CA Election Recap
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Members-
The dust is starting to settle after last night's election in California. Here's a breakdown of what transpired in critical Assembly and Senate races around the State.
Overview:
If the current results hold (at this hour, some races are too close to call) the net result of the state level races across California indicate that the industry will face a difficult political calculus over the next two years. The Democrats have secured the Supermajority status in the Assembly, but even more troubling for trucking is the net loss of 4 pro-industry seats. If the results hold, 3 Republicans will have lost their re-election battles including Eric Linder in Riverside County (currently too close to call), Young Kim in Orange County (currently too close to call), and David Hadley in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County. Also facing defeat in an intraparty battle was Democrat Cheryl Brown. Brown was a strong ally to the industry and her defeat is harmful on many fronts.
In the Senate, if current results hold, the net result could be a wash in terms of its partisan makeup with Democrats holding 26 seats. Senate Democrats will need just one more vote to achieve the supermajority status. In Senate District 29 (Walnut, Diamond Bar, Chino Hills) Republican Ling-Ling Chang currently holds a lead of a little under 4,000 votes over Democrat Josh Newman. It could be a while before this one is settled with provisional and late ballots left to be counted.
What do these defeats ultimately mean to our advocacy efforts here in Sacramento? It only takes the Assembly Democrats 41 votes to pass 99% of bills that threaten the industry including employment and environmental concerns. Before the election, the Democrats were at 52 seats, so on a good day we have needed to hold all Republican votes and then secure 12 Democrats to vote with us to stop or amend bad legislation. With the 2016 election now over, the Democrats netted an additional 3 seats. With Cheryl Brown's defeat, the end result means a net of 4 potentially harmful votes coming to the table. With those additions we will now need 15 Democratic votes to stop or amend bad legislation in the Assembly. In the Senate we face similar dynamics, where we need 6 Democratic votes to stop or amend bad legislation in that house.
Despite these numbers, staff will continue to do everything possible to solidify relationships in the Capitol to ensure that the industry's voice continues to be heard in the halls of the Legislature. Below you will find a breakdown of the key races of importance to the industry. Please let me know if you have any questions in regards to your local election results. Thank you.
AD 39- Raul Bocanegra Victory (Moderate Democratic Pickup)
Patty Lopez
Democrat
32,238
38.9%
Raul Bocanegra
Democrat
50,577
61.1%
AD 40 - Marc Steinorth Victory (Targeted Republican Hold)
Marc Steinorth
Republican
51,960
52.3%
Abigail Medina
Democrat
47,430
47.7%
AD 47 - Cheryl Brown Defeat (Moderate Democrat Loss of Seat)
Cheryl Brown
Democrat
34,258
46.7%
Eloise Gomez Reyes
Democrat
39,092
53.3%
AD 60 - Eric Linder Defeat (Targeted Republican Loss of Seat)
Eric Linder
Republican
40,350
47.8%
Sabrina Cervantes
Democrat
44,103
52.2%
AD 65 - Young Kim Defeat (Targeted Republican Loss of Seat)
Young Kim
Republican
48,084
49.2%
Sharon Quirk-Silva
Democrat
49,626
50.8%
AD 66 - David Hadley Defeat (Targeted Republican Loss of Seat)
David Hadley
Republican
61,489
47%
Al Muratsuchi
Democrat
69,410
53%
SD 29 Ling-Ling Chang Victory (Targeted Republican Hold)
Ling Ling Chang
Republican
108,779
50.9%
Josh Newman
Democrat
104,892
49.1%
