Election 2022: Ballots arriving this week. What Coachella Valley voters need to know
Vote-by-mail ballots for the Nov. 8 general election will begin showing up in mailboxes this week. Every registered voter in California will receive a ballot, which were set to be mailed by Monday, Oct. 10.
Voters can fill out their ballots and return by mail as soon as they are received. All vote-by-mail ballots include a return envelope with prepaid postage.
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Vote-by-mail drop boxes open Tuesday, Oct. 11. Here are the locations in the Coachella Valley:
Bermuda Dunes Community Service Center, 78-400 Forty Second Ave., Bermuda Dunes
Cathedral City Library, 33-520 Date Palm Dr., Cathedral City
City of Cathedral City, 68-700 Avenida Lalo Guerrero, Cathedral City
City of Coachella, 53-462 Enterprise Way, Coachella
City of Desert Hot Springs, 11-999 Palm Dr., Desert Hot Springs
City of Indian Wells, 44-950 Eldorado Dr., Indian Wells
City of Indio, 100 Civic Center Mall, Indio
Desert Theatreworks, 45-175 Fargo St., Indio
Indio Community Center, 45-871 Clinton St., Indio
La Quinta City Hall, 78-495 Calle Tampico, La Quinta
Trilogy at La Quinta, 60-750 Trilogy Parkway, La Quinta
Mecca Library, 91-260 Sixty Sixth Ave., Mecca
City of Palm Desert, 73-510 Fred Waring Dr., Palm Desert
Palm Desert Community Center, 43-900 San Pablo Ave., Palm Desert
City of Palm Springs, 3200 E Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs
James O. Jessie Desert Highland Unity Center, 480 W Tramview Rd., Palm Springs
City of Rancho Mirage, 69-825 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage
In-person voting options will be available across Riverside County. In the Coachella Valley, vote centers will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., starting Oct. 29 through Election Day at the following locations:
Bermuda Dunes Community Service Center, Multi‐Purpose Room, 78-400 42nd Ave., Bermuda Dunes
Cathedral City Hall, Study Session Room, 68-700 Avenida Lalo Guerrero, Cathedral City
Coachella Branch Library, Program Room, 1500 6th St., Coachella
Desert Hot Springs Library, Community Room, 14-380 Palm Dr., Desert Hot Springs
Indio Corporate Yard, Lobby, 83-101 Avenue 45, Indio
La Quinta City Hall, Study Session Room, 78-495 Calle Tampico, La Quinta
Palm Desert Greens, Recreation Center, 73-750 Country Club Dr., Palm Desert
Demuth Community Center, Gymnasium, 3601 E Mesquite Ave., Palm Springs
Additional vote centers in the valley will open Nov. 5 through Election Day at the following places:
Cathedral City Library, Community Room, 33-520 Date Palm Dr., Cathedral City
Northgate Community Church, Rooms 1, 2 & 3, 30010 Date Palm Dr., Cathedral City
Coachella Community Center, Bagdouma Park / Main Room 51251 Douma St., Coachella
Desert Hot Springs Senior Center, West Room, 11-777 West Dr., Desert Hot Springs
Indian Wells City Hall, Council Chambers, 44-950 Eldorado Dr., Indian Wells
Desert Theatreworks, Theatre 45-175 Fargo St., Indio
Indio Library, Community Room, 200 Civic Center Mall, Indio
Riverside County Office of Education, Conference Rooms 126 & 127, 47-110 Calhoun St., Indio
Shadow Hills High School, Gym Foyer, 39-225 Jefferson St., Indio
Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle School, Multi‐Purpose Room, 43-495 Palm Royale Dr., La Quinta
Trilogy at La Quinta, Mariposa Conference Room, 60-750 Trilogy Parkway, La Quinta
Mecca County Library, Community Room, 91-260 66th Ave., Mecca
Fountains at the Carlotta, Town Center Auditorium, 41-505 Carlotta Dr., Palm Desert
Palm Desert Community Center, Gymnasium, 43-900 San Pablo Ave., Palm Desert
Portola Community Center, Multi‐Purpose Room, 45-480 Portola Ave., Palm Desert
James O. Jessie Desert Highland Unity Center, Gymnasium, 480 W Tramview Rd., Palm Springs
Palm Springs Public Library, Learning Center, 300 S. Sunrise Way Palm Springs
Rancho Mirage Library, Annenberg Room, 71-100 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage
The River, A103, 71-800 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage
Jack Ivey Ranch HOA, Clubhouse Library, 74-580 Varner Rd., Thousand Palms
Voters in the valley will have say in shaping all nine city governments in the November election, as well as selecting representatives on education, water and health district boards.
