In case you missed it, here are a few noteworthy outcomes from California’s primary election Tuesday:
In the north-south divide for governor, the north won.
The former mayors of two California metropolises were among those vying for hearts and minds in the governor’s race on Tuesday. But, in the end, only of them pulled out a win.
Lieutenant Governor and former mayor of San Francisco Gavin Newsom finished first in the primary, followed by Republican businessman John Cox. The two will face off in November’s election to succeed outgoing governor Jerry Brown.
Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who was hoping to advance to the general election, has endorsed Newsom for governor.
Pasadena legalized marijuana sales.
59.9% of voters in Pasadena opted to approve Measure CC, repealing an existing ban on commercial marijuana in the city. By an even larger margin, voters also approved Measure DD which will levy a cultivation tax of $10 per canopy square foot of marijuana, a tax on dispensaries amounting to 6% of gross receipts, and a tax of 4% for all other marijuana businesses.
San Francisco passed a sweeping ban on flavored tobacco.
San Francisco now has the toughest restrictions on flavored tobacco products in the United States. By an overwhelming margin, San Franciscans passed Measure E which bans the sale of all flavored tobacco in the city. The new law will impact everything from menthol cigarettes to most vaping devices and hookah.
Palm Springs threw a lifeline to Airbnb.
Voters in Palm Springs may have issues with Airbnb but they aren’t ready to ban short-term rentals outright. Heeding city officials’ dire warnings, voters rejected Measure C, which would have prohibited short-term rentals of less than 28 days in residential neighborhoods.
Chula Vistans raised their sales tax.
By a margin of 52.79% to 47.21%, Chula Vistans approved a half-cent (0.5 percent) sales tax on retail goods. The city has said the revenue will be spent on improving public safety and other city services. This was a general tax.
San Diego incumbents held steady.
In San Diego's District 1, incumbent Lorie Zapf finished first with 44.64% of the vote. Jennifer Campbell finished second with 21.32%. In District 4, incumbent Myrtle Cole finished first with 39.03%. Monica Montgomery finished second with 37.7%. In District 6, incumbent Chris Cate received 58.52% of the vote. In District 8, voters chose Vivian Moreno (first place) and Antonio Martinez (second place).
Regardless of percentage, all candidates will advance to a runoff in November per a 2016 ballot initiative that prevents any candidate from winning outright during a primary.
Long Beach sent two incumbents back to the City Council.
Long Beach held a general election for City Council Districts 5 and 7 Tuesday, since no candidate received a majority of the votes in the April 10 primary for these districts. In District 5, it appears incumbent Stacy Mungo has beat challenger Rich Dines 53.97% to 46.03%. After months of mudslinging, the hotly contested race for District 7 seems to have ended similarly with the re-election of Robert Uranga.
Read more at the Long Beach Press Telegram.
Latino Candidates had a big showing in Fresno.
For the first time in years, Fresno could soon have a majority Latino Council.
In District 1, incumbent Esmeralda Soria ran unopposed, so she is headed back to the dais. In District 3, Miguel Arias and Darren Miller were the top two vote-getters and are now headed to a runoff. Ditto for Luis Chavez and Paula Yang in District 5 and Brian Daniel Whelan and Nelson Esparza in District 7.
"I think it's good for children to see Latinos in public office being elected but at the end of the day, we represent everyone Caucasians, African American Asians," said Chavez of the large number of Latinos advancing to the top spots for City Council.