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Election Day: Low voter turnout during the Primary Election

Election Day: Low voter turnout during the Primary Election
Election Day: Low voter turnout during the Primary Election 02:49

The California Primary Election was officially underway Tuesday morning, as polls across the Southland opened to registered voters. 

Ballots included a myriad of pressing issues and key races for positions like Mayor of Los Angeles, Los Angeles City Council seats and Los Angeles County Sheriff. 

Polls opened at 7 a.m., though voters were able to begin voting last week in the Primary Election, used to narrow down the candidates running for those major positions, which officially comes to a close at 8 p.m. Tuesday evening. 

Those who wished to vote-by-mail were told to make sure their ballots were sent no later than Tuesday, or they could visit any local voting center and turn it in via dropbox. 

Unregistered voters were still eligible to register through Tuesday evening, and would be issued a Conditional Voter Registration ballot, which would be verified and counted. 

California was one of seven states to conduct primary elections on Tuesday.

Any candidate receiving more than 50% of their race's votes would automatically win and would not need to participate in the General Election come November. 

As of Monday evening, only 15% of vote-by-mail ballots had been returned. 

"There was practically no one in there when I got in there," said Stephen Dolainski, a voter. 

Every registered voter in the state received a mail-in ballot this election, but as of noon only 16% had been returned. 

Low turnout is expected during the primary elections but this election it is even lower than normal. 

"Four years ago, in 2018 it was around 29 percent, but the recall election was at 52 percent," said Dean Logan, the LA County Clerk/Recorder. 

Race for Mayor

Nine candidates are currently vying for the top spot available in the Primary Election, as current Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti will be replaced after holding the position for the maximum two-terms. 

LA Mayoral debate - during the COVID19 pandemic
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 22, 2022 - - U.S. Rep. Karen Bass smiles at a point made by businessman Rick Caruso during a mayoral debate at Bovard Auditorium on the USC campus on March 22, 2022. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) Genaro Molina

Two of those candidates currently hold a large advantage in early counts, as Representative Karen Bass and business developer Rick Caruso showed to hold 70% of the vote between the two as of Monday. 

Karen Bass, a Los Angeles native, who leads the way with 38% of that vote, would be the city's first woman mayor, and first Black mayor since 1993. She was voted into Congress in 2010, and acted as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus from 2019 to 2021. 

She's currently running on that includes addressing climate change, homelessness and public safety. 

Bass has received a considerable number of endorsements, including a number of U.S. Representatives like Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff, as well as prolific names like Magic Johnson and Steven Spielberg. 

Her primary competitor in Rick Caruso, who holds 32% of the early poll, is well-known for his real estate developments in The Grove and Palisades Village. Caruso, also born in Los Angeles, has acted as president of the Civilian Police Commission, a position he was appointed to by L.A. Mayor James Hahn in 2001, and a board member for the Board of Water and Power.

Caruso is running on hopes of expanding homeless shelters, planning to create 30,000 beds in 300 days, banning encampments and increasing the LAPD's force and addressing corruption at City Hall.

His endorsements include former L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan, Los Angeles legend Snoop Dogg and Elon Musk.

City Councilman Kevin de León rounds out the leading-trio of candidates, coming in at 6% in the poll conducted by UC Berkeley and co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times. 

A Los Angeles local, De León has sat on L.A. City Council since 2020, representing the 14th District. Prior to his appointment, he acted as president pro tempore of the California Senate from 2010 to 2018 and served in California State Assembly from 2006 to 2010.

Like the other candidates, De León hopes to address the homelessness crisis, also calling for an increase in affordable housing and expanding the number of social workers and mental health professionals. 

Other candidates include business executive Craig Greiwe, Echo Park neighborhood council member Alex Gruenenfelder Smith, business owner John "Jsamuel" Jackson, lawyer Andrew Kim, local activist Gina Viola and real estate agent Mel Wilson.

