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Once again it’s time for the Rebel Voter’s Guide – my recommendations for fellow Democrats and progressives who like good open honest government and fiscal responsibility, and are also aware that MANY OC Democratic electeds and candidates suck worse than their opponents. I’m only gonna make recommendations for towns I’m really familiar with (unlike past guides we’ve had on this blog) and we welcome input from readers in other towns. Or hell, anyone that disagrees with any of this. Here goes…
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
- Governor – I’m sorry but I’m voting John Cox. I don’t really want him to beat Gavin, but I am disgusted by our choices here, and want Gavin to win by a small enough margin that he’s discouraged from trying for Senator or President.
- Lieutenant Governor – Eleni Kounalakis. Her opponent is a mediocre DINO.
- All Dems (against Reeps) for a while: Padilla for SOS. Yee for Controller. Ma for Treasurer. Becerra for AG (though I preferred Dave Jones.) Lara for Insurance Commissioner. Schaefer for Equalizer.
- For our next US Senator? KEVIN DE LEON! NO brainer.
US CONGRESS.
We can’t afford to lose a single Democrat in this age of Trump, but still can we shake Lou Correa’s cage a little?
- CA 39 – Gil Cisneros!
- CA 45 – KATIE PORTER!!!
- CA 46 – I’m voting this, what, Lambert fellow, against the supposed Democrat who endorsed Rackauckas, Barnes, and Mitch Caldwell, and will just keep winning anyway as long as he wants to. >-(
- CA 47 – Alan Lowenthal!
- CA 48 – HARLEY ROUDA!!! (the extra excitement not so much for Harley himself as dumping Dana and all the craziness and racism he represents on the Orange Coast.)
- CA 49 – Mike Levin! (Didn’t like him at first but I sure like him beating Diane Harkey!)
STATE SENATE.
- SD 34 – Sucks to have to choose between Janet Nguyen and Tom Umberg. And I DON’T have to. A pox on ’em both!
- SD 36 – MUCH easier – Marggie Castellano is great!
ASSEMBLY. Mostly Democrats but I can NOT vote for Tom Daly. Nope.
- AD 55 – that Fritchle dude who irritates me.
- AD 65 – our good friend Sharon Quirk-Silva!
- AD 68 – Michelle Duman
- AD 69 – our Libertarian friend Autumn Browne!
- AD 72 – the GREAT JOSH LOWENTHAL who could maybe even win!
- AD 73 – Scott Rhinehart!
- AD 74 – Cottie Petrie-Norris, who is also doing good in polls!
JUDICIAL
None of these candidates are opposed! The only one I recognize, who is definitely worth our little square of ink, is Judge Thomas Goethals, the bane of T-Rack. I’m also told that if you’re gonna just randomly click yes on all of them, at LEAST say no to anti-gay Carol Corrigan!
Schools – Superintendent – TONY THURMOND!
(At this point you’ll have to briefly skip forward to your own city / district)
County Supervisor district 4 (the only one that gets to vote) – Tim Shaw.
Sorry, just too much Chaffee badness to ignore. BUT … if Spitzer gets elected DA, we DO have a great Democratic Supervisor candidate to fight for in a few months – Andy Thorburn!
District Attorney – Todd Spitzer!
Sheriff – Duke Nguyen!
Let’s get some JUSTICE up in this County!
The Reform Team!
PROPOSITIONS –
YES on all except for 3, 5, 6, and 11.
(See comments below.)
Anaheim, my new hometown
Good School Board Candidates:
- AUHSD – Al Jabbar
- AESD – Ryan Ruelas, Mark Lopez, JUAN GABRIEL ALVAREZ!
- AUHSD – Annmarie Randel Trejo
MAYOR – CYNTHIA WARD. OR Ashleigh Aitken. (We MUST defeat Harry Sidhu and Lorri Galloway!)
- Council District 2 – JAMES VANDERBILT. Or Duane Roberts. (We MUST defeat
Jordan Brandman!) - Council District 3 – JOSE MORENO. Robert Nelson’s a good guy if you’re too conservative for Jose. We MUST defeat Disney Democrat
Mitch Caldwell!) - Council District 6 – PATTY GABY.
