election

For the last eight years, Democrat Hannah-Beth Jackson has represented California’s 19th state senate district, which extends from Guadalupe to Camarillo. With Jackson’s term expiring this year, the seat representing close to one million people on the Central Coast is open to someone new.

By now, Central Coast voters should have received their November 2020 general election ballots in the mail—and this election is going to be like no other. Between the pandemic, new machinery, possible power shutoffs and operational changes, county election officials face a daunting job this year. KCBX's Greta Mart spoke with San Luis Obispo County's top election official, Tommy Gong, about what voters need to know. Click on the above listen button to hear their conversation.

KCBX's Greta Mart speaks with San Luis Obispo County top election official Tommy Gong about what is different in this November 3, 2020 election: the pandemic, new machinery, operational changes and possible power shutoffs. Scott Yoo, music director of Festival Mozaic and host of the newest installment of the PBS series "Now Here This," talks about  filming an episode in San Luis Obispo during the pandemic. The San Luis Obispo Legal Assistance Foundation helps people on the Central Coast who cannot afford to pay for legal services, and you’ll hear from the organization's executive director. Finally, on this month's Playing With Food, Father Ian Delinger joins a quest through poison oak to collect local wild yeast for brewing beer.

Over the past week, voters across the Central Coast started receiving vote-by-mail (VBM) ballots in their mailboxes, and with five weeks left before election day, some are already done voting and getting their ballots in to be counted.

Central Coast conservative activist Kevin P. Rice claimed responsibility for an election-related robocall earlier this week that asserted to be associated with the Klu Klux Klan. The recorded phone call targeted voters in supervisorial District 3 on February 25.

Are the current local campaigns for San Luis Obispo County supervisorial seats more negative and rancorous than ever? Or have we seen this level of mudslinging in local elections in the past? 

Two weeks after the general election, San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder Tommy Gong says his office is still counting vote-by-mail ballots. He expects to release more numbers later this week, and next. But one thing has halted: those election mailers stuffing mailboxes since summer. How much do campaigns spend on mailers? How many mailers were there? And where do they end up when the election is over?

Regardless of which candidates and ballot measures voters choose this November, San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder Tommy Gong said this year’s general election is remarkable. San Luis Obispo County has seen a surge in the number of registered voters.

“We shattered our voter count record,” Gong said. “And we sent out 130,000 vote-by-mail ballots—10,000 more vote-by-mail ballots than 2016’s presidential election.”

In terms of voter registration, Gong said, it feels a bit more like a presidential election year than a midterm cycle.

PART ONE

PART TWO

Voters have fewer propositions to sift through than two years ago, but will be asked to vote on 11 statewide ballot measures this fall. Among them, Californians will decide whether local governments should be able to expand rent control, whether to retain the gas tax, and if the state should only sell cage-free eggs. 

Among the scores of campaign mailers appearing in San Luis Obispo County voters’ mailboxes during this election season, one claims to be a “progressive voter guide.”

In the city of San Luis Obispo, three candidates appear on the ballot for mayor: Heidi Harmon, Keith Gurnee, and Donald Hedrick.

As part of our coverage of the June 5 primary election, KCBX News invited some local candidates to the studio to learn more about their visions, experience and concerns. In this segment, we separately interviewed San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson and his challenger Greg Clayton.

In Santa Barbara, the city manager is tasked with overseeing the budget and running the day-to-day operations. But the mayor is the face of the city, and responsible for building coalitions that lead to effective city council votes and action. Santa Barbara voters are currently deciding who will be the city's next mayor.

UPDATE: Friday, Nov. 14, 2015 at 6:10 p.m.  

With no remaining ballots left to be counted, Incumbent Pismo Beach Mayor Shelly HIgginbotham is declared the winner over challenger Kevin Kreowski by just two votes.

The race had been as narrow as one vote, as of the previous count tally.

The final San Luis Obispo County election numbers were released late Friday afternoon. A recount will not take place unless one of the candidates calls for one.

ARROYO GRANDE