Prior to June 7, several candidates withdrew their name from the race including City Councilman Joe Buscaino, L.A. City Attorney Mike Feuer, local businessman and entrepreneur Ramit Varma and businesswoman Jessica Lall. Varma, Buscaino and Lall endorsed Caruso, while Feuer endorsed Bass.

L.A. City Attorney, L.A. City Controller & L.A. City Assessor

Angelenos will also be able to vote for a slew of other City of Los Angeles positions, like L.A. City Controller and L.A City Attorney.

Those looking to replace current Controller Ron Galperin include:

  • Stephanie Clements, CFO and Assistant Director of the Department of Public Works' Bureau of Street Services;
  • City Councilman Paul Koretz;
  • Kenneth Mejia, certified public accountant and housing justice advocate;
  • J. Carolan O'Gabhann, Los Angeles Unified School District teacher;
  • Reid Lidow, former executive officer to Mayor Eric Garcetti;
  • David Vahedi, attorney and auditor.

The City Controller acts as the chief accounting officer for the city and is responsible for making the city's spending available to the public.

As L.A. City Attorney Mike Feuer plans to step down at the end of his term, he will be replaced by one of the seven candidates vying for his position. They include:

  • Richard Kim, Deputy City Attorney;
  • Sherri Onica Valle Cole, Deputy City Attorney;
  • Teddy Kapur, California Democratic Party Treasurer;
  • Faisal M. Gill, civil rights attorney and former policy director for the Department of Homeland Security;
  • Kevin James, former president of the Los Angeles Board of Public Works;
  • Marina Torres, federal prosecutor;
  • Hydee Feldstein Soto, financial law attorney;

The City Attorney represents the city in legal matters, writes laws requested by City Council and leads a team that prosecutes misdemeanors. 

County Assessor Jeffrey Prang also fights for reelection against three of his deputy assessors in Mike Campbell, Sandy Sun and Anthony Lopez.

The County Assessor is tasked with discovering and assessing all property within county limits.

Los Angeles County Sheriff

In an effort to unseat the incumbent Sheriff Alex Villanueva, eight different challengers have joined the race for the L.A. County Sheriff. 

Los Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Task Force. Sheriff Alex Villanueva
Los Angeles, CA - February 15: Sheriff Alex Villanueva gives details surrounding a weeklong, statewide operation aimed at combatting human trafficking, at a press conference held in Hall of Justice on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022 in Los Angeles, CA. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) Irfan Khan

Villanueva, who has held the position since in 2018, by unseating the then-incumbent, has faced considerable controversy over the last four years, including allegations of "deputy gangs" and refusing to enforce COVID-19 mandates for his deputies. 

According to his campaign, Villanueva "will work to reduce violent crime, compassionately clean up homeless encampments and hold public officials accountable for their actions."

He notes the installment of body cameras and increasing the minimum requirements for new deputies.

Other candidates running for the Sheriff position include a wide array of fellow law enforcement. 

Former Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna, a 36-year law enforcement veteran, states that he will modernize the department and restore trust in the agency after Villanueva's "mismanaged" term. 

Britta Steinbrenner, former LASD Captain and most recently head of the agency's County Services Bureau, is also running on hopes of teaming up with fellow agencies in providing assistance to the homeless. She plans to improve community policing efforts and use "innovative methods" to overhaul the current jailing system. 

Current LASD Sergeant Karla Carranza plans to overhaul the current leadership in charge of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and combatting the current rise in crime by increasing staffing. She has also vowed a "zero-tolerance" police against deputy gangs. 

Former Assistant Sheriff and current Los Angeles Airport Police Chief Cecil Rhambo is running in hopes of ending "Alex Villanueva's corruption, bring reform and progress to LASD, while reducing crime and protecting the people of L.A. County.

After spending more than 30 years in law enforcement, he also plans to take a stand against deputy misconduct, like deputy gangs.

Retired LASD Captain Matt Rodriguez, also a law enforcement veteran with over three decades of service, is running on a "humanistic but realistic approach" to the homelessness crisis and hopes to change the criminal justice system.