NO ON Crony-capitalist Measures J and K! YES ON L!!!!!
Huntington Beach, my old hometown
(with a lil input from John Earl & Gina Clayton Tarvin)
- Most important – Rouda for Congress, and Josh Lowenthal or Cottie Petrie-Norris for Assembly.
- City Council – Lathus, Kalmick, Carr. (Sorry, my old friend Peterson has slipped too far off the reservation into Cuckoo-Dana-Land.)
- Ocean View School District – Briscoe, Souders, Singer. (Keep Gracey OFF!)
- HB City School District – Paul Morrow, Diana Marks
- Westminster School District – Virginia Torres, Jeremy Khalaf
- HB High School Union District – my old friend Diana Lee Carey! And “young Salgado.”
Costa Mesa
(with a lil input from Greg Ridge and The Pot Stirrer)
- Harley Rouda for Congress!
- KELLY ROWE for OC Water District, against Shawn DeWane!
- ANNA VRSKA for Mesa Water, also against Shawn DeWane!
- Katrina Foley, Andrea Marr, Manny Chavez, Arlis Reynolds!
- YES on Measure H
- Newport-Mesa School District: 2 – Murphy. 4 – Neither. 5 – Barto. 7 – Anderson.
Santa Ana
(with a lil input from Ivan Enriquez and Tina Alcaraz-Andres)
- Mayor – Sal Tinajero!
- Council Ward 2 – Paul Gonzales!
- Council Ward 4 – Roman Reyna!
- Council Ward 6 – Nelida Mendoza!
- SA Unified School District – Valerie Amezcua and John Palacio.
- No on X, Yes on Y, Yes on AA
Irvine
(with a lil input from Mike Fox)
- Council – the endorsed Democrats are great – Farrah Khan and Lauren Johnson-Norris
- Kelly Rowe for OCWD (where applicable)
- I’m sorry, your Mayor candidates ALL SUCK. And that seems to be about all she wrote.
Other OC candidates / measures who stand out:
Beatriz Valencia for Orange Council! (above)
Linda Zamora for OC Water District against Dina Nguyen, in Garden Grove and Westminster!
Our own Greg Diamond for MWDOC against Brett Barbre, in the Brea area!
Good Job Vern I Agree most all of of your picks. I am not doing de leon, I might vote Spitzer. But I don’t want to. BUT THE MAIN THING IS WE ALL HAVE TO VOTE.
Only superior court judges run in competitive elections for 6 year terms. District and Supreme Court justices are appointed and stand on the ballot for non-competitive elections (yes or no) for 12 year terms.
Erik Peterson is a mini Trump. Kim Carr should have been endorsed by the Dems. She will be among my three choices for HB City Council. Peterson is reprehensible and is the favorite of the local neo-Fascist Trumpistas. Cox? Libertarians? Be careful what you vote for, this election isn’t a joke.
Thanks for the input, John, everything except Anaheim is still in progress. I was going to ask about Kim Carr. Why did the Dems not endorse her/him?
It’s hard for me to part ways with Peterson, I liked having a Republican friend who’s against Poseidon and stuck up for Gina. But I can see that he’s getting closer and closer to Rohrabacher, Michael Gates, and the general extreme xenophobia of the HB GOP. Trump is affecting that party so that there are hardly any decent Republicans left.
I guess I’ll say Carr, Lathus and Kalmick – you have four choices so that’s bullet voting right? Anything else big in Surf City?
We need to quickly interview Kelly Rowe and Linda Zamora, the OCWD candidates against Dewane and Dina.
“Trump is affecting that party so that there are hardly any decent Republicans left.”…Sorry Vern, we haven’t changed, you guys have just moved really far Left and your perspective is skewed.
No, with Trump any kind of self-serving greed, indecency, vulgarity, paranoia, race baiting and general wackadoodle conspiracy are the order of the day for the GOP.
