Election results roll in
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Wednesday, November 9th.
Congressman Mike Levin is leading in the 49th congressional race. More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
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You voted - hopefully - and now it's time to sit back and relax as the votes are counted.
The registrar of voters said it could take one to two weeks before we have a better idea on the results of some of the tighter races.
The next release of unofficial results is expected to be posted by 5 p-m tomorrow.
All of the votes must be counted and the results must be certified by December 8th.
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Now for some of the results that are in…
As expected, Governor Gavin Newsom defeated Republican Senator Brian Dahle and will serve as governor for four more years.
More than 61-percent voted for Newsom, and more than 38-percent voted for Dahle.
And incumbent Senator Alex Padilla won the US Senate seat in California.
He was competing against Republican MARK MEUSER.
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In terms of the statewide props you voted on …
Proposition 1 passed. That means the state constitution will be amended to guarantee the right to abortion and contraception in the state.
Proposition 26 and 27 are the two sports betting propositions that were on your ballot.
Prop. 26 would allow tribal casinos and the state’s four horse race tracks to offer in-person sports betting.
While Proposition 27 would allow licensed tribes and gaming companies to offer mobile and online sports betting outside Native American tribal lands.
So far, both appear to be heading for defeat
But things turned out much better for Prop 28 – the measure that would require funding for arts and music education.
It passed with 63-percent of voters voting “yes.”
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From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now. Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
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Congressman Mike Levin is leading in the 49th Congressional District race against Republican Brian Maryott.
Levin is a democrat and the incumbent in the race.
The 49th District seat represents the residents of Oceanside, Vista, Carlsbad, Encinitas and Del Mar and some portions of southern Orange County.
The battle between Levin and Maryott was the most high-profile congressional race in San Diego County.
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In early returns, Kelly Martinez was leading in the race to be San Diego County Sheriff.
KPBS reporter Claire Trageser has more from the candidates.
It’s too early to say who will be the next Sheriff—but reached by phone on Election Night, Martinez sounded confident. “I'm feeling really good with the early numbers. It looks really good for me and am really relieved and excited and grateful. Grateful for all my supporters, and I'm grateful for all the voters in the community of San Diego County, and I look forward to serving another six years.” She’s running as a Democrat and is currently the undersheriff. Her Republican opponent, John Hemmerling, says there are still a lot of votes out there and he’s not giving up yet. The winner will replace Bill Gore, who retired in February. This is the first time San Diego will have a new sheriff in more than a decade. CT KPBS News
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A measure to tax cannabis businesses in San Diego county’s unincorporated area is ahead after early returns….
Here’s KPBS Reporter Matt Hoffman
All County voters saw Measure A -- the cannabis business tax on their midterm ballots.. It asked residents if recreational and medicinal cannabis businesses should be taxed at set rates. Everything from retail to distribution and cultivation was on the table. Measure A was strongly supported by San Diego County Board Chair Nathan Fletcher.. "Our measure is a much lower tax level, it is a flexible level you can move it up and down if you get that tax level too high then you incentivize the black market." The taxes could generate between 2 and five million dollars per year. That money would not be restricted and could be used for any general government purpose. MH KPBS News.
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Measure B is deadlocked with the no votes having a slight lead as of initial election results.
Measure B would DECIDE WHETHER A NEW TRASH FEE CAN BE IMPOSED FOR CERTAIN HOMES IN THE CITY.
Haney Hong is the head of the San Diego County Taxpayers Association and opposes Measure B.
"This goes to show, how contentious this is in the city of San Diego. ... I think everybody agrees that the system is unfair and we need to change it, now the question is, what's the right way to change it.
San Diego City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera proposed putting Measure B on the ballot
“We wouldn’t have done this if we didn’t think it was important, and the reality is, both in the way that this will impact they city’s finances as we continue to implement state mandates around organics collection and they way we’re able to innovate especially as a city that takes pride in wanting to take climate action… this matters a lot to us.”
If passed, it WOULD ALLOW THE CITY COUNCIL TO ADOPT A MONTHLY TRASH FEE FOR SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES AND MULTI-FAMILY COMPLEXES WITH UP TO FOUR RESIDENCES ON A SINGLE LOT
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Early results are suggesting it'll be a close race for San Diego's Measure C,
If passed it would carve out the Midway District from the city's 30-foot coastal height limit.
The "yes" side has a slight lead as of initial election results
Dike Anyiwo chairs the Midway planning group and supported Measure C. He says more than anything else, it's about building more housing.
"What I want to see in San Diego is a city that grows. A city that grows smartly, a city that is affordable for folks to live. I personally would actually like to see a lot more homeownership opportunity in the city."
Voters were asked the same question of whether to raise the height limit in Midway in 2020, but that measure was blocked by a lawsuit.
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Early returns show John McCann leading in the race for Chula Vista Mayor. KPBS reporter Gustavo Solis has been covering the race and has this update.
