by Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com

Super Tuesday, March 5, is fast approaching, and here’s what you need to know:

Claremonters will not be voting on any local ordinances, but will join Californians in considering Proposition 1, a state measure aimed at strengthening California’s decades old Mental Health Services Act.

The proposition would authorize about $6.4 billion in state general obligation bonds to build housing for veterans and individuals with behavioral health challenges and full-service and substance abuse disorder facilities. The proposition alters the MHSA, passed by voters in 2004, “with a focus on how money from the act can be used,” according to the Official Voter Information Guide. Under Prop 1, at least 90% of funds would go directly to counties, 10% to the state. Prop 1 would not alter the 1% income tax set forth by the MHSA.

Proposition 1 would also require an annual audit of implemented programs, shift about $140 million of annual tax revenue from counties to the state to fund such projects, and would increase state costs in order to repay the bonds over a 30-year period by about $310 million annually.

Various state and countywide offices are also on the ballot.

Incumbent Kathryn Barger is looking to be reelected as Los Angeles County Fifth District Supervisor, and faces competition from Perry Goldberg, Assemblymember Chris Holden, Burbank City Council member Konstantine Anthony, and Marlon Marroquin.

Eleven candidates are challenging incumbent George Gascón in the Los Angeles County District Attorney race. The field includes LA County Superior Court Judges Debra Archuleta and Craig Mitchell; LA County Deputy District Attorneys Eric Siddall, Maria Ramirez, John McKinney, and Jonathan Hatami; San Bernardino County Deputy District Attorney Lloyd “Bobcat” Masson; former federal prosecutors Jeff Chemerinsky and Nathan Hochman; defense attorney Dan Kapelovitz; and retired judge David S. Milton.

Voters will decided races for judge of the superior court in offices 12, 39, 48, 97, 115, 124, 130, 135, and 137. Victor Avila is running unopposed for judge of the Superior Court Office 93.

Vying for Holden’s current seat in California’s 41st Assembly District are Democrats Jed Leano, a Claremont City Council member; public safety commissioner Phlunté Riddle; John Harabedian, president of the California Department of Consumer Affairs Acupuncture Board and region three vice chair of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party; and Republican Michelle Del Rosario Martinez.

Republican and Democratic voters will also choose up to seven members for the 41st Assembly District’s County Central Committee, which are local committees run by unpaid volunteers that make endorsements, register new party voters, grow a party’s base, and help decide policies a party will support. Democrats will select among Kenneth Armstrong, Patrice Marshall McKenzie, Christopher Torres, Todd Jones, Victor Castellano, Kim Bowman, Karen Suarez, and Kathy Patterson. Republicans will choose between Cynthia Gabaldon, Callie Gregory, Deborah Scott Toux, Jack Mercica, Jacqueline Munoz, Piere Sylla, Bonnie Wallace, and Lois Brand Billings.

Battling incumbent member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Democrat Judy Chu in California’s 28th Congressional District are Republican April Verlato, the mayor of Arcadia; Peace and Freedom Party member William Patterson; and Libertarian Jose Castaneda.

Democrats Teddy Choi, Monterey Park City Council member Yvonne Yiu, Rosemead City Council member Sandra Armenta, Vice Mayor of Alhambra Sasha Renée Pérez, and Republican Crescenta Valley Town Council member Elizabeth Wong Ahlers will all battle for California’s Senate District 25 seat, currently occupied by Burbank Democrat Anthony Portantino. Portantino is vying to succeed 12-term U.S. Representative Adam Schiff in California’s 30th Congressional District. Meanwhile, Schiff is running to succeed the late Dianne Feinstein to be California’s representative in the United States Senate.

There are two races being held to replace Feinstein: one has 27 candidates running for the six-year Senate term beginning January 3, 2025. The other, with seven candidates, is a special election to determine who serve the remainder of current Senator Laphonza Butler’s term, through January 3, 2025. Butler, who was appointed by California Governor Gavin Newson following Feinstein’s death, had previously stated she would not serve Feinstein’s full term, nor throw her hat into the 2024 race. Her limited term ends in November.

Vying for the six-year term for Democrats are Barbara Lee, Katie Porter, Christina Pascucci, David Peterson, Perry Pound, Douglas Pierce, Raji Rab, John Rose, Harmesh Kumar, Sepi Gilani, and Schiff. Republicans Jonathan Reiss, Stefan Simchowitz, James “Jim” Macauley, Steve Garvey, Denice Gary-Pandol, Sarah Sun Liew, Sharleta Bassett, James Bradley, Martin Veprauskas, and Eric Early are also running. Independent candidates include Forrest Jones, Gail Lightfoot, Major Singh, Mark Ruzon, Don J. Grundmann, and Laura Garza.

Pascucci, Porter, Garvey, Gilani, Lee, Early and Schiff are running in the short term election.

Lastly, voters will choose their presidential candidates along party lines. Democrats will select between President Joe Biden and Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips. The Republican slate includes former President Donald Trump and onetime United Nations Ambassador and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. Independent candidates include Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Cornel West, and Green Party politician Jill Stein.

In-person voting centers are open at Condit Elementary School, 1750 N. Mountain Ave.; El Roble Intermediate School, 665 N. Mountain Ave.; Claremont Unified School District offices, 170 W. San Jose Ave.; and Granite Creek Community Church, 1580 N. Claremont Blvd. Centers are open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Tuesday, March 5, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Additional polling centers can be found at locator.lavote.net/locations/vc.

Vote-by-mail ballots can be taken to Alexander Hughes Community Center, 1700 Danbury Rd., and Claremont Helen Renwick Library, 208 N. Harvard Ave.

Call (909) 399-5460 or visit ci.claremont.ca.us for more info. To check your status or to register to vote in Los Angeles County, visit lavote.gov/vrstatus.