BizFed 2014 Election Report

On Tuesday, 25.2 percent of LA County registered voters cast their ballots in election contests to chart the future on key issues of concern for the economic vitality of Southern California. BizFed's PAC endorsed 11 candidates on the Nov. 4 ballot, and 8 were elected.

BizFed's massive and diverse grassroots alliance pushed Sacramento to place Prop 1, the statewide water bond measure, on the ballot (this was a key outcome of our NextUp Business Forum: Clean Water for Life and Business) and then we actively campaigned for the measure.  Therefore, we are pleased to report that Prop 1, won on Tuesday with 67 percent of the vote.  We also opposed both Prop 45 and Prop 46, which voters defeated, so we achieved our goals on all three of these statewide ballot measures.

8 of 11 BizFed PAC-Endorsed Candidates Win

On Tuesday, high-profile LA County seats joined a handful of municipal contests on the BizFed PAC docket. Eleven BizFed PAC endorsed candidates were on the ballot Tuesday:

·        LA County Sheriff:(BizFed PAC WIN) Jim McDonnell garnered nearly 75% of the vote over Paul Tanaka.
 

·        LA County Assessor: (BizFed PAC WIN)BizFed PAC endorsed Jeff Prang is holding a narrow (1 percent) lead over John Morris as of Wednesday morning.
 

·        LA County 3rd District Supervisor: (BizFed PAC LOSS)Shelia Kuehl narrowly defeated BizFed PAC-endorsed Bobby Shriver in this pivotal race.
 

·        Downey: (BizFed PAC SPLIT)The Mayor of Downey, Fernando Vasquez, received the BizFed PAC’s endorsement for his re-election effort, and won un-opposed.

The BizFed PAC also endorsed Downey Planning Commission Member Robert Kiefer in his bid for the city’s 2nd District, Kiefer appears to have lost to Sean Ashton.
 

·        Pomona: (BizFed PAC WIN)Both BizFed PAC endorsed incumbents were reelected, Vice Mayor and District 5 Councilmember Ginna Escobar and District 2 Councilmember Adriana Robledo. 
 

·        Santa Monica: (BizFed PAC SPLIT) In Santa Monica’s election for three seats to its city council, the PAC endorsed current Mayor Pam O’Connor, as well as Frank Gruber and former Mayor Michael Feinstein. O'Connor secured the 3rd available seat, Gruber is out of position in 5th and Feinstein is in 8th.
 

·        Alhambra: (BizFed PAC WIN) Stephan Shamwas reelected with a narrow (200 vote) lead.

This is the fourth election cycle in which BizFed PAC has acted on such a wide-scale, regional basis on behalf of candidates it believes will be dedicated to effecting real change and standing up for good local governance. Of the 28 candidates the BizFed PAC supported in the April and June elections, 22 won their races and/or moved on to run-off elections. Of the 14 candidates supported by a BizFed PAC independent expenditure, 12 proceeded as winners.

The BizFed PAC now turns its attention to 2015, where more than 200 city council seats across 70 cities are up for election. The BizFed PAC will hold a planning meeting on November 20, which is open to individuals and organizations considering participation in the BizFed PAC’s 2015 workplan.

Contact Robb Korinke at 562.912.3483 for details.

Proposition 1- PASSED with 67% of the vote

In September, the BizFed Board of Directors voted unanimously to support Proposition 1, the $7.545 billion statewide water bond, which will appear on the Nov. 4 ballot. Last month BizFed CEO Tracy Rafter wrote an op-ed detailing why CA Prop 1 will benefit the San Fernando Valley specifically.

“We are proud of BizFed’s role bringing together stakeholders and pressing Sacramento for key provisions to ensure reliable water systems for the future,” said Don St. Clair, Woodbury University, BizFed Chairman.  “Five years in the making, Proposition 1 is the product of key negotiations among major stakeholders and leaders from the private and public sector alike.”

Propositions 45 and 46 – DEFEATED

The BizFed Board of Directors voted to oppose both Proposition 45 and and Proposition 46 and actively engaged in voter outreach, education, and mobilization in order to defeat these measures.

·        Prop 45 – Health Insurance Rate Regulation Initiativewould have put one politician in charge of health insurance (59.8% voted No)*
 

·        Prop 46 – MICRA Initiativewould have increased health care costs, threatened privacy, and could have resulted in patients losing access to their preferred doctor (67.2% voted No)*

* Based on the latest data from the CA Secretary of State

"Too Close to Call" State Elections in LA County

Congressional District 26 (Mostly Ventura County)

·        Julia Brownley(D) incumbent with 63,811 votes

·        Jeff Gorell(R) with 63,281 votes

Assembly District 39 (San Fernando Valley)

·        Raul Bocanegra(D) incumbent with 17,245 votes

·        Patty Lopez(D) with 17,427 votes

Also of Interest: Local ballot measures on oil/gas exploration

California Voters Deal A Major Blow To Fracking

Huffington Post (Carly Schwartz)
In a victory for proponents of clean energy, two out of three California counties voted to ban fracking Tuesday despite a lobbying campaign by oil and gas corporations for the opposite.

San Benito County's Measure J: Voters back anti-fracking plan

San Jose Mercury News (Howard Mintz)
San Benito County voters on Tuesday approved a groundbreaking ballot measure that outlaws the controversial oil extraction technique known as fracking.

Measure J backers reflect on historic victory, hopes for 'movement'

Hollister Free Lance (Kollin Kosmicki)
Retired San Benito High School Principal Tim Shellito believes the victory for supporters of Measure J – set to ban all enhanced petroleum extraction countywide – shows that “John Q. Public” is alive.

Capps Survives; Measures P and S Flame Out

Santa Barbara Independent (Kelsey Brugger and Lyz Hoffman)
Most Santa Barbara County residents didn’t vote on Tuesday, but those who did made one thing clear: They didn’t support Measure P.