Tuesday was election day in the state of California.
Here you'll find all the latest updates on the local and statewide positions that were up for grabs.
Sanchez advances to November election
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Linda Sanchez advances to the November general election in California's 38th Congressional District.
Torres advances to November election
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Norma Torres advances to November general election in California's 35th Congressional District.
Aguilar advances to November election
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Pete Aguilar advances to the November general election in California's 33rd Congressional District.
Smith advances to November election
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Christy Smith advances to the November general election in California's 27th Congressional District.
Garcia advances to November election
Republican Mike Garcia advances to the November general election in California's 27th Congressional District.
Martinez advances to November election
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Daniel Martinez advances to the November general election in California's 31st Congressional District.
Napolitano advances to November election
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Grace Napolitano advances to November general election in California's 31st Congressional District.
Cardenas advances to November election
Democrat Tony Cardenas advances to the November general election in California's 29th Congressional District.
Gustafson advances to November election
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Corey Gustafson advances to the November general election in California's 50th Congressional District.
Houlahan advances to November election
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Stephen Houlahan advances to November general election in California's 48th Congressional District.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer was handily reelected Tuesday, fending off challenges from three opponents to earn another term as the county's top prosecutor.
Spitzer was challenged in the race by Democratic-endorsed candidate Pete Hardin, a former federal and state prosecutor, as well as Bryan Chehock, an attorney for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and former Orange County prosecutor Michael Jacobs.
It was a hard-hitting race, as Hardin has harped on sexual and racial harassment lawsuits filed against the county involving ex-prosecutor Gary LoGalbo, who was best man at Spitzer's wedding.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Jim Costa advances to November general election in California's 21st Congressional District.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Raul Ruiz advances to November general election in California's 25th Congressional District.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Nanette Barragan advances to November general election in California's 44th Congressional District.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Katie Porter advances to November general election in California's 47th Congressional District.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Michelle Steel advances to November general election in California's 45th Congressional District.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Maxine Waters advances to November general election in California's 43rd Congressional District.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Wes Hallman advances to November general election in California's 28th Congressional District.
Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education member Nick Melvoin was heading toward another term Tuesday evening, while fellow incumbent Kelly Gonez was leading in her reelection bid, but falling short of the mark needed to avoid a November runoff.
Melvoin easily outpaced two challengers — electrical engineer Gentille Barkhardarian and teacher Tracey Schroeder — to retain his District 4 seat, which represents parts of the San Fernando Valley and West LA and stretches south to Westchester. Melvoin had a major advantage in fundraising and was anticipated to easily win another term.
Gonez was also considered a favorite in District 6, which includes areas such as Sun Valley, San Fernando, Mission Hills, Panorama City and North Hollywood. As the vote tally continued Tuesday night, however, Gonez had just 49% of the vote — short of topping the 50% mark needed to avoid a November runoff.
Barring a surge in votes, Gonez will square off in November against high school teacher Marvin Rodriguez, who earned roughly 30% of the vote.
— City News Service
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva's bid for a second term will move to a November runoff election against former Long Beach police Chief Robert Luna, with the pair jumping to distant leads Tuesday evening according to early ballot results.
Villanueva and Luna topped the nine-person field of candidates as returns trickled in Tuesday night, putting them on pace for the runoff.
Over the past century, only one incumbent sheriff in the county has lost a re-election bid. That was four years ago, when Villanueva achieved a stunning upset of Sheriff Jim McDonnell, riding to an election victory with strong backing from reform-minded community groups and Democrats.
But over the past four years, Villanueva's support among those groups has waned as he repeatedly clashed with the Democrat-dominated Board of Supervisors over funding and policy matters, fought back against claims of "deputy gangs" within the agency, defied subpoenas to appear before the Civilian Oversight Commission and refused to enforce the county's COVID-19 vaccination mandate among his deputies and department employees.
— City News Service
Los Angeles City Council members Gil Cedillo, Bob Blumenfield, Monica Rodriguez and Curren Price were on track Tuesday evening to secure another term as primary election results were released Tuesday evening, while Councilman Mitch O'Farrell could be headed for a runoff with labor organizer Hugo Soto-Martinez.
Cedillo, Blumenfield, Rodriguez and Price faced only one challenger in the primary, causing the elections to be decided during this election instead of a November runoff with the top two candidates.
— City News Service
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Karen Bass and billionaire developer Rick Caruso advance to November runoff for Los Angeles mayor.
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — Cannabis businesses could be coming to Surf City.
Early voting results Tuesday show that residents favor the city's Measure A ballot, which would support the implementation of a 6% special tax on receipts of cannabis retailers and 1% on other types of cannabis businesses.
The second round of election night results released by the Orange County Registrar of Voters shows that more than 70% of residents support Measure A.
In March, the Huntington Beach City Council majority voted to let the voters decide whether to allow recreational or other types of cannabis businesses in the community.
City officials said that the added revenue from a cannabis business special tax could pay for additional police and fund homeless and behavioral health services. They estimate cannabis sales could generate as much as $600,000 annually.
A supermajority of 66% of resident voters needs to vote in favor of the ballot for it to pass.
