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Politics

Roundtable: The California Primary Is Early, Big And Important

By Pat Finn / Producer ,  Mark Sauer / Host, The Roundtable
Published February 28, 2020 at 9:00 AM PST
This story was published more than 4 years ago.
A California voter guide is pictured at the San Diego County Registrar of Voters, Feb. 18, 2020.
Shalina Chatlani
A California voter guide is pictured at the San Diego County Registrar of Voters, Feb. 18, 2020.
The California Primary Is Early, Big And Important
What a difference a date makes. This is the first year the California Primary is early enough to have some influence on the selection of a presidential nominee. And there are plenty of important local races and issues to decide.
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Michael Smolens, The San Diego union-Tribune

Amita Sharma, KPBS News

David Garrick, The San Diego Union-Tribune

Seth Combs, freelance journalist

California matters

Before this year, party nominees were all but chosen by the time California voted in June. Now, California's complex --some might call it absurdly complex-- system for awarding delegates will kick in when the state votes on March 3. California will send 494 delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee this July. Most of them — 271 delegates — will represent one of the state’s 53 congressional districts. Others are at-large or awarded for other reasons.

San Diego mayoral candidates have issues

The mayoral campaign has gotten noticeably testy. An independent committee supporting Todd Gloria recently aired a television ad accusing Barbara Bry of hypocrisy. Bry’s recent ad says Gloria and Republican Scott Sherman are “two sides of the same coin.” Polling shows Gloria with a substantial lead, so Bry and Sherman are competing for the number two spot on the ballot. Although Gloria is ahead in fundraising, lots of money is circulating through the race.

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Outgoing Mayor Kevin Faulconer would no doubt like his legacy to include a major expansion of the downtown convention center. His last chance is on the ballot as Measure C. Passage of the initiative, which also includes funds for aiding the homeless and repairing roads needs a two-thirds majority to pass, which is a tall order.

Related: As Voters Weigh Expanding San Diego Convention Center, Many Measure C Details Unknown

Surprises in the 53rd congressional race

The race to fill Susan Davis’ seat in Congress has gotten more interesting, with money and endorsements flying in the very blue district. Sara Jacobs seems to have spent the most on advertising. Political newcomer and LGBTQ Marine Reservist Janessa Goldbeck received the endorsement of the San Diego Union-Tribune and celebrity Mia Farrow. City Councilmember Georgette Gomez, who surprised many by lagging in fund-raising and polling, has suddenly received endorsements from progressive politicians Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez.

Corrected: September 21, 2022 at 11:31 AM PDT
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated Mia Farrow endorsed Georgette Gomez. Mia Farrow has endorsed Janessa Goldbeck.

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Politics San Diego GovernmentNational PoliticsCaliforniaPolitics, Democracy and Elections NewsPolitics, Democracy and Elections News
Pat Finn
Pat Finn previously served as a producer for KPBS Midday Edition and KPBS Evening Edition. Finn began her career in broadcasting at KTLA and KCET in Los Angeles. In 1979 she became KPBS’ Public Information Director, then Director of Advertising and Promotion, Program Director, and Director of Broadcasting. She oversaw the station’s local and national productions, including the one-hour documentary Los Romeros: The Royal Family of the Guitar, and Child Protective Services, a one-hour look inside the San Diego County agency responsible for the welfare of at risk children. Both programs also aired on public television stations nationwide. Finn has earned honors from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Pacific Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
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Mark Sauer
A newspaperman for more than 30 years, Mark Sauer joined KPBS in October 2010 and previously served as the host of the KPBS Roundtable. He spent 27 years as a reporter and editor at The San Diego Union-Tribune after stints at The Houston Post and at two papers in his native Michigan. A features/human-interest writer in the UT's Currents section for many years, Mark also spent about a third of his UT career as an editor and reporter on the Metro Desk. He has covered a wide range of events: Wild fires in Southern California and Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast; Super Bowls and the World Series; foster care and child-abuse issues; the Roman Catholic Diocese's sexual-abuse scandal and bankruptcy; royal visits of Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles and Princess Diana; Republican and Democratic national conventions; high-profile criminal trials; and many other stories, from the silly to the sublime. Along the way, he interviewed everyone from presidents to pan-handlers. His work exposing the false accusations and prosecutions of several San Diegans for murder, rape and child abuse garnered Pulitzer Prize nominations and many regional and local journalism awards, including Best in the West, the Sol Price Award for Responsible Journalism and several San Diego and California bar-association awards. Mark has a degree in journalism from Michigan State University.
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