Reached by phone Tuesday night, the Republican McCann says he’s confident he’ll win in the end because Chula Vista voters value his experience. We’ve been successful in doing a lot of great things including the bayfront, public safety, making sure that we are one of the safest cities in the county and I believe that the proven leadership shows and that’s why I think we are currently ahead. McCann’s opponent, Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar, said he would bring a new vision to the city. He declined an interview request Tuesday night. The winner will replace termed-out Mayor Mary Salas, who has served since 2014. The new mayor will oversee a multi-billion dollar bayfront development and grapple with a growing homelessness crisis. Gustavo Solis, KPBS News
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Early returns show a deceased candidate leading in the race for Chula Vista city attorney.
Democrat Simon Silva died unexpectedly of cancer in September. However, his name remained on the ballot and local Democratic Party continued to campaign for him
Dan Smith, Silva’s Republican opponent, says the Democratic party chose politics over the city’s finances.
"By not informing them, I think it’s a great disservice to not allow them to make that decision. It’s almost as if the party, the elites would make the decision for the voters."
If the results hold up, Chula Vista taxpayers will have to spend up to $2 million on a special election.
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LAS PALMAS PARK IN NATIONAL CITY IS JUST ONE OF OVER 200 VOTE CENTERS IN THE COUNTY WHERE VOTERS WENT TO DROP OFF OR CAST THEIR MIDTERM BALLOT.
KPBS REPORTER KITTY ALVARADO WAS THERE AND FOUND A FIRST-TIME VOTER.
NAT SOUND WIND RAIN A cold and rainy day could not keep Patricia Gonzalez away from her local vote center in National City. Gonzalez says she became a US citizen after living in the US for 20 years. Es la primera vez que voto y me siento muy orgullosa de haber participado It’s the first time I voted says Gonzalez and I feel really proud to have participated On this day she says she can‘t help but think of her father, Hernesto Gonzalez Rivera, a farmworker who came to the U.S. to give his family a better life, El se pudo hacer residente pero al poquito tiempo fallecio She says he was able to become a resident but died shortly afterwards …Y se lo dedico a mi padre que amaba a este pais y su deseo siempre fue haber participado en unas votaciones … lo logro vine a votar por el So she says she dedicates her vote to her father who loved this country and dreamed of participating in an election … you did it … I came to vote for him. Kitty Alvarado KPBS News
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Coming up.... How this week’s storm will impact fire risk and drought conditions. We’ll have that story and more, just after the break.
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California regulators appear poised to flip the switch on a major revision of the rules regulating rooftop solar.
KPBS Environment reporter Erik Anderson says The California Public Utilities Commission is signaling they are ready to reveal the new proposal.
It has been nearly a year since the C-P-U-C’s first proposal landed with a thud. Regulators proposed steep monthly fees for solar owners and slashing the value of electricity generated on rooftops and sold back to the grid. That plan was pulled back just a month later and the industry has been waiting for the revision since January. Brad Heavner, California Solar and Storage Association “It should have been done in less than a year and now we’ve been going on for two years. The California Solar and Storage Association fought hard against the first proposal. “So, it’s all quite strung out and hopefully it gets resolved at this point, finally and reasonably for all parties concerned. Late last Friday, a federal judge quietly scheduled oral arguments on the issue next week. More than 30 groups will get about three minutes each to make their case to commissioners. That suggests the new rules are about to be made public. Kathy Fairbanks, Affordable Clean Energy For All. “We don’t know. No one really knows. Kathy Fairbanks represents an advocacy group largely funded by the state’s investor-owned utilities. “The CPUC rightfully keeps all of this very close to the vest. But the fact that they have announced oral arguments on November 16th indicates that they want, and they haven’t said this, indicates that they want comment on perhaps a revised proposed decision.” That proposed decision could be made public as soon as this week Erik Anderson KPBS News
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The National Weather Service says that the rain will lessen, before stopping this afternoon.
The rest of the week and through the weekend is expected to stay cool and dry.
KPBS Reporter Thomas Fudge says the storm will have little effect on the drought.
But it’ll put a big damper on fire risk for the rest of the year.
Most of San Diego county will have gotten between 1-2 inches of rain by the time the current storm ends. Alex Tardy, a meteorologist with the National Weather service, calls this weather system an atmospheric river. A Pacific storm from the Alaskan gulf has drawn tropical moisture into the mix, making the rain much heavier. He says the best news is how the rain will reduce the risk of wildfires in San Diego. “So this puts an end to our fire season, at least for November and much of December. So it’s great news for that. It’s just a drop in the bucket for the drought. But we’ll take it.” Tardy says for two years straight Southern California had about half the rainfall it would normally get. Thomas Fudge, KPBS news.
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That’s it for the podcast today. For the latest election results and updates throughout the day, go to KPBS dot org. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great day.
