Election Day 2024: Healdsburg, Sonoma County Voter Guide

HEALDSBURG, CA—Election Day is here, and some 8 million Californians have already cast their ballots in early voting — both by mail and at Vote Centers, including the Healdsburg Community Center, which began opening Oct. 26.

Tuesday marks Sonoma County's first general presidential election under the Voter’s Choice Act election model adopted by the county in 2022. To provide greater flexibility for voters, the county opened official ballot drop boxes—at least one per 15,000 registered voters—four weeks before Election Day. The county is also utilizing vote centers instead of polling places. You can see a list of Sonoma County vote centers here.

If you already have your ballot filled out, you may drop it off at any Vote Center, at ballot drop-off locations listed here, or send it by USPS mail. It must be postmarked no later than Tuesday to be counted. Once you've sent your ballot, you can track it here.

Still have questions about the Election Day protocol? Reach county elections staff at 707-565-6800.

And 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 races to watch in Healdsburg.

Races To Watch In Healdsburg, Sonoma County

Measure O, City Of Healdsburg Modify Growth Management Ordinance

Yes or No? Should the City of Healdsburg exempt multi-family housing along certain portions of the Healdsburg Avenue corridor from the Growth Management Ordinance to encourage the creation of middle-class and workforce housing on underutilized parcels?

Measure O needs a simple majority — 50 percent + — to pass.

Measure R, Healdsburg USD Bond Measure To Fix, Add To School Facilities

Yes or No? Measure R, if approved, would authorize the District to issue bonds and levy taxes to pay for the indebtedness. The measure would authorize $49.5 million in bonds, raising approximately $3 million annually while bonds are outstanding, levying $29 per $100,000 assessed value, to pay for repairs and upgrade to Healdsburg schools.

Measure R needs a 55-percent majority vote to pass.

Measure I, Countywide Child Care & Children’s Health Initiative & Sales Tax

Yes or No? Measure I would allow the implementation of a quarter-cent—$0.25—transaction and use tax on the sale and use of tangible property countywide in all incorporated cities and all unincorporated communities of Sonoma County and areas until ended by the voters, to fund early childcare, education, and health care for children with high-priority needs. The retail tax would generate $30 million annually.

A simple majority of at least 50 percent of the votes is needed to pass. Read more here about Measure I.

Measure J, Countywide Prohibition On Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations

Yes or No? Should Sonoma County amend its code to ban, outside of the Coastal Zone, farms and other animal production operations that meet the definition of “Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations” (CAFOs), as defined by federal regulations, require phase-out of existing CAFOs over three years, authorize daily financial penalties for violations, and require, among other things, the Agricultural Commissioner to create a job retraining program for CAFO workers?

A simple majority of at least 50 percent of the votes is needed to pass. Read more here about Measure J.

Measure W, Sonoma County Library District Transactions & Use Tax

Yes or No? Measure W would renew an existing 2016 countywide voter-approved measure that provides almost 40 percent of Sonoma County Library’s funding and is set to expire soon. Measure W would keep this .125-percent — 1/8-cent — sales tax funding in place until voters repeal it. As a special tax, the revenue generated by Measure W, estimated at $18 million annually, may only be used for specific purposes outlined in an Expenditure Plan to maintain and enhance Sonoma County Library services.

The measure needs approval by two-thirds of voters to pass. See more about Measure W.

Healdsburg City Council

Five candidates are vying for three open seats.

Incumbent and current Healdsburg Mayor David Hagele is seeking his third four-year term.

Incumbent City Council members Ron Edwards, 65, and Ariel Kelley, 42, also seek re-election.

Two newcomers to the race include Heather Hannan-Kramer, 46, and Linda Cade, 59.

See their candidate statements here.

Healdsburg Unified School District Governing Board

Five candidates are vying for three at-large Healdsburg school board seats.

The lone incumbent seeking reelection is Rose McAllister; however, two of the candidates, Donna Del Rey and Judy Velasquez, served as board trustees in previous years.

Danielle Rae Kucera, a marketing director, and Skyler Osborn, a manufacturing engineer, round out the candidate field. Read their candidate statements here.