Many statewide and federal races also will head toward conclusion after the June primary, and several high-stakes propositions will be decided by California voters.
Here's a guide to what you will find on the ballot:
Cathedral City: 3 council seats
Three seats are up for grabs to represent Districts 3, 4, and 5 on the Cathedral City Council. Mayor Ernesto Gutierrez, Councilmember Mark Carnevale, and Councilmember Raymond Gregory are all running for re-election.
Rick Saldivar and David Koslow are challenging Gutierrez for the District 4 seat. Carnevale, who represents District 3, and Gregory, who represents District 5, are running unopposed.
More: Meet the challengers running for Cathedral City Council. 2 incumbents are unopposed.
Coachella: Mayor, 2 council seats
Coachella residents will be voting for mayor and two city council seats in the upcoming November election.
Mayor Steven Hernandez is seeking a fifth two-year term for the seat he currently holds, running opposite Denise Delgado, who is currently a councilmember.
Two at-large council spots are up for grabs. Current councilmember Megan Beaman Jacinto is not seeking election, but Mayor Pro Tem Josephine Gonzalez is vying for another four-year term on council, and is joined in the race by Yurema Arvizu, Frank Figueroa, and Stephanie Virgen.
More: Coachella election sees two mayoral candidates and four for council seats
Desert Hot Springs: 2 council seats
A former mayor is running against an incumbent city council member in Desert Hot Springs’ first by-district election on Nov. 8. Another incumbent is running unopposed.
Mayor Pro Tem Gary Gardner is running unopposed in District 1. Councilmember Jan Pye is being challenged by former Desert Hot Springs Mayor Adam Sanchez in District 3. Voters in the other two districts won't cast ballots for council this fall.
More: Former mayor Sanchez challenges incumbent Pye for Desert Hot Springs council seat
Indian Wells: 3 council seats
Several familiar faces — along with a few newcomers who believe the city needs some fresh perspective — are running for the Indian Wells City Council, with a total of three at-large seats on this year’s ballot.
Most of the candidates will be vying for two council seats that each come with a standard four-year term, while a pair of former councilmembers are running for a spot that lasts just two years, filling the remaining term of Kimberly Muzik, who resigned in May.
Five candidates — incumbent Mayor Dana Reed, former councilmember Doug Hanson, Ivan Moad, Toper Taylor and Bruce Whitman — will vie for the full terms. The other spot on the council will go to one of two former council members, Ted Mertens or Ty Peabody.
More: Several familiar faces, plus a few newcomers, running for seats on the Indian Wells City Council
Indio: 1 district contested; 2 incumbents reappointed
Voters in one Indio City Council District will choose a representative this year. In District 3, Jonathan Becerra is challenging Elaine Holmes, who was first elected in 2010 and is seeking a fourth term.
Having failed to attract any challengers in the Nov. 8 election, Mayor Waymond Fermon and Mayor Pro Tem Oscar Ortiz will continue representing Districts 2 and 4, respectively, for four more years.
The Indio City Council opted to appoint both men and save an estimated $52,000 that the elections in those districts would have cost.
More: Indio City Council: Fermon, Ortiz to be reappointed to seats due to lack of challengers
La Quinta: Mayor, 2 council seats, rental restrictions
A long-time incumbent and four newcomers — three of whom have run for local office before — will vie for two seats on the La Quinta City Council in the Nov. 8 election.
John Peña, a member of the council since 2014 who also served as mayor from 1988 to 2002, is seeking another four-year term in office.
The other incumbent up for re-election, Robert Radi, announced in January that he won’t seek re-election this year.
Four newcomers — Richard Gray, Brian Hanrahan, Joe Johnson and Deborah McGarrey — have qualified to appear on the November ballot. Council members are elected at large, meaning the top two vote-getters of the five will win the council seats.
Mayor Linda Evans is facing a pair of challengers — Alan Woodruff and Robert Sylk — in her bid for a fifth term as mayor. In La Quinta, council members serve four-year terms, while the mayor is elected every two years.
