On the ballot: ELECTION 2024

| September 26, 2024 | 0 Comments


County, city, state and school measures —
and candidates

Voting has never been easier as there are myriad ways to make your voice heard, from mail-in ballots to walk-up boxes and centers, in the Tues., Nov. 5, General Election.

Ballots will be mailed soon (by Mon., Oct. 7) to all registered voters, and ballot boxes will open by Oct. 7, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.

Ballot drop-off locations open on Tues., Oct. 8.

There’s no time like the present to study up on the measures and the candidates. Choices made now are expected to affect our lives and communities for years to come.

There are three county ballot measures, seven city measures, and 10 state measures, with topics ranging from higher taxes, school bonds, homelessness and marriage to rent control (again) on the ballot.

Interesting and contentious

For local readers, the most interesting and contentious races probably are two — the U.S. Congress 30th District seat long held by U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (now running for U.S. Senate) and the Los Angeles County District Attorney race, where Nathan Hochman is challenging incumbent George Gascón.

 

County, city, state and school measures plus candidates are on ballots being distributed

Voting has never been easier. Ballots for the Tues., Nov. 5, General Election will be mailed by Mon., Oct. 7 to all registered voters, and ballot boxes will open by Oct. 7.

Ballot drop-off locations open on Tues., Oct. 8.

Vote-by-mail ballots can be returned by mail at a drop-off location or your county elections office. They must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by Nov. 12.

Walk-in Vote Centers will be open Sat., Oct. 26, through Election Day, Nov. 5. A list of locations will be available 30-40 days before the election.

The last day to register to vote for the Nov. 5 election is Mon., Oct. 21.

Choosing is not as easy

Choosing among the varied candidates and bonds and other ballot measures is the trickier part. Residents will have a number of candidates and county, city and state measures on their ballot.

On the ballot will be the largest bond put forth by the Los Angeles Unified School District, $9 billion for new school construction.

Contentious races

For local readers, the most interesting and contentious races probably are two — the U.S. Congress 30th District seat long held by U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (now running for U.S. Senate) and the Los Angeles County District Attorney race, where Nathan Hochman is challenging incumbent George Gascón. Some Larchmont Chronicle readers also get to vote for a city councilmember for Council District 10.

And, of course, there is a U.S. President election.

United States Senate

Former Major League Baseball player and Dodger first baseman Steve Garvey is the underdog in the United States Senate race against former longtime Congressman Adam Schiff.

If elected, Garvey would call for a federal audit of billions of dollars “wasted on California’s homelessness crisis,” Garvey wrote on X.

Schiff served the 30th Congressional District and as a California State Senator. Issues on his agenda include gun violence prevention, climate change, criminal justice reform, housing and homelessness.

Congressional Districts

In the race to succeed Adam Schiff in Congressional District 30, California State Assemblymember Laura Friedman faces Dr. Alex Balekian.

Adjoining the 30th District are Districts 34 and 37. Both have incumbents. U.S. Representative Jimmy Gomez is running again in Congressional District 34 against David Kim, a children’s court attorney. U.S. Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove is running  again in Congressional District 37 against Juan Rey, a train mechanic.

State Assembly

In the State Assembly, incumbent Rick Chavez-Zbur (Assembly District 51) faces entrepreneur Stephan Hohil, and Isaac Bryan (Assembly District 55) faces Keith G. Cascio, a software developer.

In the 54th Assembly District, which includes a bit of the eastern portion of the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council area,  there is no incumbent, and Mark Gonzalez, district director to Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, squares off against John K. Yi, a public transit advocate.

City Council District 10

The only local Los Angeles City Council contest (even-numbered council districts this time) is for CD 10, along the southern and eastern borders of the Larchmont Chronicle readership area.

Running as the incumbent in this nonpartisan race is Heather Hutt, the appointed replacement for her convicted predecessor, Mark Ridley-Thomas. Hutt faces attorney and Neighborhood Councilmember Grace Yoo.

Los Angeles County  District Attorney

Perhaps the most watched and most contentious race is the one for the nonpartisan position of Los Angeles County District Attorney.

Incumbent George Gascón is running against former prosecutor and criminal defense lawyer Nathan Hochman. According to LAist, the election is “expected to be closely watched across the country as a barometer of how the public is feeling about criminal justice reforms amid an increase in property crime. Property crime is up 17.4 percent in the city of Los Angeles so far this year compared to two years ago… Violent crime is down 1.3 percent year-to-date from two years ago.”

Los Angeles  County Measures

There are three Los Angeles County Measures on the ballot. Each requires a majority vote of 50 percent+1.

Measure G would amend the Los Angeles County Charter to create a County Executive person to be elected at-large throughout the county. It also would create an independent Ethics Commission to restrict lobbying and investigate misconduct. Further, Measure G would increase the Board of Supervisors from five elected members to nine elected members and make other changes. Opponents include Supervisors Holly Mitchell and Kathryn Barger, the LA County  Firefighters & Sheriffs and the Community Coalition.