California State Assembly, 2nd District

Incumbent Damon Connolly of San Rafael is seeking his second term in the state Assembly after years of public service in Marin County. See Connolly's website.

Republican Andrew Podshadley, a Novato business owner, seeks his first public office. Read more about Podshadley on his campaign website.

California State Senate, 2nd District

Santa Rosa City Council member Chris Rogers is the Democratic candidate for the state Senate's 2nd District. To learn more about him, visit his campaign website, ChrisRogersForAssembly.com.

The Republican candidate for District 2 state senator is Michael Greer, a retired special educator who is a trustee for Del Norte County Office of Education and Unified School District. To learn more about Greer, visit his campaign website: Mikegreerassembly2024.com.

U.S. House, 2nd Congressional District

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, a San Rafael resident, seeks his fifth term in Congress representing constituents from the Golden Gate Bridge north to the California-Oregon border. See more about Huffman on his campaign website: Jaredhuffman.com.

His opponent, Republican Chris Coulombe, is a Sonoma County native and business owner who had a successful military career while also pursuing an education. His campaign website is Christocongress.com.

Statewide Races

In California, there are several statewide races to watch and 10 propositions to vote on.

U.S. Senate

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

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

Garvey, formerly an all-star MLB player 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.

U.S. House

As for congressional races, the state’s most competitive contests for the U.S. House seats in California are primarily in three regions — the Central Valley, Orange County and the Inland Empire, according to the Public Policy Institute of California’s most recent election report. The competitive races include districts 3, 9, 13, 22, 27, 40, 41, 45, 47 and 49.

Currently, the GOP holds seven of these seats. Here’s a brief breakdown of the candidates in each competitive area:

• District 3, which hugs the Nevada border from Death Valley to the Sacramento suburbs, will see another contest between Republican Incumbent Kevin Kiley and returning Democratic candidate Jessica Morse. Kiley previously attempted to run for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s seat in a failed recall attempt.
• District 9 centered in Stockton pits Democratic incumbent against Republican challenger Kevin Lincoln II.
• In District 13, covering the San Joaquin Valley, Republican incumbent John Duarte—who flipped the seat red in 2022 for the first time since 1974—will face Democrat Adam Gray. Since Redistricting in 2022, the district has been considered a left-leaning swing district whose voters went for Biden in 2020 but chose a Republican representative in 2022.
• District 22 in the San Joaquin Valley will have Republican incumbent David G. Valadao challenge Democrat Rudy Salas. Both candidates were neck-and-neck during the March primary, with Valadao receiving 32.7 votes to Salas’ 31.3. Redistricting has shifted the 22nd to the left since 2020, making Valadao one of the most vulnerable Republican incumbents in the House.
• In District 27, which covers northeast Los Angeles County, GOP incumbent Mike Garcia is pitted against George Whitesides. Whitesides, a former chief of staff of NASA during Barack Obama’s presidency, is a formidable challenger to Garcia, who has held the seat since 2020.
• In District 40, covering northeast Riverside County, Democrat Joe Kerr will challenge Republican incumbent Young Kim.
• District 41 will have Republican incumbent Ken Calvert face off against a much younger Democratic contender, Will Rollins. Calvert is the longest-serving GOP member in California Congress. Rollins, who is gay, has clashed with Calvert over LGBTQ+ issues, which may prove to be a challenge for him in a district that encompasses Palm Springs.
• Orange County’s District 45, covering inland north county communities, is diverse politically and ethnically since the area hosts the largest population of Vietnamese people in the nation. There, Republican incumbent Michelle Steel will face off against Derek Tran, a Democrat known for his advocacy for workers’ rights.
• District 47, another Orange County stronghold, is currently represented by Rep. Katie Porter, who did poorly in the March primary and is not seeking reelection. Former GOP state legislator Scott Baugh, who lost to Porter previously, will challenge Sen. Dave Min.
• District 49 will see Democratic incumbent Mike Levin go up against Republican challenger Matt Gunderson.

State Measures

Of course, it wouldn’t be a major election in California without a slew of proposed propositions on the ballot.

Ten statewide propositions are on the ballot, including two $10 billion bond measures for school construction and to address climate change. Two amendments to the state constitution are also on the ballot: one that 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 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.