More: Incumbent John Peña, four others seeking two seats on La Quinta City Council
La Quinta residents also will get a say in whether short-term vacation rentals should be banned from residential neighborhoods.
A citizens group called La Quinta Neighbors for Neighborhoods, or N4N, successfully obtained enough signatures to get the initiative on the Nov. 8 ballot.
If passed by voters, the initiative would phase out short-term vacation rentals in residential neighborhoods by Dec. 31, 2024, allowing them only in home shares — where the property owner remains on site throughout the rental — and in designated areas, such as those zoned tourist commercial.
A report commissioned by the city says a ban could cost millions in tax revenue and visitor spending, as well as hundreds of jobs.
More: La Quinta short-term rental ban would hit economy hard, report finds. Some are skeptical.
Palm Desert: 2 council seats; voting districts
In Palm Desert's first election with ranked-choice voting — and potentially its last with just two voting districts — a pair of seats will be open on the city council.
Five candidates, including incumbent councilmember and current Mayor Jan Harnik, will be on the ballot in the November election. Both council seats up for grabs are in District 2, which includes about 80% of the city’s population and has four council members — two elected every two years.
The other incumbent from District 2, Sabby Jonathan, announced in early August that he won’t seek re-election, guaranteeing that at least one newcomer will join the five-member council.
Along with Harnik, Gregg Akkerman, Carlos Garcia, Gregory Meinhardt and Evan Trubee have qualified as candidates for the council seats.
More: Palm Desert's first city council election with ranked-choice voting draws 5 candidates
The city council’s makeup isn’t the only thing that will be decided in November. While only District 2 voters will decide the council seats, all residents will be asked whether Palm Desert should switch from two to five voting districts.
The ballot measure is an advisory vote, meaning the city council will make a final decision on the districts after Palm Desert residents weigh in at the polls. The city shifted to its unique two-district system in the 2020 election as part of a settlement agreement in a voting rights lawsuit filed in 2019.
More: Palm Desert's District 2 voters moving to ranked choice system for November election
Palm Springs: 3 council seats
Three of the five Palm Springs City Council seats will be up for election this fall, and each race will feature two candidates.
In District 1, incumbent councilmember Grace Garner will run against Scott Nevins, a cable TV personality and DAP Health board member.
In District 2, Jeffrey Bernstein, the owner of Destination PSP, is running against Renee Brown, associate curator for the Palm Springs Historical Society. Incumbent Dennis Woods is not on the ballot.
In District 3, Ron deHarte, the president of Greater Palm Springs Pride, is running against Joy Brown Meredith, the president of Main Street Palm Springs. Incumbent Geoff Kors is not seeking reelection.
More: All 3 Palm Springs City Council races will be head-to-head matchups
Rancho Mirage: 3 council seats
A lot of change will be coming to the Rancho Mirage City Council. With three seats up for election this year, no one who was elected in 2018 will be on the Nov. 8 ballot.
The six candidates include Steve Downs, who was appointed in December to fill out the remaining months of the retiring Dana Hobart's term. Hobart retired in November 2021 after nearly two decades on the council, while Charles Townsend and Iris Smotrich both announced earlier this summer they wouldn’t seek re-election.
Besides Downs, Louisa Davis, Lynn Mallotto, Meg Marker, Kim Martos and Ken Ammann will be on the ballot.
Council members in Rancho Mirage are elected at large for four-year terms. The other two seats will be on the ballot in 2024.
More: More change coming to Rancho Mirage City Council with three seats up for election
COD Board of Trustees: 2 seats
Four candidates are vying for two College of the Desert Board of Trustees seats in a race that has seen unusually high campaign spending. At stake: where COD should invest hundreds of millions of dollars raised in bond measures to build education centers across the valley; how to address a drop in enrollment since the COVID-19 pandemic began; and, fixing cybersecurity issues that have led to at least two very damaging hacks against the school since 2020.
Board of Trustees Chair Ruben Perez, a first-term trustee and fieldworker for Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, is defending his east valley seat against Larissa Chavez Chaidez, a former student trustee at COD and current CSUSB student.
Former COD President/Superintendent Joel Kinnamon is challenging Aurora Wilson, a trustee since 2013, for her mid-valley seat.
More: Elections 2022: COD trustee candidates spar over Palm Springs campus plans, transparency
Palm Springs Unified School District: 3 seats
The five-member Palm Springs Unified Board of Trustees has three seats up for grabs this November.
