Palos Verdes Voter Guide: Local Races, Early Voting

From where to cast an early ballot to deciding on local and statewide candidates — here's your Palos Verdes voter guide.

Rachel Barnes, Patch Staff

Posted Fri, Oct 14, 2022 at 5:33 pm PT|Updated Wed, Oct 19, 2022 at 10:52 am PT

Here's all the information you need to know for the upcoming election on Nov. 8. (Kristin Borden/Patch)

PALOS VERDES PENINSULA, CA — Election day may not be until Nov. 8, but Californians are allowed to begin voting almost a month before the general election.

On the Palos Verdes Peninsula, voters will choose the City Council members in Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills and Rolling Hills Estates.

Palos Verdes Estates

Incumbents Michael Kemps, David McGowan and Victoria Lozzi are running against Desiree "Dez" Myers for their City Council seats.

Find out what's happening in Palos Verdeswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Rancho Palos Verdes

There are three available seats on the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council that incumbents Barbara Ferraro and David Bradley are running for against Steve Perestam, Michele Carbone, Kevin Yourman and Paul Seo.

The City Of Rancho Palos Verdes announced on Oct. 19 there would be a one-day early voting center for the Nov. 8 election at City Hall. The center will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 31 at 30940 Hawthorne Blvd.

Find out what's happening in Palos Verdeswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Voters can also cast their in-person ballots starting Oct. 29 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the South Coast Botanic Garden. All other vote centers will be open on Nov. 5.

Rolling Hills

In Rolling Hills Jim Aichele is running against Councilmembers James Black, Pat Wilson and Lea Mirsch for their seats.

Rolling Hills Estates

There are two City Council seats up for grabs that incumbent Brian Huff is running for against Pam Brown Schachter.

Voters will also be asked to vote for members of the school board for Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District. Incumbent Matthew Branch is running for three four-year seats against Jean Liu Christen, Sara Deen, Julie Hamill, Jennifer Handjian, Lindy Kurt and Jeremy Vanderhal. Incumbent Ami Gandhi and Aaron C. Chan are vying for one two-year seat.

In the Golden State, Oct. 10 was the deadline for counties to send out vote-by-mail ballots, which every registered voter will automatically receive, according to the California Secretary of State’s office.

"We're urging all Californians to vote early this year,” said California Secretary Of State Shirley Weber. “ You don't have to wait until Election Day because voting by mail makes it easy as soon as you get your ballots. Every person who votes early will help keep lines shorter and reduce wait times at in-person voting locations on Election Day."

Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked by Nov. 8, and ballots returned at a designated ballot drop box must be deposited by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

In most instances, Californians are not required to show identification to cast a ballot. However, those who did not provide a driver’s license number or a social security number while registering to vote may be asked to do so while voting for the first time in person.

Through Nov. 8, residents can vote at six sites in Palos Verdes. Find a complete list of sites and other election information here.

Statewide Races

Millions of Californians will be called back to the ballot boxes this year to decide who will occupy the governor’s seat as well as a slew of other important statewide positions.

Golden Staters will be asked to vote on candidates for:

Governor

Gov. Gavin Newsom is up for re-election in 2022, and he’s likely to sail to another victory with ease after surviving a recall election last year and managing and dominating in the primary election.

Nonetheless, he will face opponent state Sen. Brian Dahle (R-Bieber), whom he beat by nearly 40 points in the June primary.

Dahle’s campaign has raised just $2 million, while Newsom’s campaign has raised more than $23 million, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Newsom leads Dahle by a 27-point margin — 58 to 31 percent — among likely voters, according to a September Public Policy Institute of California survey.

The Democratic governor will debate the lesser-known Dahle on Oct. 23.

Attorney General

Attorney General Rob Bonta was appointed after Xavier Becerra became the first Latino to hold the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services seat.

Bonta, a Democrat and former state lawmaker, will face off against Republican Nathan Hochman, a former assistant U.S. attorney general and a criminal attorney. Hochman says the state needs a new attorney general who will combat rising crime.

Hochman got 18 percent of the vote in the June 7 primary, while Bonta won 54.8 percent.

Insurance Commissioner

Incumbent Democrat Ricardo Lara will run for a second term as insurance commissioner, a seat that is tasked with regulating the state insurance industry. Republican cybersecurity equipment manufacturer Robert Howell will challenge Lara in the general election.

He has described himself as a “Reagan Republican,” who says he’s committed to helping wildfire victims and insurance premiums that are “abusively inflated,” CalMatters reported.

Secretary of State

Incumbent Secretary of State Shirley Weber, a Democrat, was appointed by Newsom after Alex Padilla ascended to his seat as a senator. She will face Republican Rob Bernosky, who describes himself as a “practical conservative.”

Bernosky, the chief financial officer of a tech company, is a longtime activist and former Hollister school board member. He previously ran for state Assembly in 2010 and in 2012 but was unsuccessful.

If reelected, Weber said she plans to change the state’s recall system after the attempted recall of Newsom last year. Democrats argue that the recall process was abused.

“Very little conversation occurred about: Does this man need to be recalled? Has he done something so egregious that we want to remove him from office?” Weber told CalMatters.

Controller

The race for controller in a California general election doesn't typically generate much interest, but June’s primary was among the most interesting races statewide. That’s because a Republican, Lanhee Chen, was able to advance. Chen opened the door for a Republican to have a shot at their first statewide office since 2006.

The state’s fiscal officer typically facilitates audits and serves on some 70 state boards and commissions.

In November, Chen will face Malia Cohen, a Democrat and member of the state Board of Equalization. Chen is a Stanford instructor and former top Republican adviser.

State Treasurer

Democratic incumbent Fiona Ma will face Republican Jack Guerrero in November. Guerrero is a certified public accountant serving on the Cudahy City Council in Los Angeles County.

If re-elected, Ma said her priority would be to meet Newsom’s goal of building 3.5 million homes by 2025, she told CalMatters.

Lieutenant Governor

Incumbent Eleni Kounalakis, a Democrat, is being challenged by Republican Angela Underwood Jacobs, a bank manager who has experience serving as a member of the Lancaster City Council.

Kounalakis is the first woman to be elected lieutenant governor of California and said she wants to ensure a woman succeeds to the governor’s seat in 2026, hinting at a run herself.

Superintendent of Public Instruction

Unlike the other statewide races, this competition is a nonpartisan one. In November, Lance Ray Christensen, an education policy executive, will try to unseat incumbent Tony Thurmond.

Propositions

Proposition 1

This measure would codify the rights to abortions and birth control within the California’s constitution.