YOUR VOTER GUIDE: Here’s who, what’s on the Nov. 5 ballot in Merced and the San Joaquin Valley
Welcome to The Merced Sun-Star’s Voter Guide to California’s Nov. 5 general election. Early mail-in voting for the election opens this week, and voters in various parts of Merced and the central San Joaquin Valley have much more to choose than simply who will occupy the White House for the next four years.
In Merced County and across the Valley, there are races for seats on city councils, county boards of supervisors, school boards and others. There are also eight local ballot measures, including school bonds and others, for voters to decide.
That’s on top of state legislative and Congressional contests. Taken in total, it makes for a full ballot to navigate.
We’ve compiled everything you need here to help you make informed decisions, including links to election stories and profiles of candidates and measures up for consideration. Select election stories include answers from candidates to questions submitted by The Sun-Star for this guide. You’ll also find links to editorial staff endorsements for various races and measures.
What’s on the ballot?
U.S. President: The top of the ballot is the race for President and Vice President of the United States, which pits Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, against the Republican ticket, former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance.
U.S. Senate: Candidates seeking a six-year term are Democrat Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey. Incumbent U.S. Sen. Laphonza Butler, appointed following the death of longtime Sen. Dianne Feinstein, is not seeking re-election.
U.S. House of Representatives: Five seats in the U.S. House of Representatives that include parts of Fresno, Kings, Madera, Merced and Tulare counties are up for election on the Nov. 5 ballot.
- Congressional District 5 (parts of Fresno and Madera counties, as well as all or part of Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mariposa, Stanislaus and Tuolumne counties): Republican incumbent Tom McClintock and Democrat Michael J. “Mike” Barkley.
- Congressional District 13 (parts of Fresno, Madera and Merced counties, as well as all or parts of San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties): Republican incumbent John Duarte and Democrat Adam Gray. (See The Bee’s editorial recommendation for the 13th Congressional District.)
- Congressional District 20 (parts of Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties as well as part of Kern County): Republicans Vince Fong and Mike Boudreaux (Boudreaux placed second in the primary but subsequently suspended his campaign).
- Congressional District 21 (parts of Fresno and Tulare counties): Democratic incumbent Jim Costa and Republican Michael Maher. (See The Bee’s editorial recommendation for the 21st Congressional District.)
- Congressional District 22 (parts of Kings and Tulare counties as well as part of Kern County): Democrat Rudy Salas and Republican incumbent David Valadao. (See The Bee’s editorial recommendation for the 22nd Congressional District.)
California State Assembly: Six state Assembly seats that include all or parts of Merced, Fresno, Kings, Madera, and Tulare counties are up for election on the Nov. 5 ballot.
- Assembly District 22 (part of Merced County, as well as all or part of Stanislaus County): Republican incumbent Juan Alanis and Democrat Jessica Self.
- Assembly District 27 (parts of Mered, Madera and Fresno counties): Republican Joanna Garcia Rose and Democratic incumbent Esmeralda Soria. (See The Bee’s editorial recommendation for District 27.)
- Assembly District 8 (parts of Fresno and Madera counties, as well as all or parts of Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono and Tuolumne counties): Republicans George Radanovich and David Tangipa. (See The Bee’s editorial recommendation for Assembly District 8.)
- Assembly District 31 (part of Fresno County): Democratic incumbent Joaquin Arambula, Republican Solomon Verduzco.
- Assembly District 32 (part of Tulare County as well as part of Kern County): Republicans Vince Fong (who is also on the ballot for Congress) and Ken Weir.
- Assembly District 33 (parts of Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties): Republicans Alexandra Macedo and Xavier Avila.
LOCAL RACES
Here are various select contests for voters to decide in Merced County, depending on where you live. Your particular ballot will include districts and contests for the area in which you live.
CITY OF MERCED: The office of Mayor is up for election in November, are are three seats on the Merced City Council.
- Merced Mayor: Incumbent Mayor Matthew Serratto is being challenged by former Merced City Councilmember Anthony LeviMartinez.
- Merced City Council District 1: Incumbent Jesse Ornelas is not seeking re-election to represent southeast Merced. Candidates vying to replace Ornelas are Planning Commission member Walter Smith and local attorney Darin Dupont.
- Merced City Council District 3: Incumbent Bertha Perez is not seeking re-election to represent northwest Merced. The candidates for the District 3 seat are retired sheriff’s sergeant and Planning Commission member Mike Harris, Merced SPCA president and former city employee Cynthia Kelly, and educator Sair Lara Rodriguez.