Candidates are running unopposed in two races, and one race for Trustee Area 5 to represent Desert Hot Springs has drawn challenger Kaden Cross against incumbent John Gerardi, seeking his third term.
Gerardi, a licensed CPA, previously served on the Desert Hot Springs Planning Commission for 10 years, five years as Chairman. Cross recently graduated from Desert Hot Springs High School. He says as a recent graduate he understands issues in local schools, and he feels his voice has been unheard at school board meetings.
In Trustee Area 4, Charlie Ervin, a City of Palm Springs Planning Commissioner, is running unopposed to replace Timothy Wood.
In Trustee Area 3, Karen Cornett is running unopposed for her fourth term on the PSUSD Board.
Desert Sands Unified School District: 3 seats
This November marks an unusual election for the Desert Sands Unified School District Board of Education.
Four races will decide candidates in three areas. One race for Trustee Area 2 is for a short term that could potentially last only several days before the winner of the full term takes office in December.
In Trustee Area 1, which represents the western half of Palm Desert, Kailee Watson is running unopposed to replace Wendy Jonathan for a two-year term that ends in 2024.
There are two elections for Trustee Area 2: one for the short term and one for the full-length term through 2026. Trustee Area 2 generally includes portions of Indian Wells, Bermuda Dunes, La Quinta, Indio and Palm Desert.
Four candidates are vying for both terms and two more just for the full term. They are:
Maryalice Alcberg Owings — recently retired principal in Desert Sands Unified
Humberto "Beto" Alvarez — elementary school principal in Coachella Valley Unified
Jacob Alvarez — assistant to the city manager of Coachella; briefly served as trustee for this area
Betty Callaway (full term only) — realtor
Katherine Silveira — elementary school art specialist
Kurt Schoppe (full term only) — general manager, SA Organics Recycling
In Trustee Area 5, which includes most of Indio north of Indio Boulevard and Interstate 10, two candidates are running to replace Ana Conover.
Scott Baily, not to be confused with recently retired Desert Sands superintendent Scott Bailey, has been a teacher for 25 years.
Michael Duran has been a school counselor for about 25 years and was a school teacher for a few years before that. He’s also a water polo and swim coach at Shadow Hills High. He first served on the board from 2006-2018.
Coachella Valley Unified School District: 2 seats
Four candidates are running for two seats that together represent Trustee Area 1, which covers the city of Coachella.
Valerie Garcia and Ben Gutierrez are challenging incumbents Joey Acuña Jr. and Blanca Hall.
Acuña first served on the school board from 1992 to 2000, and he has served again since 2014. Hall, a licensed clinical social worker, has also served since 2014. Garcia is the parent of a preschool-aged child with experience working with various nonprofits and the California Teachers Association. Gutierrez is a recently retired elementary school teacher. He first served on the school board in the 1980s.
Desert Health Care District: 1 seat
Two Indio residents are vying for the Desert Healthcare District's Zone 6 seat this November, the only contested race in the district. Kimberly Barraza, a health policy advisor, and Chauncey L. Thompson, a CPA firm manager, are seeking a four-year term.
Incumbent Karen Borja announced she would not run again. Zone 6, based on newly redrawn district lines following the 2020 Census, covers the areas of Indio and Coachella. The Desert Healthcare District is a local government agency whose goal is to help Coachella Valley residents receive health care resources, housing, food and other services.
Coachella Valley Water District: 1 seat
One seat is up for election in Coachella Valley Water District, which serves water to customers spread over about 1,000 square miles, with a service area that covers much of the Coachella Valley and extends into parts of three counties.
Incumbent John Aguilar, who was appointed to fill a vacancy in December 2020, is facing accountant and auditor Lewis Da Silva for the Division 1 seat. Division 1 represents parts of Cathedral City and Rancho Mirage, and stretches north to include Sky Valley as well as south toward Highway 74.
Desert Water Agency: 3 seats
Voters will elect three board members on Nov. 8, as DWA finalizes its transition from at-large elections to election-by-division. Desert Water Agency's status as a state water contractor means that in addition to providing water service to customers in Palm Springs and Cathedral City, it also serves Desert Hot Springs by replenishing the local aquifer.
