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(If you want more in-depth discussion of races, visit our main endorsements page!)

NOTE: 8 a.m., Oct. 10: This will be finished, including Council races, by early this afternoon evening sometime soon — except for races requiring further research. There should already be here enough for you to fill in most of your ballot!

UPDATE, 6 p.m., Oct. 12: It’s all done except for a couple of dozen hundred pieces of research

UPDATE 8 a.m., Oct 15: Water boards are all done; just some city council seats and a few other stragglers to go!

We’ve noticed that the post that was supposed to be just a list of our picks has become a slow-loading behemoth, because (1) it’s (close to) comprehensive and (2) we can’t stand not to argue about them!  So this offers you a simple list that you can use to fill out your ballot, while still being able to click on that link if you want any nuance (and we know you will might!)   Let let’s get to it!  We offer separate endorsements from Vern, Greg, Ryan, and our various Buddies, who are referred to only as V, G, R, and B.  To the ramparts!  Our list begins below the photo introducing our list.

Admittedly, Vern and Greg do tend to list to their left….

PRESIDENT/VP:

V: Biden/Harris; G: Biden (or Hawkins if you must, as it won’t matter here); R: Biden/Harris (sorry, Ryan, they’re a ticket)

CONGRESS:

• 38th Cong: V&G&R all for Tolar, VG as a protest, R as a raspberry
• 39th Cong: V&G&R all for Cisneros
• 45th Cong: V&G for Porter, R for Raths
• 46th Cong: V&G say skip the race, Correa wins regardless.
• 47th Cong: V:  Vote your party; G: Lowenthal; R Briscoe
• 48th Cong: V&G&R all for Rouda
• 49th Cong: V&G for Levin; R just sighs

STATE SENATOR:

• 29th District: V&G&R for Josh Newman, R with admonition
• 37th District: V&R for Moorlach; G undecided about Min

STATE ASSEMBLY:

COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICTS

North Orange County Community College District

• Area 2: Ed Lopez already won
• Area 4: G&V for Miguel Alvarez 
• Area 5: V&G for Rodarte; R fir Garcia-Gomez
• Area 7: G for Kropke

Coast Community College District

• Area 2: G&V for Long Pham
• Area 3: Prinsky already won
• Area 4: G&V for Hornbuckle

Rancho Santiago Community College District

• Area 1: Zeke Hernandez already won.
• Area 3: G&V for Tinajero
• Area 5: G for Crockett (likelier to win); V for Ulloa (he commented here!)
• Area 7: G&V for Miller over thirsty Loretta (Hey, Loretta!  Run against Rep. Devin Nunes!)

South Orange County Community College District

• Area 1: G decided on Inmon, with Kaushal as a back-up choice.
• Area 3: Incumbent already won
• Area 6: G endorses Dack — and thinks you should check out his comment below on the main (slow-loading) endorsement page!  Vern, are you with me on that?
• Area 7: G for Jemal, easily

UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICTS

Anaheim Union High School District

• Area 3: Katherine Smith already won
• Area 4: Incumbent already won

Fullerton Joint Union High School District

• Area 2: Joanne Fawley already won
• Area 3: Vicki Calhoun already won

Huntington Beach Union High School District

• G: Lankster and Hagaman

UNIFIED (K-12) SCHOOL DISTRICTS

Brea Olinda Unified School District

• Area 2: Deana Miller already won
• Area 3: Paul Ruiz already won
• Area 5: G prefers STEM education advocate Barnes; R leans to Businesswoman Lyons

Capistrano Unified School District

• Area 1: Amy Hanacek has already won
• Area 2: G&V both favor Braunstein
• Area 3: G liked them all, but found each slightly troubling, so look for endorsements elsewhere
• Area 5: G believes that Castellanos is best prepared to advance the reform agenda she and Funes share.

