Beverly Hills Election Guide: What's On The Ballot, What To Know

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — The general election isn’t until Nov. 5, but early voting is about to get underway in California. By Oct. 7, all counties must have begun the process of mailing out ballots to all registered voters.

While the hottest race on the ballot is the presidential election, pitting Vice President Kamala Harris against former president Donald J. Trump, there are plenty of other races to watch in Beverly Hills, including contests for school board and district attorney, as well as host of local and statewide ballot measures.

School Board

Voters will have their pick of four candidates running for three Beverly Hills Unified School District board seats: incumbent Amanda E. Stern, a school psychologist, attorney Dela Peykar Ronen; security executive Russell Stuart; and businesswoman Sigalie Sabag.

Incumbent Noah Margo is not seeking reelection. The other vacancy was created after Mary Wells resigned in April after she was elected to the City Council.

County Ballot Measures

Los Angeles County voters will decide on measures A and G.

Measure A seeks to raise an estimated $1.1 billion annually for homelessness services and affordable housing programs through a sales-tax increase.

If approved, Measure A would repeal the county's existing quarter-cent sales tax for homelessness services — Measure H, passed by voters in 2017 — and replace it with a new half-cent sales tax.

County officials say they want to lock in a larger, dedicated revenue stream to address the region's housing and homelessness crisis: Measure H is set to expire in 2027, while Measure A would never expire.

Measure G would significantly overhaul LA County's government charter, which has remained largely unchanged since 1912 — despite the county's population increasing twentyfold.

The biggest change would be an expansion of the Board of Supervisors from five to nine members, which would reduce the size of each supervisor's consistency. Currently, each board member represents around 2 million people in districts that cover huge swaths of the county.

Measure G would also make the county chief executive officer an elected position. The CEO, who oversees the county's day-to-day operations, is currently appointed by the board.

It would also create an independent ethics commission and two new positions: county legislative analyst and director of budget and management.

District Attorney

Perhaps the most closely watched race in Los Angeles County is the battle for district attorney. It’s become the most scrutinized district attorney’s race in the country, with incumbent George Gascón a lightning rod for progressive reforms that are hailed by his supporters and characterized as soft on crime by his critics.

He faces former U.S. Assistant Attorney General Nathan Hochman, who has pledged to emphasize justice for victims and to reverse Gascón’s policies eschewing sentencing enhancements, the death penalty, and charging juveniles as adults.

Voters are facing a choice between two distinct approaches to criminal justice.

The office is nonpartisan. However, Gascón is running as a Democrat, and Hochman as an Independent two years after launching a campaign for state attorney general as a Republican.

Both men emerged from the crowded field of 11 candidates in the March primary, with Gascón garnering about 25 percent of the vote to Hochman’s 16 percent.

However, Hochman has surged ahead of Gascón with likely voters according to one recent survey by researchers at USC, CSU Long Beach and Cal Poly Pomona. The poll has Hochman with a commanding 24-point lead over Gascón. About 44 percent of likely voters said they support Hochman, while only 20 percent said they support Gascón.

SEE ALSO: Meet Nathan Hochman, Candidate For LA County District Attorney

State Measures

Of course, it wouldn’t be a major election in California if there were not a slew of proposed propositions on the ballot.

There are 10 statewide propositions on the ballot, including two $10 billion bond measures for school construction and to address climate change. There are also two amendments to the state constitution, one which would repeal the unenforceable ban on same-sex marriage and another that would make it easier for bond measures to pass by lowering the voter threshold from the current supermajority needed to approve bond measures.

However, the most hot-button measure on the ballot is Proposition 36, which seeks to reverse some of the criminal justice reforms passed when voters approved Proposition 47 a decade ago. If Prop 36 passes, it could significantly increase prison time for some drug and theft offenses that are currently misdemeanors.

Click here for Patch’s in-depth reporting on all 10 propositions.

State Assembly

The majority of Beverly Hills is within state Assembly District 51. Following a three-way primary race, incumbent Democrat Rick Chavez Zbur and Republican challenger Stephan Hohil will face off in the general election. Zbur earned 78.3 percent of the vote in the primary, compared to Hohil’s 10.9 percent.

Some of the city is within Assembly District 55: Incumbent Democratic Assemblymember Isaac Bryan faces a challenge from Republican Keith Cascio in the general election. They were the only two candidates running in the primary: With 83.9 percent of the vote, Bryan bested his opponent and will face off again in the general election.

U.S. House of Representatives

Beverly Hills is within the 36th Congressional District. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu and Republican challenger Melissa Toomim were the two highest vote-getters in a four-way primary race and will face off in the general election. Lieu earned 68.5 percent of the primary vote; Toomim earned 14.9 percent.

U.S. Senate

A consequential contest to watch will be the race for the U.S. Senate seat long-held by the late Dianne Feinstein. In fact, voters will cast their ballot twice in this race, Nov. 5. They’ll choose a candidate to finish out Feinstein’s current term and again for the next term, which will begin in 2025.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey are both vying for the seat. Schiff, a progressive favorite in the Golden State, has served as a Democratic congressman here since 2000, representing the state’s 30th Congressional District in Los Angeles County.

Garvey, formerly an All-Star for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres, advanced in March to the November ballot as a first-time political candidate. Republicans have failed to advance a candidate in two of the last three U.S. Senate races, making Garvey’s defeat of Democratic Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee, a rare feat for the GOP in blue California.

According to the latest poll from the Public Policy Institute of California, Schiff holds a 28 point-lead (63 percent to 35 percent) over Garvey. Schiff gained widespread name recognition for his role in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. Read more about that race here.

How To Vote

Los Angeles County voters have three options to vote:

• Mail-in ballot: Voters can mail in the ballots they receive in the mail by signing them, sealing them and placing them in either a mailbox or an approved drop box. Official drop box locations can be found here.
• Early voting: Residents can cast in-person ballots early at the county registrar's Norwalk office beginning 29 days before the election.
• Traditional in-person voting: Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 5. Click here to find your polling location.

Registering To Vote

Not sure if you’re registered to vote, or need to change your address? You can find out here and make any changes you may need, as well. Californians need to register to vote by Oct. 21 to vote in the Nov. 5 election. You can also register in person on Election Day for a conditional ballot.

Election Day

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Use the links above to find your polling place, and remember that if you are already in line to vote when the polls close, you can still vote — so don't leave! Nov. 5 is also the last day to get your ballot in the mail if you are going that route to cast your votes.