Nothing wrong with my perspective.
Totally agree!
Hey Mikey: You still believe in that Plan 33 from Outer Space UN wackiness you were espousing back in the day?
Kim Carr WAS endorsed by the Democrats.
“Council District 5 – Either Ahmad Zahra (democrat) or John Ybarra (republican) – we will interview them – maybe a little debate!”
I had the chance to talk to Ybarra for about an hour the other day. He hit almost all the right notes, development that gives back when entitlements are granted, police misconduct, accountability at City Hall, etc. He gets the “total compensation” approach to collective bargaining.
He also told me something funny. Apparently the City Manager put on an information/indoctrination session for candidates. As the twig is bent, so grows the tree. Hook ’em young and they stay hooked for life.
*OK…..Tony and Don……Team Orange! Is the new Black! Both Katie’s and Mike…..yup!
Got to go for Pat and Bill down south. Harley in a walk. “Everything’s Changin” by Lonestar! The New Orange Curtain will be a good one…..the Old RINO’s and DINO’s..to
have to make way for the NEW BREED of Orange County politicians and lawmakers. It is about time we tipped over the sinking boat and brought in something old, something new, something borrowed and most BLUE!
TIM SHAW? Really? Oh well, whatever Pappa John tells us regarding the BOS….is probably as close to right as we will get. “Electable” comes to mind. This is going to be one heck of an election…..and so we advise everyone…..to go vote NOW! We went yesterday to Registrar and they will be opening Eight Alternative Early Voting locations, so go and get er done! That’s our advice. Don’t think you are going to stand in line for 40 minutes to vote on Election Day!
*Oh wow, we forgot the SC City Council…with Kathy, Wayne and Don. Also, we still have a real serious problem with the Judges…..YES or NO? Really? What is wrong with the concept offering TWO choices….rather than just ONE? Gavin and Dianne, Steve Poizner……Xavier and Ed….too…….OK then….you are free to travel about the County. And don’t forget our favorites…Betty and Fiona too!
Here in Dana Point’s District 2 the Dem for City Council is Mark McGinn.
I googled all the judicial nominees on my ballot’s political party and found it for all but one (mentioned in old news articles). I think recent events have demonstrated how important judges’ bias’ are, even when they are supposed to be nonpartisan, plus a Christian conservative site I saw was endorsing all the Republican justices I found, cementing this for me.
CA State Court of Appeals,
Dist.4 Div. 1
Benke (R)
Irion (D)
Aaron (D)
Haller (R)
Dato (D)
Huffman (D)
Guerrero (D)
Dist. 4 Div. 2
Slough (D)
McKinster (R)
Miller (R)
Fields (D)
Dist. 4 Div. 3
Ikola (R)
Goethals (D)
Thompson (? Appointed by a D)
Supreme Court
Corrigan (R)
Kruger (D)
Need help with South OC Community College District Trustee Area 2 and with South Coast Water District
Vote to retain all of the judges at all levels. Unless someone is horrific, in which case there will be an organized movement, choosing judges by voting just pushes judges to cater to voters’ worst instincts. Make them feel safe enough to do their jobs right.
Anybody that thinks that is doesn’t matter who’s in political office has never had to get an abortion with a coat hanger. Or forced to carry a rapist baby to term!!
Been raped and the perpetrator does not go to jail.
Is a woman and makes less than a man doing the same job.
Is a woman that cannot break the glass ceiling because of gender.
Is an ethnic minority that went to a subpar school or been targeted because of your color.
Has never been rejected for housing because of race, gender, religious, or sexual preference.
Is a religious minority that has been persecuted.
Is a member of the LGBTQ community and has been persecuted.
Has been beaten, gassed or harassed by the police.
Or sent off to fight and die in a vicious stupid war on the other side of the world.
Thanks for the guide!
Sherri Loveland for Tustin City Council! (She’s a “write-in” candidate.)
Thank you for the justices registration. I’m voting straight party line this year. What are the pros, I know the cons, for Spitzer or Rackauckus. I have to hold my nose either way. Is there a write in? What about a write in for HB City Atty Gates? Anyone? Please?
