Pending tabulation of outstanding absentee ballots, we appear to have seen one of -- if not the -- lowest turnout elections in state history Tuesday. The official election night returns were that just over 18 percent of the states 17.7 million registered voters cast ballots. Uncounted absentees could push that number a shade higher. That said, (pending final counts) there were a number of interesting results, including both outright winners and table setters for November general election contests. Here is a full rundown of key State and LA County races, and some other noteworthy developments from Tuesday, compiled by our new investing member Robb Korinke, Grassroots Lab. Governor (Top Two) Jerry Brown (D) – 54.4% Neel Kashkari (R) – 19.1% Neel Kashkari prevailed over Tim Donnelly, sparing the state’s republicans from a potentially embarrassing summer. Notably, Governor Brown beat Donnelly and Kashkaris combined total by more than 20 points. Lt Gov (Top Two) Gavin Newsom (D) – 49.8% Ron Nehring (R) – 23.2% Gavin Newsom takes 49.9% of the vote in a yawner. Secretary of State (Top Two) Alex Padilla (D) – 30.1% Pete Peterson (R) – 29.7% State Sen. Alex Padilla will take on Pete Petersen, a Republican with a long history of reform-minded efforts with the Davenport Institute at Pepperdine. Probably the biggest surprise of the race is USC Professor and former FPPC Chair Dan Schnur, running as an independent, falling 15,000 votes behind scandalized State Sen Leland Yee. A tragedy really, as Schnur is an accomplished and well respected participant in state politics and policy. Controller (Top Two) Ashley Swearengin (R) – 24.4% John Perez (D) – 21.7% John Perez looks (as of this morning) to have made it through -- if barely -- and will face Fresno Mayor Swearengin in November. Nearly the first controversy of the top-two system, Republicans Ashley Swearengin and David Evans threatened to block Democrats Betty Yee and (former Speaker) Perez from the general. Some counting yet to be done here. Proposition 42 Yes – 65.4% No – 34.6% With the backing of Governor Brown, both parties and many prominent business and labor groups (and no formal opposition), Prop 42 passed handily, with a 65-35% margin. BizFed endorsed Proposition 42 and though it was a bit of a footnote on the ballot, this measure does open the door for better access to public data at the local level, something which has both inherent economic value and the potential to improve accountability and transparency. LA County: 33rd Congressional (Top Two) Elan Carr (R) – 21.5% Ted Lieu (D) – 19% Ted Lieu and Republican Elan Carr came out on top in a wide field (18 candidates) to replace Henry Waxman. Falling short was Wendy Greuel, who placed third. Supe Dist 1 (Top Two) Hilda Solis (D) – 70.3% (No Runoff) Former U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis dispatched Police Officer April Saucedo Hood and El Monte Councilmember Juventino “J” Gomez and avoided a runoff. Supe Dist 3 (Top Two) Sheila Kuehl (D) – 36% Bobby Shriver (D) – 28.8% Shelia Kuehl grabbed 36% of the vote to Bobby Shriver’s 29% on Tuesday. John Duran grabbed 16%, and Shriver will need to pull most of that block away in the coming months. Sherriff (Top Two) Jim McDonnell – 49.1% Paul Tanaka – 14.7% Jim McDonnell fared very well Tuesday, nearly hitting 50%. He looks to be headed to a runoff with Paul Tanaka, who has proved an adroit fundraiser despite negative headlines. If McDonnell ultimately wins the seat, it would be the first time in 100 years the LA County Sheriff did not come from within the department. Assessor (Top Two) Jeffrey Prang – 18% John Morris – 16.4% West Hollywood Councilmember Jeff Prang grabbed the top spot, and will face John Morris in November. It was a tight field, with Prang and Morris only separated by 1.5% and half a dozen candidates bunched with between 40,000-60,000 votes. Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia (D) – 52.1% (Winner) Damon Dunn (I) – 47.9% The race intensified in the final weeks, with various accusations, shenanigans and negative pieces flying for and against each side. In the end, Damon Dunn mounted a very solid challenge to Councilmember Robert Garcia, but ultimately came up about 2,000 votes short, or about 4%. Long Beach District 5 Stacy Mungo (R) – 54.6% (Winner) Carl Kemp (D) – 45.4% Stacy Mungo beat Carl Kemp soundly, by nearly 10 points. BizFed PAC supported Mungo. Long Beach City Attorney Charles Parkin (I) – 61.8% (Winner) James Johnson (D) – 38.2% Incumbent Charles Parkin handily beat Councilmember James Johnson, by a 62-38% margin. BizFed PAC supported Parkin. Glendale City Council Paula Devine – 33.69% Paula Devine, a retired teacher, garnered 