April Saucedo Hood, a parole agent, who proudly notes the fact that she is "the only outside, female Spanish-speaking Mexican-American sheriff candidate," hopes to increase trust within the community with transparency and collaboration with community partners, including the Board of Supervisors - whom Villanueva has clashed with on numerous occasions in the past.

She also plans to order an outside review of both the LASD Internal Affairs Bureau and Internal Criminal Investigation Bureau.

Retired LASD Commander Eli Vera, a former counterpart of Villanueva's, has challenged the current Sheriff's leadership style - noting his demotion upon announcing his campaign - and publicly testified against deputy gangs. He plans to focus on public safety, increase trust in the agency and rebuild relationships with the Board of Supervisors and the commission.

Eric Strong, current LASD Lieutenant and former U.S. Marine and Compton Police officer, will plan to work with the inspector general and oversight agencies, as well as "decisively" eliminating deputy gangs. 

He hopes to provide alternatives to incarceration and "break the cycle of addiction, petty crime and homelessness."

L.A. County Board of Supervisors - District 1 & District 3

Two of the five seats on the Board of Supervisors will be decided Tuesday as well, with one seat completely open for a new candidate to take over as current District 3 Supervisor Sheila Kuehl has opted not to fight for reelection.

Her seat, which represents a large portion of the San Fernando Valley that includes Westlake Village and Malibu to Calabasas, West Hills, Porter Ranch, San Fernando, Panorama City, Northridge, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica, is also being viewed by six other candidates. 

Amongst those includes current West Hollywood City Councilwoman Lindsey Horvath, who plans to "create accountability, and expand partnerships with experts who know how to help people off the streets and into supportive housing." She also detailed a successful effort to get 80% of her community's unhoused population off the streets and into housing in her official candidacy statement. 

Horvath has been endorsed by Kuehl fellow supervisors Janice Hahn and Hilda Solis. 

California State Senator Bob Hertzberg is also vying for the spot, claiming that it should be held by someone from the San Fernando Valley. A Senator since 2014, he has also served in the Assembly and as Assembly Speaker. 

In his statement, Hertzberg said, "At the state level, we've sent billions to LA County, but the county has squandered state funding I've worked tirelessly to bring home. Now I'm running for county Supervisor to fix the mess. I will take responsibility for solving emergencies like homelessness, crime, housing, and mental health -- and make sure county government gets the job done."

Supervisor Kathryn Barger has offered her endorsement to Hertzberg.

Fellow State Senator Henry Stern is also in the running, stating that public safety and homelessness are the primary issues facing the region. An environmental lawyer who has served on the Senate since 2016, he has publicly condemned what he referred to as "a vicious cycle of hospitalization and incarceration for unhoused Angelenos facing mental illness and addiction."

He plans to work on alternatives to incarceration including drug courts, social work, and street medicine, as detailed by his website. 

Also vying for the spot are a trio of local business owners in Roxanne Beckford Hoge, Jeffi Girgenti and Craig Brill. 

Brill hopes to fight the homelessness crisis by increasing public access to mental health treatment, while funding the Sheriff's Department to place an emphasis on public safety. 

In the past, he's noted that he's "fed up with a broken system that has allowed 65,000 people to live and suffer on our streets."

Girgenti, on the other hand, also looks to act as an advocate for public safety, also increasing relationships with law enforcement families. She also hopes to ease the steep financial costs facing homeowners, who are met with "unwarranted burdens on them in the form of taxes, bond measures and policies which punish housing providers and commercial property owners."

Their final competitor, Roxanne Beckford Hoge, is hoping to "root out corruption" in L.A. County government, as well as advocate for for public safety and work to clear streets of homeless encampments.

In her statement, she stated that she plans to ask "hard questions of agencies we oversee, like LA Public Health."

In the District 1 race, current Supervisor Hilda Solis looks to maintain her hold against four challengers. 

The District 1 seat represents  Monterey Park, Azusa, Pomona, Diamond Bar, Rosemead, West Covina, Highland Park and Lincoln Heights.

Solis has a lengthy history in politics, acting as Secretary of Labor in the Obama Administration after she was a member of the House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009, a State Senator from 1994 to 2000 and a State Assembly member from 1992 to 1994.