Only Santa Ana, which has more than 27 cannabis retailers, and Costa Mesa, which permits cannabis manufacturing and distribution businesses, allow cannabis businesses to operate in Orange County.
— Joseph Pimentel, Spectrum News
Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Hewitt found himself in a tight battle Tuesday evening in his bid for reelection, with early returns putting him in second place in the four-person contest behind Moreno Valley Mayor Yxstian Gutierrez.
Gutierrez had a roughly 300-vote lead over Hewitt in the race as returns trickled in, with both likely heading for the November runoff. Gutierrez held 34% of the vote, compared to Hewitt's 33%.
Hewitt is seeking a second term on the board, to which he was first elected in 2018, after a stint as mayor of Calimesa.
Also in the race were Beaumont Mayor Lloyd White and attorney Denianonette Mazingo.
The incumbent, who is also serving as chair of the board until the end of the year, said in a campaign statement that "the trials I've faced while leading this county have shaped me forever. In times of uncertainty, you can always depend on me to lead from the front."
— City News Service
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Mike Levin advances to November general election in California's 49th Congressional District.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Mark Meuser advances to November general election for U.S. Senate in California.
Early results in the primary election Tuesday evening show that Los Angeles voters are on track to overwhelmingly approve a ballot measure that would allow the city to give preference for some of its contracts to businesses located in the city.
Charter Amendment BB, which needs a majority of voters' approval to pass, received 67.01% of the vote according to initial results released by the Los Angeles County Registrar/County Clerk Tuesday night. The ballot measure was introduced in a motion by Councilmen Paul Koretz, Bob Blumenfield and Marqueece Harris-Dawson.
The measure would add "city of Los Angeles" to the City Charter's definition of local, allowing the city to give contracting bid preferences to businesses located within the city. The charter currently requires the city to award contracts to responsible bidders with the lowest prices, while "local" businesses in LA County and California are allowed to be prioritized.
— City News Service
San Francisco has voted to recall progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin in a heated campaign that divided Democrats over crime, policing and public safety reform.
Boudin was a first-time political candidate who narrowly won office in November 2019 as part of a national wave of progressive prosecutors. But his time in office coincided with a pandemic in which brazen shoplifting and attacks against mostly older Asian American people drove some residents to mount a recall campaign of the former public defender.
He is the son of left-wing activists who spent decades behind bars for their role in a botched robbery.
— The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Nancy Pelosi advances to November general election in California's 11th Congressional District.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Ted Lieu advances to November general election in California's 36th Congressional District.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Kevin McCarthy advances to November general election in California's 20th Congressional District.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Adam Schiff advances to November general election in California's 30th Congressional District.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Brad Sherman advances to November general election in California's 32nd Congressional District.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Judy Chu advances to November general election in California's 28th Congressional District.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Salud Carbajal advances to November general election in California's 24th Congressional District.
The five-member Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will get at least one new face by year's end, with state Sen. Bob Hertzberg leading a six-candidate field looking to replace Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, who opted against a reelection bid for her District 3 seat.
Early returns showed Hertzberg with 35.7% of the vote, likely good enough to advance him to a November runoff election. West Hollywood City Councilwoman Lindsey Horvath was running second with 26.1% of the vote, maintaining a roughly 5,000-vote lead over state Sen. Henry Stern, with 22.6%.
The top two vote-getters will advance to November's general election.
The District 3 seat covers a majority of the San Fernando Valley, stretching from Westlake Village and Malibu to Calabasas, West Hills, Porter Ranch, San Fernando, Panorama City and Northridge, while also stretching to West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica.
— City News Service
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Mark Meuser advances to November special election for U.S. Senate in California.
LOS ANGELES (CNS) — Kenneth Mejia, a 31-year-old certified public accountant and housing justice activist, took the lead in the primary for Los Angeles controller Tuesday evening with 37.75% of the early vote, with Councilman Paul Koretz behind him with 25.6%.
With neither likely to receive more than 50% of the vote with six candidates running, the two will likely compete in a November runoff.
The initial results released by the Los Angeles County Registrar/County Clerk represent ballots returned through Monday.
— City News Service
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta advances to November general election in California.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Brian Dahle advances to November general election for governor in California.
LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. — The three incumbents in the Orange County Board of Education have taken an early lead in their respective races in the first round of election results released by the Orange County Registrar of Voters.
Incumbent Mari Barke, who is trying to fend off former Newport-Mesa Unified school board member Martha Fluor and architect Christopher R. Ganiere, has a commanding lead to continue representing Trustee Area 2.
Fellow incumbent Tim Shaw in the Trustee Area Four race has at least 5,000 more votes than attorney and former teacher Paulette Chaffee. Meanwhile, business owner Ellisa Kim and certified public accountant David Choi are behind.
And Chapman Professor Lisa Sparks has received more than 62% of the votes in the newly created Trustee Area Five seat. Her lone opponent is the former superintendent of the Laguna Beach Unified School District Sherine Smith.
While most of Tuesday's primary election results will head to November, the candidates with the most votes in the OC Board of Education and the Department of Education will become the elected representative.