There are no incumbents running in any of the three districts with seats up for election, which primarily include Desert Hot Springs and North Palm Springs. In Division 1, current Mission Springs Water District director Steve Grasha, real estate broker Marcus John Miceli, and technology design professor Steve Bronack are vying for the seat. Division 1 includes unincorporated Mission Lakes Country Club, Bonnie Bell, Whitewater, and North Palm Springs, and also includes Desert Highland Gateway Estates in Palm Springs.
Law clerk Alfred C. Valrie and retired civil engineer Gerald McKenna are facing off for Division 2, which is located in the middle of Desert Hot Springs. Retired spa owner Jeff Bowman and planning commissioner D.G. Cook are running in Division 3, which includes the north and east portions of the city, the Skyborne development on the city’s western edge, and a small unincorporated area to the east of the city.
Mission Springs Water District: 2 seats
Voters will elect two board members in Mission Springs Water District, which provides water service to Desert Hot Springs and the surrounding area.
Incumbent Nancy Wright will face challenger Amber Duff, who describes herself on the ballot as a payroll administrator and parent, for the Division 1 seat, which includes North Palm Springs, Whitewater, and Mission Lakes.
Three candidates are also vying for Division 5, which is roughly bound by Dillon Road to the south, Two Bunch Palms Trail to the north, Verbena Drive to the east, and Indian Avenue to the west. Attorney and realtor Andrew V. Alder-Larue, retired businessman Alan "Alfie" Petit, and environmental horticulturalist and former Desert Hot Springs planning commissioner Ted Mayrhofen are running for that seat.*
California Legislature
The California Legislature is in the middle of an exodus this year. The combination of term limits, new districts and electoral opportunities elsewhere has resulted in 26 members of the Assembly and Senate departing the state Capitol by year’s end. Not that any of this poses much of a threat to Democratic dominance of both chambers. Democrats control roughly three in four seats in both the Senate and Assembly.
Assembly District 47: Holstege vs. Wallis
In a race without an incumbent, after Assemblymember Chad Mayes decided against seeking re-election, Palm Springs Councilmember and Democrat Christy Holstege and GOP candidate Greg Wallis, Mayes' district director, are vying to represent several Coachella Valley cities in the California Assembly this year.
Assembly District 47, which was created through California's redistricting process late last year, includes Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, and Indian Wells, and extends into Yucaipa and Yucca Valley in San Bernardino County.
More: 47th Assembly District candidates discuss views on health care, abortion rights, inflation
Assembly District 36: Garcia vs. Weeks
Democratic state Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia is seeking re-election against Republican Ian Weeks in a newly drawn district that includes Indio and Coachella in the eastern Coachella Valley.
The incumbent lawmaker is running in a redrawn district — Assembly District 36 — that looks slightly different from the one he currently represents, following California’s redistricting process that concluded late last year. The district still includes Coachella, Indio and all of Imperial County, but has lost Cathedral City and Desert Hot Springs, which now fall into Assembly District 47.
More: 36th Assembly District candidates discuss views on inflation, Salton Sea, abortion rights
U.S. House: Lots at stake
Californians may not be used to hearing this, but our votes actually do matter for national politics this year. With Democrats desperate to hold on to their sliver-thin majority in the House of Representatives, some of the most competitive toss-up races in the country are to be found in the Central Valley, Orange County and the northern suburbs of both Los Angeles and San Diego.
But most of the state’s districts are not toss-ups. While an incumbent lawmaker will be defending their turf in most of these races, it’s an open field by historic standards. This year, six members of California’s delegation either opted not to seek reelection or left early. That, along with new congressional districts, has injected even more uncertainty into a very uncertain election year.
41st Congressional District: Calvert vs. Rollins
Inland Empire Republican Rep. Ken Calvert, who was redrawn into a much more Democratic-friendly 41st Congressional district, won 48% of the vote in the June primary — enough to put him in first place, but behind the combined vote total of the Democratic candidates, plus an anti-Trump GOP candidate. That’s a flashing warning sign for November when he will face off against Democratic prosecutor Will Rollins.
The contested 41st district includes several Coachella Valley cities — Palm Springs, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert and Indian Wells — along with Menifee, Norco and other parts of western Riverside County.
