On Super Tuesday, Californians will take to the polls to select party nominees for the November general election. Though the presidential contest has taken center stage, there’s a host of local seats up for grabs. In the USC neighborhood, there are 19 local seats and two measures on the ballot. Though these positions carry large amounts of responsibility, not many voters know what they actually do.
While information detailing with the positions and responsibilities is publicly available to voters, neither the ballot nor the voter guide that come in the mail have information about what exactly these positions entail.
Since this is a primary election, it’s important to note California’s top-two primary system. The purpose of that type of primary is to encourage candidates to adapt their platforms to appeal to a larger group of voters rather than targeting specific groups, according to the New York Times. This system allows the top-two vote-getters, regardless of party, to earn a spot on the ballot in November. This means if two Democrats or two Republicans prevail as the top two, there will be no representation for the other party on the November general election ballot. This primary, however, does not apply to the presidential race.
The ballot is broken down into four major sections: city/local, county, state and federal.
A quick key for the guide: For each candidate, their party preference will be indicated by D for Democrat, R for Republican, or N for none. If the race is non-partisan, it will be indicated by an NP. For any of the races (with the exception of ballot measures, which you have to vote yes, no, or abstain), there is also the option to write-in a candidate. Incumbents are marked with a *.
CITY/LOCAL
City Councilmember, 8th District (NP)
The City Council is the 15 member governing body of the city. The Council’s responsibilities include creating and enacting city ordinances, levying taxes, authorizing public improvement and approval of contracts and traffic regulations. They are also responsible for approving and adapting the Mayor’s budget and ensuring there is funding for the budget.
Candidate(s): Marqueece Harris-Dawson*
Los Angeles Unified School District Board Member (NP)
The LAUSD Board is the policy-making body of LAUSD. Responsibilities include hiring the Superintendent, oversight of the school budget, ability to create or shut down charter schools and establishing the policy priorities of the school district.
Candidate(s): George J. McKenna III*
Member of the State Assembly, 59th District
The State Assembly is the lower house of the California Legislature. Each Assembly member represents about 450,000 people. They have legislative authority and their responsibilities include creating and passing bills, creating a state budget, raising and lowering taxes and voting on upholding or overriding gubernatorial vetoes.
Candidate(s): Efren Martinez (D), Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D)*, Marcello Villeda (R)
United States Representative, 37th District
The House of Representatives is the lower house of U.S. Congress. Responsibilities of a member of Congress include creating legislation, constituent services and representation of their district on the national scale. Although the House has many responsibilities, some of their most important include creating legislation, setting taxes and federal budgets, approval of presidential treaties and oversight and investigation of the judicial and executive branches. Rep. Karen Bass is being challenged by two candidates.
Candidate(s): Errol Webber (R), Karen Bass (D), Larry Thompson (N)
COUNTY
County Supervisor, 2nd District (NP)
The LA County Board of Supervisors is a five-member committee serving as the executive and legislative head of the county government. Supervisors each represent a district of about 2 million people. They serve four-year terms and elections are held in a rotating manner every two years. This year, three of the five seats are up for election, including the 2nd district, which includes the USC area.
Board members have a variety of responsibilities, the most influential and important being the management of the $30 billion annual county budget and the oversight of county services. County services include everything from homelessness aid, public health and law enforcement, to public transportation. County Supervisors have relatively little oversight from other branches and wield a huge amount of decision-making power.
Candidate(s): Albert Robles, Rene Lorenzo Rigard, Herb J. Wesson Jr., Jorge Nuno, Holly J. Mitchell, Jake Jeong, Jan C. Perry
District Attorney (NP)
The District Attorney oversees the prosecutorial office of the Los Angeles County Court system. They bring forth prosecution against anyone accused of breaking the law in LA County. Other responsibilities include investigation of alleged crimes, filing of criminal charges, bringing forth evidence, sentencing recommendations and oversight of the county’s Deputy District Attorneys. Essentially, the District Attorney can set forth a standard and policy in how cases are prosecuted and the severity of punishment. Although it is a non-partisan bench, their approach, whether more progressive or conservative, can have a great effect on the distribution of justice in the county.
Candidate(s): Rachel A. Rossi, Jackie Lacey*, George Gascon
Judge of the Superior Court (NP)
The L.A. County Superior court operates 47 courthouses which employs 481 judges. Judges are elected for a six-year term, but elections are staggered so that every two years one-third of the seats are up for election. They hear and decide on cases through application of state and local law, testimony and evidence on the facts of the case. This cycle, there are 12 county judge positions up for election; only nine are contested races. Like the District Attorney, this race is non-partisan. For a detailed accounting of all 26 candidates for the 12 available seats, read this in-depth explainer from LAist.
County Measure R
County Measure R asks for a revision of the duties and powers held by the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission, a commission with the goal of improving transparency and accountability of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department.
A YES vote on Measure R expands the powers of the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission. This includes giving them power to issue subpoenas, conduct investigations with its staff, and administer oaths against perjury and false testimony. Additionally, it would allow the Commission to direct a plan to reduce the prison population in L.A. County working with the Alternatives to Incarceration Workgroup to ensure prison is a last resort.
A NO vote would reject this expansion, maintaining the current powers of the Commission.
STATE
State Measure 13
State Measure 13 asks voters to authorize a $15 billion bond towards construction projects on public schools and universities statewide. These bonds prioritize schools that require health and safety related repairs, schools with a higher low-income population and projects that implement the use of union labor. A YES vote authorizes the bonds, while a NO vote rejects authorization.
Voting can be done by-mail or in person by Tuesday at 9 p.m. There is a voting center located on campus at Ground Zero Performance Cafe.
California offers same-day voter registration, more information can be found here.