Garden Grove Unified School District

• Area 1: No guidance available on this one
• Area 3: Walter Muneton already won
• Area 5: V likes Cahill; G, bothered by Samantha’s ignorance of Poseidon while running for the County Water Board, also endorses Cahill

Irvine Unified School District

• Area 1: Incumbent already won
• Area 3: There’s no good alternative to Yu — certainly not Sidney Wu –but I can’t endorse him due to his role in the unethical disqualifications of Goethals from handling criminal cases after the “snitch scandal,” which he has never adequately addressed.  Sometimes accountability hurts.
• Area 4: Newcomer Scott Fayette elected without opposition
• Area 5: G prefers Bokota

Laguna Beach Unified School District (3 seats)

• G agrees with DPOC’s choice of Vickers and Osborne.  For the third seat, flip a coin between Morgan and Kramer

Los Alamitos Unified School District

• Area 2: G  supports Trivedi
• Area 4: No one filed!
• Area 5: G supports Cutuli, given her stability and vast experience

Newport-Mesa Unified School District

• Area 1: G supports Ersolyu.  Snell seems good, but Ersoylu looks very impressive.
• Area 3: G supports Crane.  Both look fine, but I’ll take retired teacher Crane over Coach Booker.
• Area 6: G supports Peters, who looks very impressive.  Zavouris is a distant second.  Reading about Weigand was less impressive, and Xeno needs to bring more than music to the table.

Orange Unified School District

• Area 2: G supports Tiger Kennedy Cosmos
• Area 3: G supports Ana Page
• Area 6: G strongly endorses Carrie Lundell

Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District

• Area 1: G decided that Eric Padget deserves re-election
• Area 2: G favors Lashé Rodriguez, with some misgivings, but she’ll probably be fine.
• Area 3: G strongly prefers Misty Janssen.  Blades seems like a real horror show.

Saddleback Valley Unified School District

• Area 2: G endorses Wong
• Area 3: G endorses Morrell

Santa Ana Unified School District

• V&G say to keep incumbents Alvarez, Rodriguez, and Torres

Tustin Unified School District

• Area 1: G: Damiakolas
• Area 2: G: Stocks
• Area 4: Newcomer Jonathan Stone has already won

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICTS

Anaheim Elementary School District

• Area 1: Jackie Filbeck has already won
• Area 3: VGR ALL strongly support Magcalas over horrific and unqualified Lucille Kring!

Buena Park School District

• Area 3: Tharwa Ahmad won without opposition
• Area 4: G suggests Castaneda, who seems nice.

Centralia School District

• Area 3: Incumbent won without opposition
• Area 4: Incumbent won without opposition

Cypress School District

• Area A: Incumbent won without opposition
• Area E: Incumbent won without opposition

Fountain Valley School District  (2 seats open)

• G: currently leaning towards Schultz and Nguyen

Fullerton School District

• Area 2: Incumbent won without opposition
• Area 5: Newcomer Leonel Talavera won without opposition

Huntington Beach City School District

• Area 1: G favors Noor
• Area 3: Incumbent won without opposition

La Habra City School District, Full Term (2 seats open)

• G: Hanson and Dobson.

La Habra City School District, Short Term

• Emily Pruitt won without opposition

Lowell Joint School District

• Area 1: Incumbent won without opposition

Magnolia School District

• Area 2: Incumbent won without opposition
• Area 3: Incumbent won without opposition
• Area 4: Incumbent won without opposition

Ocean View School District

• Incumbent Gina Clayton-Tarvin won without opposition.  Doomed incumbent (wait for our Weekend Open Thread) Norm Westwell did as well.)

Savanna School District

• Both incumbents won without opposition

Westminster School District

• Area 1: V&G endorse David Johnson
• Area 4: Incumbent won without opposition

SPECIAL DISTRICT CONTESTS

Unincorporated Governance

Capistrano Bay Community Services District

• No candidate statements.  No paper trail of any kind.  No recommendation.

Emerald Bay Service District

• Incumbents won unopposed

Rossmoor Community Services District , Full Term

• G&V: Searles, Maynard, and DeMarco.  Important: Do not deviate from this!

Rossmoor Community Services District , Short Term

• Jeffrey Rips won without opposition.