More: Aiming to keep hold of Congress, Democrats adding resources to oust GOP Rep. Ken Calvert
25th Congressional District: Ruiz vs. Hawkins
Democratic Rep. Raul Ruiz, who has represented the entire Coachella Valley since 2013, decided to seek re-election in a the 25th Congressional District after the redistricting process last year, citing his east valley roots.
Ruiz will face off against Republican Brian Hawkins, a San Jacinto city councilmember who defeated a crowded field of Republicans in the primary to advance to the November general election.
The 25th district, where registered Democrats heavily outnumber Republicans, includes Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City, Indio, Coachella and Imperial County.
U.S. Senate: Padilla vs. Meuser
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, who was appointed by Newsom in 2020 after Kamala Harris was elected vice president, is simultaneously running in a special election to finish her term and for a full six-year term of his own. (Harris' term has only a few months remaining: She was elected to the Senate in 2016.) He was far ahead of the competition in both races in official primary returns — more than 54% of the vote in each — and will face Republican constitutional attorney Mark Meuser in runoffs for each in November.
Statewide races
Governor: Newsom vs. Dahle
Facing a field of candidates with little statewide name recognition and barely any money to change that, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom received 56% of the vote in the official June primary results, positioning himself to cruise to victory again in November. He was declared one of the top two by the Associated Press within 15 minutes of the polls closing on June 7.
Newsom said on Twitter that California would be the “antidote” to Republican attacks on fundamental rights, “leading with compassion, common-sense and science. Treasuring diversity, defending democracy, and protecting our planet. Here’s to continuing that fight.”
He will face Republican state Sen. Brian Dahle of rural Lassen County, running a distant second with 18% of the vote. Dahle also pitched himself as someone who could get more done at the state Capitol than the “dictator” Newsom because of his close relationships with fellow legislators.
“Gavin Newsom, he’s an elitist Democrat. He’s not even well-liked in his own party,” Dahle told Nexstar Media after the race was called for him. “We’re going to be talking about things that are affecting Californians’ everyday life, and we’ll see what happens in November.”
Attorney general: Incumbent Bonta versus Republican Hochman
There was very little doubt that Attorney General Rob Bonta would come first in the June primary. The big question was always which of his three right-of-center challengers would come in second, earning the right to challenge him in November.
Sure enough, the official returns put Democrat Bonta far ahead of the pack, with 54% of the vote. Republican Nathan Hochman finished second with 18.2%, ahead of Republican Eric Early at 16.5%. Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert trailed with 7.8%.
The Associated Press declared June 23 that Hochman has clinched second place. “The question before voters is a simple one: do you feel safer today than you did two, four, or six years ago?” he said in a statement.
Controller: Republican Chen versus Democrat Cohen
The conventional wisdom turned out to be true in the June: Republican Lanhee Chen and one of four Democrats would advance to the general election for state controller — one of the more contested statewide races in the primary.
Chen, the sole Republican in the race, earned widespread support from the GOP, as well as endorsements from several major newspaper editorial boards. No Republican has won statewide office since 2006, but he had 37% of the vote in official returns.
In a statement, Chen said: “To win in November will require an effort that hasn’t been seen in our state for a long time.”
That left four Democrats vying for the second spot: State Board of Equalization Chairperson Malia Cohen, state Sen. Steve Glazer, Los Angeles City Controller Ron Galperin and Monterey Park City Councilmember Yvonne Yiu.
On June 16, Cohen was declared the second-place finisher and will face off against Chen in November. Incumbent Betty Yee could not run again because of term limits.
Insurance commissioner: Incumbent Lara against Republican Howell
An already nasty fight between incumbent Democrat Ricardo Lara and Democratic state Assemblymember Marc Levine to be insurance commissioner will not continue into the November general election after all.
On July 6, Levine conceded second place to Republican Robert Howell. In official returns, Lara placed well ahead in first with 36%. Levine had 18.0%, slightly behind Howell at 18.1%.
Lara came under fire during his term for accepting campaign donations from the insurance industry after pledging the opposite, and for renting a second residence in Sacramento at taxpayers’ expense. Levine, who has the support of major newspaper editorial boards, also accused Lara of not doing enough to protect homeowners in wildfire areas from losing their coverage.
Despite all that, Lara, California’s first openly gay statewide elected official, has the endorsements of the state Democratic Party, its elected statewide leaders and Democratic-friendly groups, including firefighters, nurses and teachers. Lara’s campaign has criticized Levine’s voting record on labor issues. Their two campaigns raised far more than the other candidates.