"My priorities continue to be mitigating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, expanding affordable housing and healthcare for all, creating good-paying local jobs, improving access to parks and open space, enhancing veterans' services, and making our neighborhoods safer through community based crime prevention," Solis said in a statement. 

She faces a challenge from four individuals, including La Puente City Councilman David Argudo, businessman Kevin Dalton, LA County sheriff's Deputy Brian Smith and businesswoman Tammy Solis. 

Argudo, also a former U.S. Marine hopes to take on issues surrounding public safety, homelessness and mental health programs, all while working to improve the county government by making it more transparent.

Dalton would address improvement of education opportunities and hope to increase affordable housing availability. 

"Our world was turned upside down during the height of the pandemic and continues to ensnare our lives and economy," he said in his public statement. "As we transition away from health related mandates I will work to make sure that families and small businesses who were affected most are given every opportunity to return to life as normal."

Smith also hopes to tackle education, though in an alternate manner by addressing "curriculum that is unfit for our children," as well as public safety, homelessness and personal freedoms. 

LAUSD Board of Education

Three seats on the Los Angeles Unified School District Board are also open, as board member Nick Melvoin hopes to retain hold of his District 4 seat. He is being challenged by electrical engineer Gentille Barkhardarian and teacher Tracey Schroeder.

As Kelly Gonez also looks to hold onto her District 6 seat, she will be challenged by high school teacher Marvin Rodriguez and School Police Sergeant Jess Arana.

The seat for District 2 is wide open for the taking as current holder Monica Garcia has reached her term limit. Four challengers are vying for the spot including:

  • Maria Brenes, founder of the InnerCity Struggle advocacy group. She has earned endorsements from Representatives Lucille Roybal-Allard and Jimmy Gomez, as well as Supervisor Hilda Solis;
  • Rocio Rivas, policy deputy for LAUSD board member Jackie Goldberg;
  • Miguel Angel Segura, a current substitute teacher who has worked on campaigns for both Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden;
  • Erica Vilardi-Espinosa, an accountant and community activist.

L.A. City Council

Additionally, City Council seats representing Districts 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15 are up for grabs, with the top two candidates in each race advancing to November's runoff, unless one receives more than half the votes. 

Districts 1, 3, 7 and 9 will all be decided Tuesday as they each have just two candidates vying for the spot. 

House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, Attorney General & More

Californians will also vote on statewide positions including who current California Governor Gavin Newsom will face-off against in the November General election. His 18 competitors will be narrowed down to just one following Tuesday's vote. 

The same goes for the California Attorney General position held by Rob Bonta, who has three challengers looking to unseat him based on the basis that the Golden State's stance on crime and punishment has lessened in recent years. 

Other positions include lieutenant governor, Secretary of State, treasurer, superintendent of public instruction and insurance commissioner.

Seven seats in the House of Representatives that oversee portions of Los Angeles County and the Southland will also be up for grabs, including Karen Bass' former spot as the representative for District 37. 

Additional seats available include:

  • District 27 (Santa Clarita, Palmdale, Lancaster)
  • District 40 (Chino Hills, Anaheim, Mission Viejo)
  • District 41 (Corona, Menifee, Palm Springs)
  • District 45 (Fullerton, Westminster, Fountain Valley)
  • District 47 (Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Beach)
  • District 49 (Laguna Niguel, San Clemente, Oceanside)

Voters will also take part in two separate votes for Senate, one for short-term, another for long-term. A variety of the candidates appear in both fields, as they look to fill the seat left vacant by now Vice President Kamala Harris after she left to work by President Biden's side. 

Currently, the spot is held by Senator Alex Padilla, who was hand-picked by Governor Newsom. Padilla will look to keep the spot for the remainder of the short-term, ending in 2023, and for an additional six years in the full-term. 

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Metro bus and train rides were offered free-of-charge Tuesday, part of a move to encourage voter turnout. 

For additional information on Tuesday's Primary Election, visit our Voter Guide

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