33.7% of the vote and the victory in this special election. BizFed PAC endorsed Rick Barnes finished 3rd, with 20%. Torrance Council (Top Four Won Seats) Heidi Ann Ashcraft – 13.41% Tim Goodrich – 12% Kurt Weideman – 11.25% Geoff Rizzo – 9.88% A wide field and an unpredictable race held in the wake of the Toyota plant departure, both incumbent councilmembers (Ashcraft and Widerman) held on. Newcomers Geoff Rizzo and Tim Goodrich (both BizFED Pac endorsed) rounded out the four open seats. Torrance Mayor Pat Furey – 40.95% (Winner) Tom Brewer – 38.49% Bill Sutherland – 23.55% In the mayor’s race, a scrap between three incumbent councilmembers, Pat Furey came out on top by 5%. Furey had strong union backing, vs 2nd place finisher Tom Brewer who was supported by BizFed PAC and the Torrance Area Chamber. Notes on Other Legislative/Congressional Races of Interest In LA County, Long Beach Councilmember Suja Lowenthal didn’t make the runoff in her bid for the 70th AD, where Patrick O’Donnell will face John Goya in November. It is the second noteworthy loss for the Lowenthal dynasty in Long Beach this year. Speaking of dynasties, Ian Calderon looks to have suffered by association as he came in behind Republican Rita Topalian in AD 57 -- where Dems have a 2-1 voter registration advantage. In the 26th SD, Betsy Butler fell short and Sandra Fluke (of cable news fame) will face Ben Allen in November. In the 32nd state Senate District, Downey City Councilman Mario Guerra finished first with 43.77% of the vote he was the only Republican in the field and will face off against former Assemblyman Tony Mendoza in a November contest that just got interesting. In an LA/OC seat, Diamond Bar Councilwoman Ling Ling Chang looks to have cleared the field for AD 55 in November (Chang was a BizFed PAC supported candidate for city council last year). Also in LA/OC, Dem Jose Solorio did not show well Tuesday, he’ĺl face Republican OC Supervisor Janet Nguyen in what looks like a tough race. Beyond LA, Jerry Brown Lieutenant Steve Glazer, target of labor IE’s all spring, was knocked out in the runoff in AD 16. A victory for labor interests in Sac. Bonnie Garica was a surprise as she didn’t make the runoff in SD 28 and Ro Kahana, widely thought to be poised to give Representative Mike Honda a run in CD 17, lost by 20 points. County Races Orange County Dana Point Councilwoman Lisa Bartlett surprised a lot of watchers in beating out establishment choice Frank Ury for a runoff spot against Laguna Niguel Councilman Robert Ming. Bartlett strikes a moderate posture than Ming, but will lack party backing in the Republican vs. Republican top two. San Bernardino County Janice Rutherford looks poised to hold her seat and avoid a runoff, though its close as of this morning. Current numbers report her as holding 67% of the vote, making her likely to keep her seat as 2nd District Supervisor. Republican Curt Hagman will face former Democratic Congresswoman Gloria Negrete McLeod in a runoff in November. Riverside County Incumbents cruised in Riverside. John Tavaglione easily held, as did Marion Ashley. John Benoit was able to beat Democratic Assemblyman V Manuel Perez in the closest watched race. More on County Supe races across the state here. BizFed PAC Update The BizFed PAC had another notable day, with 9 of 13 endorsed candidates winning or passing through to November general elections. Among races where the PAC invested in independent expenditures, 5 of 7 candidates were successful. Including April races, 12 of 14 BizFed PAC IEs have backed winners -- including a balance of incumbents and challengers and a number of close contests. Here is the rundown of the PAC’s candidates/outcomes from last night: Supervisor (District 1): Hilda Solis WON OUTRIGHT (NO RUNOFF) Supervisor (District 3): Bobby Shriver (WILL FACE SHEILA KUEHL IN NOV RUNOFF) LAUSD District 1: Alex Johnson (WILL FACE GEORGE MCKENNA IN AUG RUNOFF) LA County Sheriff: Jim McDonnell (WILL FACE PAUL TANAKA IN NOV RUNOFF) Long Beach Mayor: Damon Dunn (LOST, BY 4 POINTS) Long Beach City Attorney: Charles Parkin WON Long Beach City Council (District 5): Stacy Mungo WON Glendale City Council (special election): Rick Barnes LOST Torrance Mayor: Tom Brewer LOST Torrance City Council: Heidi Ashcraft WON; Mike Griffiths WON; Geoffrey Rizzo WON; Alex See LOST Stay tuned, it will be an interesting summer and fall! Warm Regards, Tracy Tracy Rafter, Founding CEO BizFed, Los Angeles County Business Federation 818.429.0862 ~ [email protected] bizfed.org A Grass Roots Alliance of 100 Top LA County Business Groups Mobilizing Over 250,000 Businesses
Posted on: Thu, 05 Jun 2014 21:33:28 +0000
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