Is this REALLY Marti? It doesn’t sound right that she would know no pros and cons between Tony and Todd. Or that she would even consider writing in Gates.* Or that “Marti from the Party” would be asking us for advice on ANYTHING.
*On second read, maybe “Marti” is asking for a write-in OPTION to Gates in HB. Leave it blank, or you could write in “Friedman” which is the guy who WANTED to run against Mike E but got disqualified.
For the reasons me and Greg are supporting Spitzer over Tony – Todd’s “pros” – you can look here:
http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2018/09/spitzer-on-oc-hate-crimes-and-campaign-residency-fraud/
http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2018/10/todd-spitzer-democratic-former-rival-brett-murdock-come-to-los-amigos-wed-morning/
http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2018/10/2018-vote-2-gregs-recommendations-for-district-attorney-and-sheriff/
Vern, you’re confusing this writer with Marti Schrank.
Marti — Rackauckas and Don Barnes are running as a team.
Spitzer and Nguyen are not running as a team, but clearly both favor reforms and seem to share a mutual respect.
There’s no “party line” in the DA’s race. You’re either for Reform or for More of the Same. If you’re a Democrat, you *could* write in Brett Murdock, who was the endorsed Democrat in the primary — but bear in mind that Murdock himself has endorsed Spitzer as a fellow advocate for badly needed reforms.
Oh yeah. Duh.
Also as I recently mentioned, the best way for HB to vote against their hotshot, nativist, demagogue City Attorney is to vote for Spitzer.
I wrote in a friend who is an attorney. Would not vote for either of those d-bags.
Hi,
I’m voting no on prop 3! Sorry it’s long, but please see below:
“Restore the Delta has been working on so many issues this year that we have not weighed in with our members on Proposition 3, the $8.9 billion dollar water bond, on the November ballot. Additionally, we did not open a PAC and lead an opposition campaign opposing Prop 3, as we did against Prop 1 in 2014, because we knew that even if we could raise the money, we didn’t have the mental/physical/spiritual bandwidth to lead an opposition campaign on top of all the other work we have undertaken this year in our advocacy to stop the Delta tunnels, and to ensure that adequate flows are restored to the Delta estuary, for all Delta communities.
We can, however, make a statement evaluating Prop 3. So here we go!
We don’t like it! We really, really don’t like it — despite the fact that it does contain some needed dollars to help communities with serious water needs in the San Joaquin Valley – which makes not liking it problematic. But we still don’t like it.
Our first problem is that the percentage of money allocated in the $8.9 billion dollars to help with environmental justice water community needs is a pittance. It is about 10% of the overall bond. This is the problem we see time and time again with water resource management in California. About 90% of funding in water project management goes to fund special interest water districts, industrial agriculture, and speculative developers looking for new water supplies. The projects that are needed to solve serious drinking water problems for environmental justice communities in all of California, to create regional self-sufficiency to lessen dependence on the Delta, and to protect existing water supplies, rivers, and watersheds like the Delta, continue to be grossly underfunded. To read more about these funding inequities, click here to read an excellent op-ed by Eric Parfrey, Chair of Sierra Club California.
We understand why certain groups would support this bond for water challenged communities within their service areas. We get it and empathize fully. But we believe that perpetuating a water bond scheme that favors a small percentage of special interests without rebuilding California’s water system to favor 98% of water users just doesn’t work any longer. We have had 30 years of that scenario, and water management outcomes are not improving.
Second, the money in Prop 3 marked for Delta restoration is tied to the construction of the Delta tunnels. It contains mitigation money for projects that water exporters are supposed to pay for to correct problems from over exporting water over the last 30 years. And it’s packed with funding for restoration projects that will not work with construction and operation of the fresh-water-depleting Delta tunnels. As long as adequate flows do not pass through the Delta to nourish the estuary, either from tunnel operations, over pumping at the current facilities, or inadequate flow releases, restoration projects will fall short to accomplish their promised goals. Why should voters throw good money after bad decision making?
