Supervisor Hewitt's Battle To Hold Seat Headed To November Runoff

BANNING-BEAUMONT, CA — Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Hewitt was bound for a runoff election in November, facing Moreno Valley Mayor Yxstian Gutierrez, who held a razor-thin lead in the ballot tally Wednesday night, though far shy of the 50% threshold needed to secure victory.

Returns showed Gutierrez receiving 33.38% of votes counted, compared to 33.11% for Hewitt in the Fifth Supervisorial District race.

According to the Office of the Registrar of Voters, more than 150,000 absentee and provisional ballots remain to be tallied countywide. The vote tabulation could stretch to the end of the week.

The two other challengers in the Fifth District race, Beaumont Mayor Lloyd White and attorney Denianonette Mazingo, were trailing well behind Hewitt and Gutierrez.

Hewitt was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2018 following a stint as mayor of Calimesa.

The incumbent, a Libertarian who is also serving as chair of the board until the end of the year, said in a campaign statement that "the trials I've faced while leading this county have shaped me forever. In times of uncertainty, you can always depend on me to lead from the front."

Hewitt, who was among candidates for governor in the recall election last September, was an outspoken opponent of the coronavirus public health lockdowns, and after hearing from impacted residents and business owners about the hardships created by the mandates, he was the lone voice in favor of the county outright rejecting them.

However, he later modified his position and instead advocated for a piecemeal approach to removing the county from the state's controlling measures, resulting in a proposal in September 2020 for the county to establish an independent "Reopening Plan." Under that concept, the county's Executive Office would have established criteria different from the governor's color- coded tier system then in place -- all aimed at expediting a return to normal commerce.

The plan was tentatively adopted, but in a significantly watered-down form that Hewitt opposed and resulted in virtually no change from the status quo.

"Every day, I have pushed to elevate our county," the supervisor said. "I do this to leave a better county for our grandchildren."

Gutierrez, a favorite of the county's Democratic Party, cited his work on homeless reduction programs, municipal beautification and supporting job creation as accomplishments since he was first elected Moreno Valley's mayor in 2016.

"I'm running for supervisor to serve as the honest, ethical and effective leader Riverside County needs," he said in a campaign statement. "I'll listen to residents and work every day to improve and protect our quality of life."

His objectives include improving 911 response times, expanding health care opportunities, advancing youth programs and ensuring safe drinking water.

In the county's Fourth District, Supervisor Manuel Perez ran without opposition in the primary, as did Supervisor Karen Spiegel in the county's Second District.