- Merced City Council District 5: Incumbent Councilmember Sarah Boyle is facing a challenge from public interest attorney Felipe Rojas-Flores and communications/policy director Alex Carrillo. Breaking: Candidate drops out of District race.
City of Atwater: In Atwater, the District 1 and District 2 seats on the City Council are up for election. So to are the offices of City Clerk and City Treasurer.
City of Dos Palos: The office of Mayor and two seats on the Dos Palos City Council are on the Nov. 5 ballot.
City of Gustine: The office of Mayor and two seats on the Gustine City Council are up for election.
City of Livingston: The office of Mayor and two seats on the Livingston City Council are up for election, as are the offices of City Clerk and City Treasurer.
City of Los Banos: In Los Banos, the office of Mayor, two seats on the Los Banos City Council, and the office of City Treasurer are on the ballot.
SPECIAL DISTRICTS: Special districts with director seats up for election in November are the Midway Community Services District; the Planada Community Services District; the Winton Water & Sanitary District; the Delhi County Water District; the Santa Nella County Water District; the Westside Healthcare District, Zone 1; and Central California Irrigation District, Division 2 and Division 3.
SCHOOL BOARDS
MERCED UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT: Three seats on the Merced Union High School District board of trustees are up for election.
- Merced Union High School District, Area 3: Incumbent trustee Julio Valadez is being challenge by Sam S. Spangler, a sheriff’s deputy.
- Merced Union High School District, Area 4: Appointed incumbent Amaleee Jayasinghe faces a challenge from parent and program coordinator Kanwaldeep Kaur Baines.
- Merced Union High School District, Area 5: Incumbent trustee and retired educator Kurt Kollmann faces a challenge from Gameelah Mohamed, a program manager and advocate.
MERCED CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT: Two seats are up for election on the Merced City Elementary School District board, as well as a school bond measure.
- Merced City Elementary, Area 2: Incumbent trustee Jessee Espinosa is not seeking re-election. Candidates are parent Andrea Tuhn and parent/director Tsia Xiong.
- Merced City Elementary, Area 4: Incumbent Birdie Olivarez-Kidwell is seeking re-election, challenged by educator/parent Annie Delgado
MERCED COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION: Two seats on the Merced County Board of Education are up for election.
- Merced County Board of Education Area 3: Incumbent board member Frank A. Fagundes is being challenged by bookkeeper Jose M. Naranjo.
- Merced County Board of Education Area 4: Incumbent board member Fred Honoré faces a challenge from current Merced County Supervisor Rodrigo Espinosa, business owner Jose Quintero and retired U.S. Army veteran Robert S. Wallis.
Other school districts with trustee seats up for election on the November ballot across Merced County are: three seats on the Delhi Unified School District board; the Area 4 and Area 6 seats on the Dos Palos-Oro Loma Joint Unified School District board; the Area 4 seat on the Gustine Unified School District board; the Area 3 seat on the Hilmar Unified School District board; the Area 4 seat on the Los Banos Unified School District board; three seats on the Le Grand Union HIgh School District board; and two seats on the Planada Elementary School District board.
LOCAL BALLOT MEASURES
- Measure A - Westside Community Healthcare District: Measure A would impose a property tax surcharge of $69 per parcel, to fund ambulance services in the district. It requires a two-thirds majority vote, or 66.67%, to pass.
- Measure J - Delhi Unified School District: Measure J would authorize a bond issue of up to $17 million for school facilities projects. It requires a 55% majority vote to pass.
- Measure K - Weaver Union School District: Measure K would authorize a bond issue of up to $20 million for school facilities projects. It requires a 55% majority vote to pass.
- Measure L - City of Livingston: Measure L would impose a 1% sales and use tax on sales of taxable goods and services within the city to support police and fire services. It requires a two-thirds majority vote, or 66.67%, to pass.
- Measure M - Hilmar Unified School District: Measure M would authorize a bond issue of up to $43 million for school facilities projects. It requires a 55% majority vote to pass.
Measure O - Merced City School District: School board members earlier this year voted to place an $80 million bond measure on the November ballot. Measure O would provide money to upgrade all 18 schools in the district. It requires a 55% majority vote to pass.
Measure P - Merced Community College School Facilities Improvement District: Measure P would authorize a bond issue of up to $46 million to improve and upgrade facilities at the Merced Community College District’s Los Banos campus. It requires a 55% majority vote to pass.
Measure R - County of Merced: Measure R would impose a 0.5% sales and use tax on the sales of taxable goods and services within Merced County to support public safety services. It requires a two-thirds majority, or 66.67%, to pass.
