On June 3, Californians who cast their vote in the state primary election will narrow down the final two candidates that will run for our state’s leadership in the November election. Some of the significant offices that will be decided are:
• Congressional—Primary elections will be held in all of the state’s Congressional seats (53), 20 of the 40 state Senate seats and all 80 seats in the assembly.
• Governor—this primary election will whittle down the number of candidates to two who will run against each other in November. The choices include incumbent Gov. Jerry Brown and candidates Neel Kashkari and Tim Donnelly, both Republicans.
• Lieutenant Governor—Gavin Newsom (Democrat) is the incumbent seeking a second term. His opponents are Democrat Eric Korevaar; Republicans David Fennell, George Yang and Ron Nehring; Jena F. Goodman (Green Party); Amos Johnson (Peace and Freedom); and Alan Reynolds (Americans Elect).
• Attorney General—Kamala Harris (Democrat) is the incumbent. Her opponents include Ronald Gold, John Haggerty, David King and Phil Wyman (all Republicans), Jonathan Jaech (Libertarian) and Orly Taitz (no political party). Only the top two vote-getters will proceed to November’s election.
• Secretary of State—Candidates include Roy Allmond and Pete Peterson (Republicans); Derek Cressman, Jeffrey H. Drobman and Alex Padilla (Democrats); David Curtis (Green Party); and Dan Schnur (no political party reference).
• Controller—Republican Ashley Swearengin, and Democrats Betty Yee and John Perez.
• Treasurer—Republican Greg Conlon, Democrat John Chiang and Green Party candidate Ellen Brown.
• Insurance Commissioner—Democrat incumbent Dave Jones; Republican State Senator Edward M. “Ted” Gaines; Nathalie Hrizi of the Peace and Freedom Party.
• Superintendent of Public Instruction—A non-partisan office features incumbent Tom Torlakson, Lydia Gutierrez, Marshall Tuck
In addition to state and local races, there are several statewide initiatives to be decided by voters.
• Proposition 41/Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Bond Act of 2014—Authorizes $600 million in bonds for affordable housing to relieve homelessness and provide affordable housing to veterans and their families.
• Proposition 42/Public Records Amendment—Requires local government to comply with laws allowing public access to local government body meetings and officials.
There’ll be a new sheriff in town come June 3. Former Sheriff Lee Baca stepped down in January amid a firestorm of controversy, and there are now seven candidates vying for his coveted spot.
The candidates include: James McDonnell, Paul Tanaka, Todd Rogers, James Hellmold, Robert Olmsted, Patrick Gomez, and Lou Vince. In order to avoid a run-off, one candidate must exceed 50 percent of the vote or the top two will face off in a runoff election in November.
