources to help with that.
AM I ELIGIBLE TO VOTE?
You can vote if you are:
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- A United States citizen and a resident of California;
- 18 years old or older on Election Day;
- Not currently in state or federal prison; and
- Not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court.
The deadline for online registration to vote was May 23. If you received a ballot, you’re likely registered, but if you’re not sure, check https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/.
To register or re-register, go here: https://registertovote.ca.gov/.
But, if you missed the online deadline, you’ve still got a chance to register at a nearby Vote Center on the same day you vote: https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/same-day-reg.
HOW DO I VOTE?
You’ve got choices. You can:
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- Vote by mail;
- Vote by ballot drop off; and
- Vote in person.
If you’re a registered voter, you’ve likely received your ballot. Now, you just fill it out, sign it and mail it. By law, it needs to be postmarked by Election Day. If so, the County Registrar will process, verify and count the ballot.
Just place your filled-out ballot card(s) inside the Official Return Envelope, securely seal the Official Return Envelope, sign and date the back of the Official Return Envelope and drop it in the mail. No postage is necessary.
If you’d rather drop it off, after you do those steps — you can drop it off at any of the secured drop boxes throughout the county, or you can drop it off at any Vote Center in the county. The drop boxes will close at 8 p.m. on Election Day, as do the Vote Centers.
You can find a map of the countywide drop boxes here: https://locator.lavote.gov/locations/vbm?culture=en.
HOW DO I VOTE IN PERSON?
In-person voting for the 2022 Primary Election began on Saturday, May 28, across Los Angeles, and more Vote Center locations opened on June 4.
Until June 6, Vote Centers will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. On June 7, Election Day, they’ll be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
You can not only vote in person there, but you can drop off your ballots, and register. By the way, you can vote at any Vote Center in L.A. County. You’re not limited to a precinct or city.
A map of Vote Center locations can be found at bit.ly/3z7mfw7.
If you’re looking to stay out of traffic, Metro will offer free bus and train rides on Tuesday to encourage Angelenos to vote in the primary election.
Metro’s bike share program will also offer free 30-minute rides on Tuesday with the promo code 060722. Rides cost $1.75 for each additional half hour.
The free rides will last from midnight to 11:59 p.m. Tuesday. Metro’s Board of Directors voted in 2019 to permanently offer free rides on federal and state election days.
People can download the Transit app to see information on how to ride Metro to Vote Centers or vote-by-mail drop boxes.
Voters can also place their ballots in drop boxes at Union Station, El Monte Bus Station, Harbor Freeway Station C and J Lines, Harbor Gateway Transit Center, Hollywood/Western Station B Line, North Hollywood Station B Line, Norwalk Station C Line and the Wilshire/Vermont Station B and D Lines.
CAN I TRACK MY VOTE?
Yes. The L.A. County Registrar has a digital system by which you can receive personalized text messages, emails and automated voice messages on the journey of your Vote by Mail ballot to be counted.
You can subscribe to Where’s My Ballot. It’s a free service to all registered voters. You can subscribe here: https://california.ballottrax.net/voter/.
Also, if you just want to make sure your vote was counted, the Registrar has a tool to make sure your ballot was counted. Go here, if you want to check it out: https://www.lavote.gov/av_inquiry.
A FINAL WORD ON THE PRIMARY (BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT’S CONFUSING)
In an open primary — which is what California has, and which is what June 7 is — voters choose candidates from a single ballot on which all candidates are listed regardless of party affiliation.
Here’s a key takeaway: At the state and federal level, the two candidates who get the most votes in each state and federal race — again, regardless of party affiliation — get a ticket to advance to the General Election on Nov. 8.
The open primary was instituted after voters in 2010 approved Proposition 14, which, in an effort to deal with political gridlock, did away with partisan primaries. California stands in contrast to other states, such as Pennsylvania, where there’s a separate Democratic and Republican primary.
Before Prop. 14, voters would vote for their preferred candidate in separate primary elections held by each party.
Here’s another key takeaway: There is a caveat here for elections below the state and federal level.
At the “non-partisan” city and county levels, should a candidate get 50% of the vote plus one vote more, they’ll win outright and take their seat in December. If nobody wins in June, the top two vote-getters will square off in the Nov. 8 general election.
That’s why those local elections are huge. They aren’t just primaries. A candidate can win outright.
City News Service contributed to this story.