HOW TO VOTE
WHEN CAN I VOTE? Even though Election Day officially isn’t until Nov. 5, once you receive your ballot in the mail you’ll be able to vote right away, starting on Oct. 7.
WHERE’S MY BALLOT? Every registered voter will receive a ballot in the mail. On Oct. 7, county elections officials began mailing vote-by-mail ballots to all active voters. Ballots were mailed between Sept. 6 and Sept. 21 to registered Merced County voters who are in the military or overseas. The last day to request a vote-by-mail ballot by mail from the Merced County Registrar of Voters is Oct. 29; a vote-by-mail ballot request can be made over the county at the elections office from Oct. 7 through Nov. 5.
NEED TO REGISTER? If you are not yet registered to vote, and you’re 18 or older on Election Day, you have until Oct. 21 to register by mail or online at the California Secretary of State’s voter registration website at www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration.
WHERE DO I VOTE? You’ve probably read or heard about certain other states where voting can sometimes be a challenge. Merced County voters have several options to cast their ballot:
- You can return your ballot by U.S. mail sealed in the envelope that is provided. If you mail your ballot back, it must be postmarked no later than Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 5) and received by Nov. 12.
- The Merced County Registrar of Voters will have secure drop-off boxes located throughout Merced County where voters can return their ballots, sealed in the provided envelope (be sure to sign the envelope) from Oct. 7 through Nov. 5. Seven of the 20 drop box locations are in Merced; the other 13 are spread across the county. A list of drop box locations is available online.
- Merced County will have three early-voting centers open from Oct. 26 through Nov. 5, including weekends. Another 11 four-day voting centers will be open from Nov. 2 through Nov. 5. Both the 11-day and 4-day voting centers will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; on Election Day, Nov. 5, voting center hours will be from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. A list of 11-day and 4-day voting centers is available online.
STATEWIDE BALLOT PROPOSITIONS
Ten statewide measures will confront voters on the Nov. 6 ballot. They are:
- Proposition 2 - Bonds for public school and community college facilities. Prop. 2 would authorize $10 million in general obligation fonds for repairs, upgrades and construction of facilities at public schools, community colleges an career technical education programs. (See the editorial board’s recommendation on Proposition 2.)
- Proposition 3 - Constitutional right to marriage. If passedi the measure would remove language in California’s state Constitution stating that marriage is only between a man and a woman. (See the editorial board’s recommendation on Proposition 3.)
- Proposition 4 - Climate change bonds. This measure would authorize issuance of $10 million in general obligation bonds for water, wildfire prevention and protection of communities and lands. (See the editorial board’s recommendation on Proposition 4.)
- Proposition 5 - Voter requirements for housing and infrastructure bonds. Prop. 5 is a proposed amendment to the state Consititution which would allow voters to approve local infrastructure and housing bonds for low- and middle-income residents with a 55% majority vote. (See the editorial board’s recommendation on Proposition 5.)
- Proposition 6 - Abolishing involuntary servitude in jails and prisons. This is a proposed state Constitutional amendment removing rules that allow forced inmate labor in jails and prisons. (See the editorial board’s recommendation on Proposition 6.)
- Proposition 32 - Raises minimum wage. If approved, Proposition 32 would increase the minimum wage to $18 per hour in 2025 for large employers and in 2026 for small businesses. (See the editorial board’s recommendation on Proposition 32.)
- Proposition 33 - Rent control for local governments. This measure would repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act of 1995, which now prohibits local ordinances limiting initial residential rental rates for new tenants or rent increases for existint tenants in certain residential properties. (See the editorial board’s recommendation for Proposition 33.)
- Proposition 34 - Federal prescription drug revenue mandate. If approved, Proposition 34 would require certain health care providers to spend 98% of revenues from federal discount prescription drug programs on direct patient care; it also authorizes statewide negotiation of Medi-Cal drug prices.
- Proposition 35 - Permanent tax on health plans to fund Medi-Cal. Proposition 35, if approved by voters, would make permanent an existing tax on managed health care insurance plans. (See the editorial board’s recommendation on Proposition 35.)
- Proposition 36 - Increased punishment for theft and drug offenses. If approved by voters, this measure would allow felony charges for possessing certain drugs and for thefts under $950, if the defendant has two prior drug or theft convictions. (See the editorial board’s recommendation on Proposition 36.)
This story was originally published October 7, 2024 at 3:07 PM with the headline "YOUR VOTER GUIDE: Here’s who, what’s on the Nov. 5 ballot in Merced and the San Joaquin Valley."
