It’s time to head to the polls for the June 2 primary election, and there’s a lot on the table for California voters this time around, including choosing potential successors to termed-out Governor Gavin Newsom.
Locally, Orinda voters are also facing some crucial choices, including two county-wide measures that could increase taxes. Those measures – B and G – will be decided on June 2.
Elections for specific political offices, though, operate under a different format. Only if a candidate receives a majority of votes – 50 percent plus one – will the race be over. Otherwise, the top two candidates, regardless of political party, will battle it out in November’s general election.
“In the primary election, a lot of local offices might end up getting decided in the primary, because if somebody gets 51% of the vote, they win outright,” said Community and Relations Coordinator Dawn Kruger, for the Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder-Elections Department. “They don’t have to go to the November general [election].”
Just 35% of registered voters in Contra Costa County turned out for the last statewide direct primary in 2022, added Kruger.
Orindans, though are “active and engaged” voters, she said, which gives the city’s voters extra leverage in the primary.
“Orinda is one of our higher turnout locations” in terms of “the number of people who vote out of the total number of voter registrations for the area,” said Kruger.
For this primary, incumbent Mark DeSaulnier is in the running for U.S. Representative, District 10. DeSaulnier is one of four Democrats vying for the position, along with three Republicans.
Incumbent Democrat Rebecca Bauer-Kahan of Orinda is seeking reelection to the Assembly District 16 seat. She is running against one Republican and one candidate with no party preference.
Eleven candidates are vying for the critical role of California Insurance Commissioner to succeed Ricardo Lara, who’s facing a term limit. The changing of the guard in the Insurance Commissioner’s office comes in the wake of soaring home insurance rates and cancellations across the state due to wildfire risk. Orinda residents are no stranger to the issue of securing home insurance in a high wildfire risk area.
It’s a crowded field with no clear front-runner. State Senator Ben Allen of District 24 (Hollywood and West Los Angeles) and Steven Bradford, who served as a member of the State Senate from 2016 to 2024 representing the Gardena area, are two of the five candidates getting the most media attention to the race.
There are also some important county-level leadership decisions up to voters this June. Kismat Kathrani, Vince Robb, Nick Spinner are running for Contra Costa County Assessor, while Peter Karumbi and Deepika Naharas face off for Auditor-Controller. Kristin Braun Connelly and Pratima Sonavne are seeking votes for the Clerk-Recorder position.
Kruger emphasized the importance of voter turnout.
At the end of April, the county Clerk-Recorder’s Office participated in California High School Voter Education Weeks. Kruger is part of an outreach group that schedules events at different local high schools, and at Miramonte High, over 200 students registered or preregistered to vote, she said.
That’s a step forward, since “In the last election, there were several countywide offices that were elected by about 17 to 18% of the total registered voters,” said Kruger.
For this primary election, Contra Costa County voters will also decide between reelecting incumbent County Superior Court Judge Jessie J. Hsieh or throwing support behind trial attorney Valery R. Polyakov. The role has a six-year term.
Meanwhile, Dana Eaton and Jag Lathan are facing off for county Superintendent of Schools. The duties include managing the daily operations of the county office of education, providing support and guidance for the county’s school districts and performing oversight for district budgets and local control and accountability programs.
Orinda voters will also weigh in on two countywide measures this primary.
Measure B, a five-year temporary sales tax of five-eighths of one cent, aims to help Contra Costa County address federal cuts affecting health care, supplemental food assistance and other services. The estimated $150 million dollars raised annually would be subject to annual audits, and would raise Orinda’s sales tax to 10.375%.
Measure G seeks to authorize the Contra Costa Community College District to issue $920 million dollars in bonds for upgrades at Contra Costa, Diablo Valley and Los Medanos community colleges.
Voters can find additional election information and support via links found under the “Newsroom” tab on the Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder’s Office website (www.contracostavote.gov).
There will be three Election Day polling locations in Orinda: Holy Shepherd Lutheran Church at 433 Moraga Way; City Hall at 22 Orinda Way; and St. Stephens Episcopal Church at 66 Saint Stephens Drive.
“Generally speaking, the primary elections have a lower turnout than the general elections that fall in November,” said Kruger, noting that the county Clerk-Recorder-Elections Department tries to spread the word that “every election is important.”
