A Slice of Orange

Halloween is right around the corner! So, in the spirit of the festivities, I spoke to Gustavo Arellano, features writer for the Los Angeles Times, covering mostly Southern California, and Gabriel San Roman, a journalist who wrote for the OC Weekly in 2006 and later became a staff writer until the newspaper's closing in 2019, and now manages a well-known blog, about some of the scariest politicians in Orange County.

What happens when there's only one person on the ballot? Uncontested seats aren't common, but sometimes you can win a seat without a campaign.

What's that experience like? To find out I spoke with Deana Miller, Brea-Olinda School Board Member, who won her seat in the primary.

We're a week away from the 2020 presidential election and already over 60 million Americans have voted. That begs the question, what does it mean to be an informed voter, and how can young voters learn about the impact of their vote not just for president but for all elective offices and ballot propositions? To help answer that question I spoke to Michelle Majewski who is well known in North Orange County as a government teacher who emphasis local civics.

Beatriz "Betty" Valencia is the last of twelve children and daughter of Antonia and Ricardo. She was born in Mexico City and brought to the United States at the age of six. She often recalls spending the first part of her school year learning the English language and customs. Betty is a seasoned businesswoman, rising the ranks to become Vice President of Operations in the private sector, and is furthering her leadership development as a PhD student in Leadership Studies at Chapman University. She was a candidate for the Orange City Council in 2018.

Neal Kelley is Registrar of Voters for Orange County, California, the fifth-largest voting jurisdiction in the United States, serving more than 1.6 million registered voters. He joined the County as Chief Deputy Registrar of Voters in May 2004. Appointed Registrar of Voters in April 2006 by County Executive Officer, Thomas G. Mauk, Kelley has led the Registrar of Voters’ office through the largest cycle of elections in the County’s 123-year history. In his role as the County’s chief election official, he leads an organization responsible for conducting elections, verifying petitions, and maintaining voter records.

Senator Josh Newman is running for election to the California State Senate to represent District 29. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2020. Josh is a former Democratic member of the California State Senate, representing District 29. He was recalled from the position on June 5, 2018. Ling Ling Chang (R) was selected as his replacement after the Republicans targeted him for voting for the California Gas Tax, for which the GOP falsely accused Josh of being the deciding vote.

These ballot measures are not only spending the most money trying to convince you one way or another but could also change major tax policy and enact criminal justice reform.

Propositions 16, 19, 21, 25 have raised some serious cash and range from instituting affirmative action policies in admissions, and hiring practices are the University of California to repealing Costa Hawkins.

The November 2020 ballot measurers span the gamut. In this episode, we look at measures 14, 17, 18, and 24 to explore their fiscal and legal impact throughout California.

LaShe's life experiences informed her thinking that local government affects the community more directly than distant federal and state decisions – especially surrounding youth development and K-12 education, which is why she decided to run for school board. She currently serves as the Chief of Staff for Orange County Supervisor Doug Chaffee. LaShé earned her Bachelor’s degree at the University of California Riverside and later earned a Master’s Degree in Communication Management from the University of Southern California.