Lieutenant governor: Kounalakis vs. Underwood Jacobs
Democratic Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis won 53% in official primary results and will face Republican Angela Underwood Jacobs, a bank executive and Lancaster City Council member, who received 20%.
Secretary of State: Weber vs. Bernosky
Democratic Secretary of State Shirley Weber earned 59% in the official primary tally and will face Republican tech consulting firm executive Robert Bernosky, who won 19%, in the November general election.
Treasurer: Ma vs. Jack Guerrero
Democratic Treasurer Fiona Ma received more than 57% in the official primary returns and will face Republican certified public accountant Jack Guerrero, who finished second with 22%. Fellow Republican Andrew Do was in third with 17%.
Statewide propositions
After months of signature gathering, fundraising and legislative wrangling, here are details on the statewide ballot measures that you can vote on this fall.
Prop. 1: Putting abortion safeguards in the California constitution
After the news leaked in early May that the U.S. Supreme Court was planning to rule that the federal constitution doesn’t guarantee the right to an abortion — and it did reverse the five-decade-old precedent on June 24 — California’s top Democrats, vowing to “fight like hell,” proposed adding the protection to the state constitution. The proposed constitutional amendment was introduced in the Legislature in early June and was passed with the overwhelming support of both chambers by the end of the month. If approved by the voters, it would bar the state from denying or interfering with a person’s right to choose an abortion and contraceptives.
California has long been a safe haven for abortion access. In 1969 the state Supreme Court ruled that the California constitution’s right to privacy implies the right to an abortion. Reproductive access is also protected by statute. Supporters hope this amendment will reiterate that policy more explicitly and render it harder to reverse in the future, though some legal scholars say the language is still too ambiguous.
Props 26 and 27: Legalizing sports gambling, two ways
After the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal law banning state-regulated sports betting, two big-spending interests stepped up with California legalization proposals.
Prop. 27 would allow Californians to bet on sports and other competitions online, but only through certified gaming tribes and large, well-established online betting companies. The measure, funded by industry giants FanDuel and DraftKings, would potentially direct hundreds of millions of dollars in fee revenue to housing and services for homeless Californians.
Prop. 26, supported by some of the state’s tribal governments, would only legalize sports betting in-person at tribal casinos and designated horse tracks. The measure, which would also allow tribes to offer roulette and other dice games, would raise potentially tens of millions of dollars for the state budget, most of which would be spent at the discretion of the governor and Legislature.
Prop. 28: Set aside school funding for arts and music
Sponsored by former Los Angeles Unified School District superintendent Austin Beutner, this measure would require the state to set aside a share of its revenue — likely between $800 million to $1 billion per year — for arts and education classes. The new money would be disproportionately reserved for schools with many low-income students to hire new arts staff.
Prop. 29: Kidney clinic rules, third time a charm?
This measure slaps dialysis clinics with a host of new restrictions, including a requirement that a doctor, nurse practitioner or a physician assistant be on site during all treatment hours. Centers would also be required to get state approval before shuttering or reducing services and to publicly list any doctors who have at least a 5% ownership stake in a clinic. Sound familiar? That’s because the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, the union supporting this measure, has tried and failed to persuade voters to support new dialysis center regulations twice before, in 2018 and 2020, over vehement and very costly industry opposition.
Prop. 30: Millionaires paying for electric cars
This measure would impose a new 1.75% tax on any individual’s income of more than $2 million per year to raise between $3 billion to $4.5 billion each year to fund a collection of greenhouse gas reducing initiatives. Most of the money would go toward new incentives for Californians to buy zero-emission vehicles and to build new electric charging or hydrogen fueling stations. (Lyft, which is required to move toward ZEVs, is a major funder). A quarter of the new money would go toward wildfire fighting and prevention efforts.
Prop. 31: Reconsidering a flavored tobacco ban
In 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill banning the sale of all flavored tobacco products, whether smoked, chewed or vaped. The tobacco industry gathered enough signatures to ask voters to overturn the law with this referendum. (A reminder: Voting “yes” is to keep the law; voting “no” is to get rid of it.)
Correction: A previous version of this story contained incorrect information about the list of Mission Springs Water District candidates.
CalMatters and Desert Sun staff contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 2022 ballot guide: Palm Desert, Indio, La Quinta, Coachella, more
