The Riverside County Registrar website has turnout at 35.35%. It will probably be revised upwards when all the counting is done, but it certainly wasn’t good overall. It showed in the depressed win percentages of the "safe" seats. They usually garner in the low 60 percentile, most came in just below 60%.
Bonnie Garcia pulled it out 51% to 49%. Steve Clute’s handlers are challenging it. Stay tuned. My prediction is Bonnie stays as winner. Steve Clute was an Assemblyman and since leaving office has run against Sonny Bono for Congress, Jim Battin for Assembly, and now Bonnie. He lost them all. Give it up, Steve.
All Republican Congressional and State Assembly Republicans won handily. Mary Bono’s race was proven to never have been close, despite the Coachella Valley press trying to sell papers by hyping it.
Lyn Daucher clings to a narrow margin over Lou Correa in the 34 SD, and Danny Gilmore lost a close one by 4 points to Nicole Parra in the 30th AD. That was significant ,since former Highway Patrol Commander Danny was recruited and mentored throughout the race by our Assemblyman John J. Benoit, himself a former Highway Patrol Commander.
Locally, the Indio City Council incumbants staved off challenges, and the Measure M ballot box zoning initiative scheme was soundly rejected. Palm Desert saw a contentious run for an open council seat with Cindy Finerty handily defeating Sabby Jonathan.
Stan Skipworth joined the two incumbants in the City of Corona in victory, 2 new Councilmembers for Murrietta, a city going through some growing pains and warring factions, Gary Thomasian and Kelly Bennett. Their challenge will be to provide some strong leadership along with re-elected incumbant Rick Gibbs. Good guy Bob Botts joins the Banning Council.
Congrats also to retired FR blogger Phil Paule who pulled out a tough victory on Eastern Municipal Water Board, unseating a long time incumbant.
San Diego had two very interesting initiatives pass overwhelmingly, with possible future implications for other local municipalities. First, future pension increases for public employees will be voted on by the people, second, the city will now be able to contract out services with private enterprise (potential huge savings).
Looking to the future, Assemblyman Benoit is well positioned to run in the 37th SD in 2008, we’ll see some contenders begin to emerge for the 80th AD soon, and rumors are beginning for a Republican challenger to Supervisor Bob Buster again.