See you in November

Chula Vista voters hit the voting booth Tuesday to select who they want to see face off in several state and local elections in November.

At a polling place at the Norman Park Senior Center in Chula Vista, voter Mike Guajardo,62, said voting in the state races like for governor and senate were more important to him than voting for his local mayor and council officials.

“Here in Chula Vista they’ve (politicians) been doing pretty well,” he said. “I like the way things are, I like the status quo.

But it’s been the state (elected officials) that I want to change.”

Unlike Guajardo, Miguel Nieto, 70, paid more attention to the local races than the statewide ones.

“All the city races interest me because they affect us (residents) more,” he said. “When (we vote) for President of the United States or for Governor of California, it does not affect us as much.”

In the Chula Vista mayoral race, Mayor Mary Casillas Salas was the overwhelmingly top-vote getter securing 61.06 percent of the vote or 14,299 votes. Though not all votes have been counted in it appears that facing Casillas Salas in November will be second-place finisher and Otay Water District Director Hector Gastelum, who received 4,063 votes; 17.35 percent.

Although Casillas Salas received more than 50 percent plus one of the vote she is not declared the outright winner.

As part of Proposition B, which passed in 2012 election, a mandatory runoff provision was added to the charter. Now, the two candidates who receive the highest number of votes in June, regardless of whether one candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote participate in a November runoff.

The battle for the seat to replace termed-out District 2 Councilwoman Pat Aguilar was  whittled down from six candidates to two.

The top two vote getters who will probably meet in November will be Republican and retired California Department of Forestry and Fire protection firefighter Steve Stenberg, who received 1,603 or 27.3 percent of the vote, and Democratic opponent Jill Galvez, a small business owner.

Galvez came only 90 votes behind Stenberg as she garnered 1,513 of the votes or 25.78 percent.

Chula Vista Firefighters union and the Police Officers’ Association anticipated a close win for Measure A, a proposed half-cent sales tax increase to improve the city’s public safety.
Measure A, as of Thursday morning, was winning with 12,607 votes city-wide, 52.79 percent while the no votes received 11,274 or 47.21 percent.

There will be two other Chula Vista races in November when District 1 Councilman John McCann seeks re-election against opponent Mark Bartlett.

In a city-wide race, Chula Vistans will vote for city attorney in a race that includes incumbent Glen Googins against Andrew Deddeh, a class action attorney.

In other South Bay elections, National City voters will decide their elected representatives in November.

However, in a special election in which the city of National City budgeted $103,000 to cover costs, residents were asked to decide two crucial measures that determined the current mayor’s fate.

Measure B, an initiative to repeal term limits that would have reset the clock for Mayor Ron  Morrison to run for mayor once more received more Yes votes than No, 1,971 votes to 1,894.

But Measure C, a measure to preserve term limits for the mayoral office, received more Yes votes 2,078 than Measure B’s 1,971, meaning Measure C was victorious.

With Measure C the winner, Morrison will be termed out but can still run for city council.

All results as of Thursday morning were unofficial. The Registrar of Voters inidcated there were more than 200,00 ballots countywide that needed to be tallied.

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