Razor thin margins in local races
Tuesday's electoral aftermath gives glimmers of hope in sea of darkness.
By Brian Maquena
November 9, 2022
SOUTHEAST LOS ANGELES COUNTY — Big movements in the region’s political scene hang on just a handful of votes.
Southeast Los Angeles County—particularly the small cities north of east Long Beach and south of the 60 Freeway—had a number of high-profile races up for grabs Tuesday. Returns show one race tied, another separated by just two votes, and a property tax measure perhaps passing with about 168 votes.
But first let’s take a quick look at the state legislature.
Red ripple in California?
Republicans may make a net gain of two seats in the state assembly if everything goes their way.
Tuesday saw the California GOP, which calls itself CA-GOP, likely winning the following state assembly districts: 1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 22, 32, 33, 34, 40, 59, 63, 70, 71, 72, 74, and 75. That would give the state Republicans 17 seats after they came into the contest with 19 seats in the 80-seat chamber.
However, Republicans are barely leading in districts 67 (a local race, see more below) and 76. They also are within striking distance in districts 7 and 27.
Things look a little more promising in the state senate for Republicans. While they appear poised to hold onto their current nine seats in the 40-seat chamber (three odd-numbered seats weren’t up for election this year, while six even-numbered seats look secure for CA-GOP), they also are within striking distance in district 38.
Here are the seats the Republicans appeared to have won outright last night: 6, 12, 16, 32, 36, 40.
ABC UNIFIED, trustee area 6 (east Lakewood) - TIED!
Parents seeking change on the ABC Unified school board just may get their wish.
Fair or not, incumbent Olga Rios is seen as a supporter of the Covid-19 protocol that the school district undertook. While Lucio has not come out against the district’s Covid-19 protocol, she has been seen by some as more attuned to those critical of strict Covid-19 measures.
Rios is a principal who specializes in education. She has been active in the school district for a long time, fighting for district elections, winning the first trustee area 6 election in 2017. Lucio, who is heavily backed by the Lakewood establishment, lost her City Council bid against Cassandra Chase in June.
The Lakewood Populist did not endorse either Chase or Lucio for Council, nor has the Lakewood Populist endorsed Lucio or Rios for trustee.
Rios’ campaign featured a couple of mailers and campaign signs scattered throughout east Lakewood, while Lucio has had one campaign sign at Omega Burger near Pioneer Boulevard and Del Amo Boulevard. (OK, there are more Lucio signs, but not many.)
Needless to say, the fact that this race is TIED at 641 votes each proves just how much energy there is in the area for change. That or Lucio’s fanbase in east Lakewood runs deeper than what this writer formerly believed it was.
Conservative champion running for state assembly hanging on - barely!
ABC Unified’s Soo Yoo, who represents trustee area 2, is close to knocking out the Democratic incumbent for state assembly district 67.
Incumbent Sharon Quirk-Silva is DOWN by just two votes! The race at first was headed Quirk-Silva’s way before later ballot drops put Yoo in the lead by about a hundred votes. The race now sits at 34,016 to 34,014.
Yoo won a lot of respect last fall when she stood up against local Marxists at an anti-CRT and anti-sexualization of kids meeting at the Cerritos Library. While encouraging Hispanics to spend more money on summer school programs for their kids, Yoo—who speaks Spanish and tries hard to reach out to the demographic—was wrongly portrayed as being anti-Hispanic by Marxists in attendance. (This writer was at the meeting and witnessed largely non-Hispanics race baiting Hispanics to become upset at Yoo. Since then, the Marxists have wised up and stood behind Hispanics upset with what Yoo said, while many other Hispanics see nothing wrong with her encouraging them to spend money on education.)
Keep an eye on this one as it will have a huge impact on the state.
Property tax going down - will it be enough?
The Measure CC bond/property tax has been trending downward ever since last night’s first ballot dump. It ticked as low as about 55.27 percent approval but has since inched up to 55.35 percent approval. This puts it above the 55 percent threshhold by just 168 votes out of 48,002 cast.
The Lakewood Populist has reported how the property tax campaign via Friends of Cerritos College - Yes on CC was funded by local construction firms likely to benefit from the $425 million property tax windfall.
Per state law, the Cerritos College property tax/bond needs 55 percent to pass. It will increase the college’s property tax by about 60 percent in 2033.
Outside of the Lakewood Populist and a few others voicing dissent on social media, there was no organized campaign against the property tax. Had there been an organized campaign, it is likely this measure would have failed by a large margin. Then again, most of us don’t have $49,000 to throw at a campaign like Tilden Coil Constructors.
Other notable, LOCAL victories
Long Beach Unified School District
Parental rights advocate Maria Isabel Lopez beat teachers’ union-backed candidate Nubia Flores for Long Beach Unified’s district 2 seat.
Lopez actually beat Flores back in June, but strange electioneering forced this race into a runoff. The Lakewood Populist will come out with a story on this issue in the near future.
Bellflower Unified School District
Lakewood resident Brad Crihfield appears to be headed to the Bellflower Unified School District’s board of trustees. He currently has 26.22 percent of the vote, putting him atop a crowded field for the at-large seat.
The school district has faced a lot of recent of criticism, including from a former NBA player who donated money to an organization outside the board’s purview to overhaul Mayfair High School’s weight room. Laura Sanchez Ramirez, also of Lakewood, was formerly on the board before resigning this year to run for City Council against incumbent and now Mayor Steve Croft.
Crihfield says the lockdowns were terrible and should not have happened the way that they did.
Cerritos College District’s lone conservative easily holds onto seat
Trustee Zurich Lewis of La Mirada held onto his district 7 seat by a 65.43 percent margin. He has called for Cerritos College to end its vaccine or test, as well as its former mask, mandates. He was seen as a champion of faculty and staff feeling pressured by the college to get the vaccine back in winter 2021/2022.
Lewis and Trustee Shin Liu—who will be reappointed to her seat after facing no challengers—of Cerritos both voted against putting the Measure CC property tax on the ballot. Trustee Marisa Perez of Lakewood, who lambasted the property tax measure, somehow found a way to support it.
Measure A - Right to vote is SURRENDERED!
Los Angeles County residents voted by a 68.45 percent margin for Measure A, which will allow the tyrannical board of trustees to unilaterally take out a democratically-elected sheriff. This was directed against Alex Villanueva, who also appears likely to lose his seat, who has stood up against the Democratic establishment.
If Villanueva loses, he will be replaced by the honorable Long Beach Police Chief Luna. And, we all know how awesome and safe Long Beach is. (Never mind those pesky Long Beach Facebook crime pages.)