Surfside Colony Community Services District

• Incumbent won without opposition

Three Arch Bay Community Services District

• Incumbent Gary Rubel and newcomers Alan Anderson  and Judy Yorke all won without opposition.

Serrano Water District

• Division 2: Incumbent won without opposition
• Division 3: Incumbent won without opposition
• Division 5: Incumbent won without opposition

Silverado-Modjeska Recreation and Park District

• G: Ask your neighbors.  They all seem equally good to me.

Sanitary Districts

Costa Mesa Sanitary District

• Division 2: G: Ferryman
• Division 4: G: Art Perry

Midway City Sanitary District (Vote for 2)

• R: Anyone but Diep; V: Power + Not Diep; G: Power + Tai Do, to beat Diep

Sunset Beach Sanitary District, Full Term (3 seats?)

• Re-elect the incumbents

Sunset Beach Sanitary District, Short Term

• No one ran

Surfside Colony Storm Water Protection District (2 seats open)

• V seems to like Linda Garofalo.  G says OK.  How about her and Kriss?  Let’s do that.

Water Districts — Local & Regional

El Toro Water District

• Incumbents won without opposition

Irvine Ranch Water District

• Division 1: Incumbents won without opposition
• Division 4: Per John Earl: vote for Karen McLoughlin!

Moulton Niguel Water District

• Incumbents and a newcomer, Sherry Wanninger, won without opposition.

Santa Margarita Water District

• G says: 100% of you should vote for Martin, 75% of you should vote for Olson, and 0% of you should vote for Ury or Gibson.  The procedure you follow to determine your own vote is on the main page.

East Orange County Water District  (Two seats open)

• G: Per John Earl, vote only for Julio Morales.

Rossmoor/Los Alamitos Area Sewer District, Full Term

• Incumbents Van Jew, Jim Bell, and William Poe won without opposition.

Rossmoor/Los Alamitos Area Sewer District, Short Term

• This short-term seat went unfilled; the Board will appoint to the vacancy

Mesa Water District

• Division 1: Fred Bockmiller has been re-elected without opposition.
• Division 2: G&V&R are all EARLY and ENTIRELY for Ereth!
• Division 3: Marice DePasquale has been re-elected without opposition.

South Coast Water District

• G: 100% of you should vote for Lenger.  75% of you should also vote for Erkeneff, and 50% of you may also vote for Erdman.  Instructions are on the main page.  Nobody vote for Goldman.

Trabuco Canyon Water District

• Incumbents Don Chadd and Stephen Dopudja won unopposed.

Yorba Linda Water District

• Incumbent John Wayne Miller and newcomer Trudi Kew Desroches  were elected unopposed.

Water Districts — Larger Ones

Orange County Water District

• Division 2: Denis Bilodeau won without opposition, sad to say.
• Division 3: Roger Yoh won without opposition
• Division 4: V outlaws Tri Ta.  R&G agree.  John Earl says: Kris Beard!  All agree.
• Division 6: We’re all of us are ENTHUSIASTIC for Michael Elliott

Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC)

• Division 1 (Short Term): G has narrowed it down to Fred Smith or a write-in.
• Division 3: We all want to keep Diep off.  V follows John Earl’s recommendation for Linda Moulton-Patterson.  G thinks that incumbent McVicker is a better bet to win.
• Division 4: V&G are STRONG for Karl Seckel!
• Division 6: Incumbent Jeffrey Thomas won reelection without challenge.
• Division 7: We all want to keep Megan Yoo Schneider!

Library Districts

Buena Park Library District

• Patricia Ganer, Incumbent
• Dennis Salts, Incumbent
• Irene Castaneda, Incumbent
• L. Carole Jensen, Community Volunteer

Probably keep the incumbents.

Placentia Library District

• Incumbent Carline and newcomers Shioura and  Dahl were elected unopposed.

Santiago Geologic Hazard Abatement District, Full-Term  (Two seats open.)

• Employee Rights Attorney James Guziak
• Business Owner Bhavin Patel
• Appointed Incumbent Craig Schill.

