Here’s why Tuesday, June 7, in L.A. 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 major political players in the years to come.
It’s the primaries — like the one that ends Tuesday after weeks of early voting — that on the state and federal level determine who will go head to head in the November election.
On the ballot will be candidates for U.S. Senate, governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state controller, treasurer, attorney general and insurance commissioner.
But there’s also the local seats, filled by lawmakers — in the state Legislature, across the county and in individual cities — who will determine policy 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, health care, immigration reform, 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 representatives, making policy issues 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. And again, in some cases, local candidates might win outright.
At the state and federal level, Tuesday is a top-two primary. That means for offices like state Assembly and Congress, the top-two finishers — regardless of party — will move on to the General Election in November.
The marquee congressional race, at least along Los Angeles County’s coast, is in the new 42nd District — which could, perhaps, also be called the “Battle of the Garcias.”
That’s because even though the race is crammed with candidates — with eight total — the two frontrunners are state Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia and Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia.
The two Garcias are both rising stars in the Democratic Party, each with strong progressive credentials.
Cristina Garcia, during her time in Sacramento, has advocated for abortion rights, expanded access to and equity in health care for women, including providing menstrual products in schools, and environmental justice initiatives.
Robert Garcia has also advocated for codifying Roe v. Wade, expanding health care access and reducing the effects of climate change, all while leading Los Angeles County’s second-largest city. And during the past two years, he has received praise from federal and state officials for Long Beach’s handling of the pandemic.
The Garcias are not the only Democrats vying to represent the 42nd District: Peter Matthews, a longtime political science teacher at Cypress College; political advocate Joaquin Beltran; political organizer Nicole Lopez; and Rev. William Moses Summerville, who also serves as a hospice chaplain, are running as well.
Green Party member Julio Cesar Flores is also on the ballot.
Having six Democrats on the ballot may give the lone Republican, John Briscoe, hope that those candidates will split the vote — allowing him to slip into the top two.
But the new 42nd District essentially merged two former congressional districts, the 40th and 47th. Cristina Garcia has a strong power base in the portion of the new district that was once in the 40th, from Downey to Bell and Huntington Park. The portion of the district that was once in the 47th is mostly in Long Beach, where Robert Garcia remains popular.
The new 42nd also lacks the portion of more-conservative Orange County that the 47th once had — making it even more Democratic heavy.
So, yeah, the two Garcias are the frontrunners for now.
U.S. Reps. Nanette Diaz Barragan meanwhile, is also likely the frontrunner in her reelection bid.
Barragan, in the 44th District, will face two challengers, fellow Democrat Morris Griffin and Republican Paul Jones. That district includes a portion of Long Beach, but is mostly in the inner part of the South Bay, including Carson and Lynwood.
Among state Assembly races, meanwhile, the biggest one for the Long Beach area is likely District 69.
That district mostly includes Long Beach and Signal Hill, but also goes into Carson. Four candidates are vying for that seat, but the two biggest names are Long Beach Councilman Al Austin and small business owner Josh Lowenthal, who happens to be the son of U.S. Rep. Alan Lowenthal.
The new 62nd District will have its own intrigue — thanks to recent events in Sacramento.
Current 63rd District Assemblyman Anthony Rendon is seeking a final term, though this time as the representative for the new 62nd District. Rendon is facing Democrat Maria Estrada.
The southeast district takes in Bell, Cudahy, Hawaiian Gardens and portions of Long Beach, Paramount, South Gate and Willowbrook.
Rendon, who would be termed out in 2024, has been speaker of the Assembly since 2016 — but appears on his way out of that leadership position.
Assemblyman Robert Rivas announced late last month that he had enough votes from his colleagues to become the next Assembly speaker. So if Rendon secures a final term, he could find himself absent the top leadership position he has held for six years.
Southeast Los Angeles County also has a couple of state Senate races to watch, but both the 30th and 36th Districts are mostly in neighboring Orange County.
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.
If that doesn’t happen, the top-two will head to a runoff in November. (With some exceptions. Paramount, for example, has an at-large election for two council seats. The top two on Tuesday will be on the council.)
And locally, there’s a lot to keep track of.
Long Beach, in particular, has enough races to fill a book.
First, with Robert Garcia running for Congress, there’s an open seat for mayor — and six candidates are vying for Long Beach’s top elected post.
Councilmembers Suzie Price and Rex Richardson, joined the panel in 2014, are the two frontrunners. The other challengers are Raul Cedillo, Deb Mozer, Joshua Rodriguez and Franklin Sims.
City Council Districts 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 are also up for grabs.
There’s too much to cover here, with each race having at least four candidates on the ballot, though some are more active than others. But you can read the previews here: District 1, District 3, District 5, District 7, District 9. (And those stories links to each candidate’s answers to a Press-Telegram survey — those who responded anyway.)
Citywide, voters also have what could be a competitive race for city auditor, with incumbent Laura Doud trying to fend off challenger Dan Miles, a certified public accountant. Doud was recently investigated for how she handled a consultant contract.
The investigation found documentation was missing and recommended some best practices Doud should follow, but it did not urge any charges or discipline. Doud has denied wrongdoing, but also said she accepted the recommendations.
Long Beach also has races for city attorney and city prosecutor.
The Long Beach Unified School District, meanwhile, also has two Board of Education seats up for grabs — though only one appears competitive.
Paramount Unified and Compton Unified also have elections.
And on the city council front, Paramount, Lakewood and Avalon have elections as well.
Speaking of Avalon, they have two tax measures on the ballot, both of which could have implications for Catalina Island’s tourism-based economy. One is a one-quarter cent sales tax that, officials say, could bring in $250,000 annually. The other is a one percentage point increase to the city’s bed tax — charged to those staying at hotels — that, officials say, could bring in $500,000 annually for a decade.
By the way, across L.A. County we’ve endeavored to write about many of these races, along with others in Southern California. 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:
- A United States citizen and a resident of California.
- 18 years old or older on Election Day.
- Not currently in state or federal prison.
- 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 voterstatus.sos.ca.gov.
To register or re-register, go here: registertovote.ca.gov.
But, if you missed the online deadline, you’ve still got a chance to register at a Vote Center on the same day you cast a ballot: sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/same-day-reg.
How do I vote?
You’ve got choices. You can:
- Vote by mail.
- Vote by ballot drop off.
- 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 registrar will process, verify and count the ballot.
Just place your voted 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 toss it any of the secured drop boxes throughout the county, or you can drop it off at any Vote Center throughout the county. The drop boxes will close at 8 p.m. on Election Day, as will the Vote Centers.
You can find a map of countywide drop boxes here: locator.lavote.gov/locations/vbm?culture=en.
How do I vote in person?
In-person voting for the 2022 Primary Election began Saturday, May 28, across Los Angeles County, and more Vote Center locations opened on Saturday, 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.
By the way, you can cast a ballot at any Vote Center in L.A. County. You’re not limited to a precinct.
A map of Vote Centers can be found at bit.ly/3z7mfw7.
If you’re looking to stay out of the 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 drop their ballots off at 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 VBM 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: california.ballottrax.net/voter.
Also, if you just want to make sure your vote was counted, the registrar has a tool for that. Go here, if you want to check it out: lavote.gov/av_inquiry.
A final word (because sometimes, it’s confusing)
In California’s open primary system, voters choose candidates from a single ballot, where 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 took over 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 are separate Democratic and Republican primaries.
Before Prop. 14, voters would select 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 level, should a candidate get a majority of the votes, 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 report.