Election day is upon Los Angeles County, and Santa Clarita Valley residents will finish casting their votes to elect representatives — from federal and state elections to city of Santa Clarita and school districts — along with a slew of measures.
Tuesday is the final day for SCV residents to vote in-person or by mail. Voters can find their nearest ballot drop box or find their nearest voting center by visiting the L.A. County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s website at bit.ly/3UzyXex.
In-person voting began Oct. 29, according to the Registrar-Recorder’s Office. On election day, in-person voting begins at 7 a.m. and runs until 8 p.m.
It is expected that, with large numbers of mail-in ballots, the full count process will run well past the closure of the polls on Tuesday.
“Counting does not end on election night,” according to the Registrar-Recorder’s website. “California state law requires the RR/CC to complete and certify results within 30 days.”
The following races are among the highlights of the General Election ballots for SCV residents:
U.S. Representative, 27th District
In the race for the 27th Congressional District, Republican Rep. Mike Garcia and Democratic challenger Christy Smith are vying to represent the SCV in Washington, D.C.
City of Santa Clarita
Incumbents Bill Miranda, Laurene Weste and Marsha McLean are vying for re-election this Tuesday for their seats on the Santa Clarita City Council.
David Barlavi, Denise Lite, Douglas Fraser, Jeffrey Malick and Selina Thomas are running for one of those three open seats to help lead the city, too.
Kody Amour’s name will be on the ballot, but he pulled out of the council race in September. Amour first made his announcement on Facebook.
If Amour were to win one of the seats, he could resign, after which the City Council would have the option of filling the seat either by appointment or special election, according to city officials.
Los Angeles County
L.A. County residents will decide who will become the next top sheriff as Sheriff Alex Villanueva and Robert Luna face off to be L.A. County Sheriff.
School Boards
In the WIlliam S. Hart Union High School District, incumbent Bob Jensen and Andrew Taban are running for Trustee Area No. 2.
Incumbent Cherise Moore and Teresa Todd are facing off for Trustee Area No. 3. Lastly, incumbent Joe Messina and Rebecca Hindman are vying for the seat to represent Trustee Area No. 5.
In the Castaic Union School District, incumbents Laura Pearson, who represents Trustee Area B, and John Richard, who represents Trustee Area D, are running unopposed for their respective seats.
Incumbent Mayreen Burke, who represents Trustee Area E, will face off against Tracy Ford.
In the Newhall School District, incumbent Brian Walter faces off against Donna Robert to represent Trustee Area No. 1. Suverna Mistry and Rachelle Haddoak are running to represent Trustee Area No. 2.
Ernesto Smith is running unopposed to represent Trustee Area No. 3.
In the Saugus Union School District, Cassandra Love and Jesus Henao are seeking to be elected for Trustee Area No. 1.
Anna Griese is running for Trustee Area No. 2. Incumbent Laura Arrowsmith’s name will appear on the ballot, however, she dropped out of the race mid-September. Arrowsmith said she and her family were moving out of Trustee Area No. 2 and she would no longer qualify to represent those constituents.
If Arrowsmith were to win her seat, the Saugus district governing board would have the option of filing the seat either by appointment or special election.
Incumbent Christopher Trunkey and Sharlene Duzick are running for Trustee Area No. 5.
In the Sulphur Springs Union School District, incumbents Paola Jellings, Ken Chase and Lori MacDonald are running unopposed for their respective trustee areas.
In the Santa Clarita Community College District, which governs College of the Canyons, Charles Lyon and Joan MacGregor are running unopposed for Trustee Area No. 1 and No. 5, respectively.
Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency
Nicole Wilson, Bill Cooper and Melissa Cantu are running for a seat on the SCV Water Agency’s board of directors representing Division 1.
Sage Rafferty, Dirk Marks and Kathy Colley are facing off in the election to represent Division 2.
Lastly, Lynne Plambeck and incumbent Maria Gutzeit are running for a seat representing Division 3.
State Assembly, 40th District
In the race for State Assembly District 40, Republican Assemblywoman Suzette Martinez Valladares and Democratic challenger Pilar Schiavo face off to represent SCV residents in Sacramento. The 40th Assembly District includes most of the SCV.
State Assembly, 34th District
Republican Thurston “Smitty” Smith faces off against Republican Tom Lackey to represent the 34th District, which includes Agua Dulce and some other eastern slivers of the SCV.
Smith, who previously represented Assembly District 33, and Lackey, who previously represented Assembly District 36, are now running to for re-election in the newly designated 34th District after the redistricting process prompted by the 2020 U.S. Census. It created an unusual scenario in which two incumbents from the same party are facing each other for re-election.
U.S Senator for California
California voters can vote on either or both for two U.S. Senate contests: Democrat Alex Padilla and Republican Mark Meuser are vying for the U.S. Senate.
The first contest asks voters to select a representative to be the U.S. senator for the next full term of office from Jan. 3, 2023, to Jan. 3, 2029. A full term of office for a U.S. senator is six years.
The second contest for the U.S. Senate seat is asking which person should be in the position for the rest of the current term of office, which ends on Jan. 3, 2023. Padilla was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to fill the remainder of Kamala Harris’ term after she was elected vice president.
State of California
Californians will decide new state representatives including governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, controller, treasurer, attorney general, insurance commissioner and insurance commissioner.
Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom faces off against Republican challenger Brian Dahle to lead the state as governor. Democrat Eleni Kounalakis and Republican Angela Jacobs are running for lieutenant governor.
Republican Rob Bernosky and Democrat Shirley Weber are running for secretary of state. Republican Lanhee Chen and Democrat Malia Cohen seek the seat for state controller.
Democrat Fiona Ma and Republican Jack Guerrero are vying for state treasurer while Republican Nathan Hochman and Democrat Rob Bonta aim for California attorney general.
Lastly, Republican Robert Howell and Democrat Ricardo Lara face off in the race for insurance commissioner, and Democrat Tony Vazquez faces off against independent Marie Manvel to be a member of the Board of Equalization.
Measures and Propositions
Voters will also cast their ballots in support or against two county measures and a few state propositions.
County Measure A would place an amendment on L.A. County’s code regarding the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department.
The amendment would provide authority to the county Board of Supervisors to remove an elected sheriff for cause by a four-fifths vote after written notice and an opportunity for public discourse. The amendment defines a just cause as a violation of law related to a sheriff’s duties, flagrant or repeated neglect of duties, misappropriation of funds and more.
County Measure C, a cannabis business tax, would enact a tax in the unincorporated areas of the county on cannabis businesses at annual rate, not to exceed, $10 per square foot for cultivation and a percentage of gross receipts for various needs related to the business.
According to the Measure C, this would generate approximately $10 million to $15 million annually, until ended by voters.
In addition, there are seven state propositions being proposed to voters. These measures cover a range of issues such as reproductive rights, gambling, allocating additional funds for arts and music in public schools, requirements for kidney dialysis clinics, environmental concerns and the retail sale of flavored tobacco products.
For more information on the state propositions, visit signalscv.com/2022/10/california-ballot-measures-what-you-need-to-know.