G says: Just vote for Guziak.

Santiago Geologic Hazard Abatement District, Short Term

• Nobody seems to have run.  Write in one of the above names, I guess.

JUDGES

No judicial retention races are on the ballot!

BALLOT MEASURES

State Ballot Measures

Proposition 14: Bond measure to increased state stem-cell research funding

• G says yes; R says not a priority now.  See the companion page for this!

Proposition 15: Remove Prop 13 tax benefit for commercially office buildings

• G&V say Yes. R says No.

Proposition 16: Reverse ban on affirmative action in State-funded programs

• G says Yes. R says No.

Proposition 17: Allow paroled felons to vote 

• V & G & R unite on: YES!

Proposition 18: If 17, can vote in primary if will be 18 by general election

• G says Yes. R says No.

Proposition 19: Changes reset rules for inheritance taxation of home values

• G & R are both guardedly in favor, pending more rumination

Proposition 20: Re-impose harsher rules for criminal procedure/punishment

• V & G & R unite on: NO!

Proposition 21: Increases city/county power of cities to impose rent control

• G&V say yes; R says no

Proposition 22: Eliminates state law under which app drivers became employees rather than independent contractors

• V&R (& eventually G after some confusion) agree on NO!

Proposition 23: Private dialysis clinics must have doctors present

• G&V lean yes; R is non-committal

Proposition 24: Expands state consumer protection agency’s power/funding

• G&V say yes; R says no

Proposition 25: Ending use of cash bail in favor of threat assessment

• V says NO!  G&R say YES!  A veritable bloodbath ensues on our other pages!

Local Ballot Measures

(Clicking on the links will give you the full text and a summary of each measure, as well as potentially arguments for and against each

We encourage members of each affected community to offer opinions on these! 

P – City of Cypress, Amend City Charter to Update Noticing, Election Procedures, and Process for Filling a Council Vacancy

• G thinks it’s fine.

Q – City of Costa Mesa Retail Cannabis Tax and Regulation Measure

• G recommends a yes

S – City of Fullerton Community Services, Street Repair, and Emergency Response Measure

• R is a strong no, and G is tired of fighting with him about Fullerton.  (Until the next time!)

U – City of Fullerton Fireworks Ballot Measure

• R is a No.  G would like to see some statistics on fires.  G thinks that Safe&Sane is is OK on concrete and asphalt — away from dry grass and wood.

V – City of Laguna Woods Advisory Measure on Marijuana Dispensaries

• G says yes.  Definitely good news for retirees!

W – City of La Habra Cannabis Business Tax/Regulation Ordinance of 2020

• G recommends a yes

X – City of La Habra Citizens Initiative for Preservation of Open Space in La Habra

• G recommends a yes.  Coyote Hills advocates like it.

Y – City of Los Alamitos Quality of Life, 911 Police Response, Business/Job Protection Measure

• G says yes.  Tonya Doby endorses it, so he will too.

Z – City of Newport Beach Addition of Harbor Commission to the Newport Beach City Charter

• G says no. Click the link, read the No argument, and you’ll probably agree with it.

AA – City of Orange, The Trails at Santiago Creek Open Space and Residential Project

• G finds this is a close call, but leans Yes.  Not all deals with developers are bad, if the harm imposed is minimal, there’s no theft of valuable city property, and the benefits accrue to all.  This gives a developer the right to build some (unfortunately, all high-end) houses on land next to a depleted, valueless sand-and-gravel pit, in return for which some significant money and recreational benefits go to everyone in the city.  The amount of open space zoning remains the same; it’s just shifted.  See his suspicions about what’s really going on, on the main page.

BB – City of San Clemente, City Council Term Limits

• G asks: Who’s worse, the Council or the staff? If Council, yes; if staff, no.  (G don’t know.)

CC – City of Tustin Limited Council Compensation

• G says Yes: he’d rather a Council be paid than bought! See main page for detailed analysis.

DD – City of Westminster Term Limits

• G rarely favor term limits, but Westminster’s staff doesn’t seem powerful enough to make them a danger here.