Third, subsidence from groundwater pumping in the South San Joaquin Valley is what has caused the Friant-Kern canal to sink and to require expensive repairs. Taxpayers should not be on the hook for the needed $700 million in repairs to fix and expand the Friant-Kern Canal as earmarked in Prop 3 after big growers damaged their own groundwater system.
Don’t be fooled. The push to expand the capacity of Friant-Kern Canal and related facilities to move water around links up to plans for Kern County Water Agency to receive additional water exports from the Delta tunnels. Kern County interests want lots of new water for their desert communities from other parts of the state in order to become the proverbial oasis in the desert, sort of like Palm Springs. Remember, Kern County Water Agency, is set to contribute only about 21% of Delta tunnels funding, as the project will primarily be funded by Metropolitan Water District customers, yet KCWA maintains that their export allotments will increase dramatically. Meanwhile, Southern California environmental justice communities will be subsidizing big ag through higher water rates and property taxes for the tunnels, and, through Prop 3, will be subsidizing big ag infrastructure, while groundwater supplies in Southeast Los Angeles County remain polluted, and regional self-sufficiency water projects remain on the back burner.”
I say. That’s long enough and interesting enough to be its own article. Can I print it as one?
Anna,
Great commentary, thank you!
Prop 3 is insufficient in meeting our
state’s water needs.
I voted No on Prop. 3 and
voted for you for Mesa Water District
Director, Division 5.
Go, Anna!
Could someone link me to a post where the oj juice blog goes a little bit more in depth about all the propositions?
Why “Yes” on Prop 11? Should be “No”?
Um no.
I know the Dems came out against it, but nobody could even be bothered to explain why.
You really want ambulance workers finishing up their break while you’re bleeding on the street? Isn’t there such a thing as you take a certain job, there are certain responsibilities?
Vern, ambulance companies are already required to meet response times.
Courtesy of OJ friend and former Fullerton City Council Candidate Matt Rowe, please vote “NO” on 11.
So it is unnecessary, redundant? Why have we never heard that?
Is Matt in that business?
No, it’s not redundant. It increases margins for ambulance companies by avoiding staffing breaks for hourly employees.
At $50/hr, sure. At $15hr, no.
Some municipalities maintain their own ambulance services. Their employees are “publicly employed first responders” (I forget the exact term) and by law can therefore be “on call” during breaks.
Other municipalities outsource their services. Their employees are private employees and therefore not subject to the exception to labor law.
I think that the change in rules makes sense within its own borders. However, almost all of the likely implications of it, when it serves as a precedent for other areas, are bad. I like that it’s a poke in the eye to outsourcers, but that’s not enough to make me vote for it, and if anything the unfair of that is an argument against it. It will probably be the last thing on the ballot about which I make up my mind. The ballot measures this year are mostly really close calls.
I want private ambulance companies to properly cover staff breaks, i.e. have enough employees per shift to cover breaks. Allowing private ambulance companies to make their workers be on call during breaks will allow the companies to be legally understaffed, thereby increasing their profit margin. Why do we want companies to profit at the expense of its workers?
Thank you, Vern and Greg, for this site being another source of information about OC. Los Angeles Times and KPCC are based in and focused on LA; the Orange County Register is not enough; both Times and Register have paywalls. I’m really trying to be a more informed voter and spent this past weekend searching and studying all the propositions and candidates on my ballot. It was very hard to find information about the city- and county-specific ones. Anyway, here’s what I’ve found on Prop 11 where both sides of the issue are presented on each site:
http://votersedge.org/en/ca/ballot/election/area/73/measures/measure/3256?id=statewide-73-ca
https://elections.calmatters.org/2018/california-ballot-measures/proposition-11-paramedic-break-time/
http://elections.laist.com/2018/ca-general/voter-game-plan/ca-ballot-measures/
(need to select Prop 11 from the drop-down menu)
https://www.kcet.org/ballot-brief/prop-11-ambulance-employees-on-call-during-breaks
Zero chance of voting for Eric Peterson, Ron S. or Michael Gates. In addition to supporting a bigoted, uneducated, wanna be book burner for school board, they count Michael Daly as a close ally. Michael Daly who posted on his public forum that another local elected official (GCT) had AIDS. That’s classy.