— Joseph Pimentel, Spectrum News
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Darrell Issa advances to November general election in California's 48th Congressional District.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva is bound for a November runoff election in his bid for a second term, likely with former Long Beach police Chief Robert Luna, according to early ballot returns. The two are far ahead in the nine-candidate field.
— City News Service
As expected, businessman Rick Caruso and Rep. Karen Bass appear bound for a November runoff election in the race for Los Angeles mayor, with the duo far outpacing the field of candidates. Early returns show Caruso with 40.6% of the vote, and Bass close behind with 38.2%.
Councilman Kevin de Leon is far behind with just 7%.
— City News Service
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco appeared to be heading for a second term Tuesday evening, jumping to a strong lead in early ballot returns.
Bianco, who resides in Riverside, was first elected in 2018, after a hard-fought contest against then-Sheriff Stan Sniff. Bianco has been tested on several fronts since then, drawing both criticism and praise.
He was challenged in Tuesday's election by Michael Lujan, a retired sheriff's captain who said he wanted to lead the office without "partisan politics."
Early ballot returns, however, showed Bianco with nearly 56% of the vote, with Lujan garnering 44%.
— City News Service
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Gavin Newsom advances to November general election for governor in California, and Democrat Alex Padilla advances to November special election for U.S. Senate in California.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A slate of Republican U.S. House members in heavily Democratic California is facing primary challengers on Tuesday in races that will help determine control of Congress.
In a Democratic-leaning district north of Los Angeles, three Democrats are vying for the chance to take on Republican Rep. Mike Garcia, who captured the seat in 2020. Garcia, a former Navy fighter pilot who was endorsed by Trump in 2020, joined House Republicans who rejected electoral votes from Arizona and Pennsylvania and opposed Trump’s impeachment after the Capitol insurrection. Two other Republicans are also on the ballot.
California uses a top-two election format in which only the top two vote-getters advance to the November general election, regardless of party.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Karen Bass casts her vote in the contest to become Los Angeles' next mayor, joined by her grandson Henry DePaz, 7, in the 2022 primary election at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall Community in Los Angeles Tuesday, June 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva is surrounded by television cameras as he casts his vote in the primary election in La Habra Heights in Los Angeles County on Tuesday, June 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
During the 2020 general election, about 78% of voters voted by mail in Los Angeles County. That’s more than 3.4 million ballots. According to the Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan, only 21% of voters in the county went to a traditional polling place to vote.
“2020 was a record high voter turnout. That was a presidential election. Even in spite of the pandemic, we had record voter turnout. Unfortunately, primary elections typically don’t see that same level of participation,” Logan said.
There are 400 ballot drop boxes throughout LA County where vote-by-mail ballots are collected by the LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk daily, Logan said. The ballots then begin with a signature verification process to prepare for ballot counts after 8 p.m. on election day.
— Story by Spectrum News' Zarina Khairzada
LOS ANGELES (CNS) — Two Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education members are looking to retain their seats in Tuesday's election, while four candidates are vying to claim an open seat on the panel that will face difficult decisions brought on by a shrinking budget, declining enrollment and questions about the future of the School Police Department.
Board member Nick Melvoin is looking to retain his District 4 seat, which includes parts of the San Fernando Valley and West Los Angeles and stretches south to Westchester. He is widely expected to hold onto the seat - with a major advantage in fundraising - but he is being challenged by electrical engineer Gentille Barkhardarian and teacher Tracey Schroeder.
Incumbent Kelly Gonez is also considered a favorite in District 6, which includes areas such as Sun Valley, San Fernando, Mission Hills, Panorama City and North Hollywood. Looking to unseat her are high school teacher Marvin Rodriguez and School Police Sgt. Jess Arana.
Much of the attention in the election, however, is focused on the wide-open District 2 race, with incumbent Monica Garcia termed-out of office. The district includes downtown, Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights, Highland Park and Montecito Heights.
— City News Service
Bird and Lime are both offering free rides to the polls Tuesday in an effort to bolster voter turnout. Bird's Roll to the Polls initiative provides 30 minutes of free scooter time to any Bird user who enters the code "VOTE2022." To unlock a free Lime scooter, riders need to enter the promo code "LIMETOPOLLSCALI."
In 2020, almost 80 million eligible U.S. voters did not cast a ballot, according to an Ipsos survey. A 2016 study from Harvard University found that 14% of nonvoters cited transportation as a major factor.
— Susan Carpenter
LOS ANGELES (CNS) — Voters will choose among two Democrats Tuesday to fill a vacant South Bay Assembly seat along with the two candidates who will be on the November ballot in the race for a full two-year term.
Nonprofit director/businesswoman Tina Simone McKinnor topped the field of four Democrats in the April 5 special election in the 62nd Assembly District with 39% of the vote. Because no candidate received a majority, she will face Lawndale Mayor Robert Pullen-Miles, the runner-up with 34.6%, in a runoff Tuesday.
The special election in the district stretching from Venice on the north, Lawndale on the south, the unincorporated Westmont and West Athens areas on the east and the Pacific Ocean on the west was triggered by Autumn R. Burke’s resignation Feb. 1 citing family priorities.
— City News Service