CITY COUNCIL & EXECS

Aliso Viejo

• G: Richard Hurt, with or without Ross Chun.

Anaheim

• District 1:  All strongly for BARNES!  Diaz is the klepto’s choice!
• District 4: G&V both like both Robbins and Randle-Trejo.  But G thinks that Randle-Trejo is more electable and V thinks that Robbins will win based on people power. Vote for either and pray that one beats Avelino.  G says Republicans can also vote for Brunette — who could win on their votes alone.
• District 5: All of are ALL-IN for Batiste.  A vote for Quezada is wasted.  (A vote for Faessel is suicidal.)

Brea

Garden Grove

• Mayor: G leaning (ruefully) towards Jones, V considering Bui; we are accepting input from the Grovers!
• District 2: Needs more research.  G leaning tentatively towards Diep, but must read more!
• District 5: V&G like Tucker, and do not like Klopfenstein.  (It means “knocking stone,” as on a door.  News you can use!)
• District 6: V&G burn nice for Kim Bernice Nguyen — and endorse her!

Huntington Beach  (3 seats open)

• V&G agree: This is a critical and momentous election for our dear once-hometown HB.  Go with reasonable and honest reformers Oscar Rodriguez, Dan Kalmick, and Natalie Moser.  As some restaurants say: NO SUBSTITUTIONS!  In any event, DO NOT go with any violent white-supremacist symps (even one with a Latino name and probable STDs, even if R jokes about it), or with Harper, or with good-hearted but Poseidon-poisoned Billy “Not THAT Billy”) O’Connell.  Honorable mention to Honest John Briscoe — but this just isn’t his race.

Irvine (3 Council seats open)

• Mayor: G: Democrats should vote for Huang and Republicans for Daigle (who is so competent enough to run Irvine.)  R prefers Shea and rules out Daigle.  V also rules out Daigle, but considers Shea “an illiterate homophobic racist [female dog].” All of us feel dirty for wading into Irvine’s gutter-level politics.
• Council: V endorses Johnson-Norris and rules out Newgent.  R either sarcastically or sadistically favors Agran because it might destroy the city and if it voted for him the city would deserve it.  G favors Johnson-Norris and rules out Agran, Carroll, O’Malley, and Park.  He’s continuing research on considering Kim, Jiang, and Liang, and maybe also Bratton, Dillard, Green, and Pole.  (He likes and respects Newgent, but … policy differences.)

Laguna Beach

• Council (2 seats open): G is still researching, will probably go with Whalen and either Nokes or Flores.  (Not Dicterow, who needs to go.)  Vern is plum stumped.
• City Clerk:  G will go with McKay, the Lavender Dems choice.

Laguna Hills

• Council (two seats open)  G says: vote for Wood, and only for Wood, unless we find a write-in!

Laguna Niguel

• Council (three seats open)  G says: (1) everyone vote for Moslehi; (2) if you want to vote for two — as I would here — vote for Moshehi and Oddo; and (3) if you want to vote for three, vote for Astrella, but I think that 1&2 are pretty equal and 3 is a fair bit behind.  (And this is a really tough town for reformers, so I doubt that all three will win anyway.)

Laguna Woods

• Council (three seats open)  G says: support the incumbents, Conners, Hatch, and Horne!  The others do not sound good.

La Habra

• Council (3 seats open)  G: Vote only for Espinoza and Cruz.  If you must cast a third vote, it might as well be for Shaw, since he’ll win anyway.  R: Vote Shaw, who should have learned from his bad OCBOE vote.  V: Shaw’s a loyal party man.

Lake Forest

• District 1:  G says NOT Cirbo.  I still need to research who can best beat him.
• District 5: G says NOT Pequeño  I still need to research who can best beat him.

La Palma

• Council (3 seats open): V says Marshall Goodman.  G agrees, and adds April Kamilah Bagasao Bautista  We’ll soon add a third name — most likely Aparicio or Quan — so pick one of them if you vote before that research is done.