Plus, we all saw Ron run like a shaking poodle when Epting came after him a couple of years back. First when Streud dared to suggest scabby old Posey be recalled. And then when Ron supported some locals Chris cannot abide. Never trust anyone who cannot stand by their own beliefs and choices. Especially against just one loud mouth no consequence bully.
HBCF is working overtime to unseat the very council clowns they claimed victory for getting elected just a few short years ago. And that was all over some plastic bags that everyone with a brain knew would soon be dealt with at a state level. They keep trying to get residents to vote against their own interests. Often due to partisan politics or a personal grudge. And they have a lousy track record: Lost on bags. Elected rotten council (according to them). Lost on school bond. Lost on Travis Allen. Lost on GCT re election (by a landslide) Lost on Singer recall. There’s more.
The point is Daly ain’t exactly a king maker so if Streud, Gates and Peterson want to hang with the guy who makes the AIDS comments in 2018. You gotta assume it’s because they like that sorta thing.
And if the people of HB want to have their chains yanked by online dunces with their own personal agendas then the people of HB are getting what they deserve. Again. Last time it was: Brenden, Posey, Delgleize and O’Connell. A group widely believed to suck. And the most vocal critics of that council are the very people who championed their past election.
Is there anyone worth supporting in HB City Council race besides Shayna Lathus?
I have HB. There is also Kalmus and Carr.
Excellent question. Currently doing a deeper dive on Kim Carr and a few others. There are A LOT running. But It’s not exactly a sky full of shining political stars. Very open to hearing arguments for any possibilities this vote. Way more people asking, “who to vote for” this go round.
Democrats endorsed Carr and some other guy whose name escapes me, but I guess some want to bullet vote Lathus and at least add someone decent to the Council.
Vern can you please do the endorsements for Newport Beach’s governing board member and city council positions?
I don’t follow Newport, but I get these tips from some people I trust:
Council
District 1: Mike Glenn
District 3: Tim Stoaks
District 4: Roy Engelbrecht
District 6: Joy Brenner <== most important one!
YES on Measure H
Newport-Mesa School District: 2 – Murphy. 4 – Neither. 5 – Barto. 7 – Anderson.
KELLY ROWE for OCWD!
It’s official. Gracey is a loser.
It was obvious before that she was a loser, but now the people have spoken. And they said, “LOSER!” You are a LOOOOOOSSSSSEEEERRRRRR!” Ok. Out of my system. No. Wait. There’s More! LOSER. LOSER.LOSER! Ok. Nope! There’s —
Knock, knock
Who’s there?
LOSER! Racist LOSER!
All right. Done. Except… Gracey you have a little somethin’ on your face. No, right there. By your sunglasses. It dripped on your flag sweater too. Ohhhh! It’s a bunch of LOSER!!!!
I don’t think that’s gonna come off. That’s probably gonna stain.
Almost forgot, “HYPNOTIZE!”
This election has been hard on most people BUT it has been worth it to see that little wimp Daly crying and throwing a tantrum on his own feces filled forum. “This forum is a joke! This forum sucks.” AGREE. And the blame lays squarely with the moron who created and runs it. And that would be…? Ah, yes. Mike Daly. Fish stinks from the head.
Proving once again that they have no power on HBCF. Political or otherwise.
Well. That’s not fair they have helped reunite some dogs with their owners.
But any politician who plays over there just likes the stench. Because it’s of no consequence what those LOSERS think or say or type.
He is saying that? Why is he mad at his own forum? Can you send a link to the goodness? They won’t let me comment there but I can still see it.
When able will see if it’s still up and can be found. But if you wanna look now it was in the comments on a post by Rob Pool “first returns” that’s about 15 hours old. But you’ve gotta scroll through it’s in the comments.