Measure A: Named the Homelessness Services and Affordable Housing Ordinance, this county measure is intended to create affordable housing, support home ownership and provide rental assistance as well as increase mental health and addiction treatment, among other services.  If approved, it would replace the existing quarter-cent sales tax, under Measure H, which expires in 2027, with a new half-cent sales tax indefinitely. It would raise an estimated $1.1 billion yearly. Supporters include Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles and Women’s & Children’s Crisis Shelter. Opponents include Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, former County Supervisor Mike Antonovich and Jack Humphreville.

Measure E is the Consolidated Fire Protection, Emergency Response and Infrastructure Ordinance. It addresses firefighter and paramedic response times and pays for upgraded equipment by levying property tax of six cents per square foot of parcel improvements, providing $152 million annually, within limits and subject to exemptions. Firefighter groups support; Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, former County Supervisor Mike Antonovich and Jack Humphreville  oppose.

For information on the measures. visit tinyurl.com/3xjw3t4v.

 

New City rules, $9 billion LAUSD bond seek approval

Seven Los Angeles City measures are on the ballot, and all but one require a majority vote of 50 percent+1 to pass. The $9 billion school bond, Measure US, requires a 55 percent majority to pass.

Measure DD would create an independent redistricting commission to redraw the City Council district lines every 10 years.

Measure HH would amend the City Charter to require that commission appointees file financial disclosures, clarify the Controller’s auditing authority and expand the City Attorney’s subpoena power, among other changes.

Measure II would amend the City Charter to clarify that El Pueblo Monument and the Los Angeles Zoo are park property, include gender identity in non-discrimination rules, clarify the Airport Commission’s authority to establish fees and make other changes.

Measure ER would amend the City Charter to establish a minimum annual budget for the City Ethics Commission and increase its authority over spending decisions and hiring. It would also require the City Council to hold a public hearing on Commission proposals and increase penalties for violations of City laws.

Measure FF would amend the City Charter to allow peace officers employed by the Police, Airport, Harbor and Recreation and Parks Departments to transfer membership and service to the Los Angeles Fire and Police Pension Plan.

Learn more about city Measures DD through FF at tinyurl.com/yc7pnh2k.

For LAUSD

Measure LL would amend the City Charter to establish an independent redistricting commission to redraw Board of Education district lines every 10 years in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Measure US would authorize  $9 billion in bonds to update school facilities. US requires 55 percent of the votes to pass.

This is the largest bond put on the ballot by the Los Angeles Unified School District. Property taxes would rise about $273 a year for a median-priced ($1 million) home within the school district, according to the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, which opposes, along with former County Supervisor Mike Antonovich and Jack Humphreville. Supporters include Families in Schools.

Learn more at tinyurl.com/3xjw3t4v.

 

State: Ten measures, including two big bonds

If the 10 state measures on the Tues., Nov. 5, ballot pass, marriage would become a constitutional right, and the minimum wage would be raised to the highest in the country.

Providing funds for schools and affordable housing are also in the mix.

Read below for a synopsis of each measure:

Prop. 2 would authorize $10 billion in bonds to repair, upgrade and construct new facilities at K-12 public schools, community colleges and career technical education programs. California Teachers Association  is among the proponents, while the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association opposes.

Prop. 3 would amend the state Constitution to recognize the right to marry, regardless of sex or race.

Prop. 4 authorizes $10 billion in bonds to fund various programs promoted as addressing climate risks. Clean Water Action supports; Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association opposes.

Prop. 5 would lower voter-approval requirements for local bonds for affordable housing and public infrastructure including road and transit expansions, parks and more. The measure proposes 55 percent voter approval, rather than the current two-thirds approval required by the state’s Constitution. League of Women Voters of Calif. supports; California Taxpayers Association opposes.

Prop. 6 removes a state Constitutional provision that allows incarcerated persons to be forced to work. If passed, prisoners could voluntarily accept work assignments in exchange for credit to reduce their sentences.

Prop. 32: If passed, all workers would make at least $18 an hour by 2026. The measure reads: “For employers with 26 or more employees, to $17 immediately, $18 on Jan. 1, 2025. For employers with 25 or fewer employees, to $17 on Jan. 1, 2025, $18 on January 1, 2026.” California Chamber of Commerce and others oppose.

Prop. 33 expands local government’s authority to enact rent control on residential property and would eliminate the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act of 1995, which allows landlords limited market-rate increases. AIDS Healthcare Foundation is sponsoring the measure; opponents in the real estate industry say it is anti-housing. Learn more at yeson33.org and NoOnProp33.com.

Prop. 34 restricts spending of prescription drug revenues by some healthcare providers, with the primary object being to deter the AIDS Healthcare Foundation from spending such revenues on ballot measure campaigns. The California Apartment Assoc. supports; the AIDS Healthcare Foundation opposes.

Prop. 35 provides permanent funding for Medi-Cal health care services set to expire in 2026. Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics is among supporters. No argument against was provided.

Prop. 36 allows felony charges for, and increases sentences for, certain drug and theft crimes under $950 — both currently chargeable only as misdemeanors — for criminals with prior convictions.

For arguments for and against the state propositions, visit the California Secretary of State Voter Information Guide at tinyurl.com/344763pt.

 

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