Los Alamitos

• District 1: V&G&R agree: vote for Tanya Doby, because Dean Grose is gross.
• District 2: G supports Kate Hallman
• District 3: Jordan Nefulda was apparently elected unopposed.

Mission Viejo

Council (2 seats open): G prefers Hale and McConnell.

Newport Beach

• District 2: G says Scarbrough
• District 5: G would stick with Jeff Herdman
• District 7: Will O’Neill seems to be unopposed.  Let me know if otherwise.

City of Orange

• Mayor: V & G are glad to agree on Gladson!
• District 1:  G&V agree: Eugene Fields!  G adds: Vaughn seems like the best (i.e., least klepto) Republican.
• District 2: G&V agree: Martin Varona will be a great council member!  If you can’t stand him — and why not? — Alatorre is the better of the rest.
• District 3: G&V agree: Danett Abbott-Wicker is the best.  if you disagree, Russo is next best.
• District 5: Greg enthusiastically endorses Ana Gutierrez.
• Clerk: Pamela Coleman seems unopposed.
• Treasurer: Richard A Rohm seems unopposed.

Placentia

Ryan has an overall observation:  Placentia is the only city in Orange County to actively take a step towards pension reform.  We should reward this necessary boldness, not shy away from it.

• District 1: G for Devon Gray; R for Rhonda Shader
• District 3: Yamaguchi appears to be unopposed
• District 5: R for Ward Smith; G for Hilaire Shioura
• City Clerk: incumbent unopposed
• City Treasurer: incumbent unopposed

Rancho Santa Margarita (2 open seats)

Council: V says NOT Beall; G is tentatively for Christopoulos, Machuca, & Schwartz

San Clemente

• Council, Full-Term (2 seats open): V is seeking advice from Mayor Ward.  G: Not any of Duncan, Washington, or Hart.  Probably James, will research the rest.
• City Council, Short-Term, 1 Seat open: G says NOT Knoblock and will do research
• City Clerk: Incumbent seems unopposed
• City Treasurer: Incumbent seems unopposed

San Juan Capistrano

• District 1: Incumbent Sergio Farias won without opposition
• District 5: V and G both endorse Alpay

Santa Ana

• Mayor: V endorses Sarmiento; given all of the big bad donor spending to elect the odious Solorio, G has decided to do the same.
• Ward 1: V&G for Thai Viet Phan.  R opposes SAPOA’s hope Contreras.
• Ward 3: V&G support Jessie Lopez.  R opposes SAPOA’s hope McLoughlin and presumably Chaffee’s assistant Welker.
• Ward 5: G tentatively for Hernandez, as he finds the attacks on him questionable, but that may change when he researches who has the money to win.  V may lean Perez, but will hear out Hernandez.  R would probably oppose Villegas over his past Solorio ties.

Seal Beach

• District 2: Pending further research, G is inclined to Damoci
• District 4: Incumbent apparently unopposed

Stanton

• District 2: G endorses Van
• District 4: G leans toward Estrada, but will research.  Warren lied to DPOC about her being a Democrat some years back to prevent an endorsement on a city measure.  Unforgiven.  (Note: Vern reports a call from a friend of hers saying that she’s been a Dem for many years and Estrada is a plant from a vengeful Kevin Carr.  So take that for what it’s worth.) 
• VERN TRUSTS WARREN, AND DOUBTS SHE LIED ABOUT ANYTHING.  This promised research not having materialized, Vern endorses Warren.

Tustin (3 open seats)

• Council: V — & G after “deposing” Fink and getting him to reveal facts that should help his campaign — endorse Beckie Gomez, Letitia Clark and Lee Fink, in honor of Betty Valencia!)

Villa Park

• City Council: Incumbents won unopposed.

Westminster

• District 2: V&G endorse Carlos Manzo
• District 3: V&G endorse Tai Do over Kim Ho

Yorba Linda

• City Council:  Incumbents reelected without opposition

Vern: And thus — not with a bang, but with a gracious North County whimper — doth our coverage conclude. 

(Greg: Or rather, it will end here, once it’s fully completed!)