Voting is an open-book quiz, and luckily there are lots of guides to help you make your choices.
By Mariah Castañeda
UT Community News, Cal State LA
It’s election season, Los Angeles! We know that filling out your ballot can be daunting — like a pop quiz you forgot about. Are all of those blank bubbles continuing to stare back at you? Fortunately, voting is an open book affair. And LA Public Press has created a cheat sheet.
The primaries will be held June 2. This is an opportunity to vote for local and state leaders between the presidential election cycle. And in LA, there are more than a half dozen key races on the ballot.
We put together this page as a starting point. The sources linked here were developed by our staff and student journalists at Cal State LA, and other local newsrooms and organizations that care about ensuring LA County residents can make informed voting decisions.
Remember, you have until 8 p.m. June 2 to vote. LA County has reasonably accessible voting infrastructure that allows you to return your ballot by mail, hundreds of ballot drop-boxes stationed around the county, as well as the ability to vote in-person at a vote center. Make sure you remind your friends to fill out their ballots — you could even host a ballot party!
As the election creeps closer, be sure to check out our guide to some of the important dates and deadlines, too.
LA Public Press Election Guide
Still deciding on who to pick for mayor? Jireh Deng outlined all the front runners for the hefty LA position that manages all major city departments. If you were busy (who isn’t) and missed the first mayoral debate, read Deng’s recap here.
Have questions about the LA City Controller’s race? Martín Macías Jr. put together this guide to candidates for LA’s chief financial watch dog. The City Controller monitors public funds and is tasked with investigating allegations of waste, fraud, and abuse involving tax-dollars, a super important position for voters as LA faces a $200 million budget shortfall.
Trying to figure out who to vote for in the LA City Attorney race? Phoenix Tso authored a piece explaining one of LA’s most powerful offices, which performs a range of functions: prosecuting misdemeanors, advising politicians on local legislation, defending the city against lawsuits, and enforcing consumer protection laws, including those that protect tenants’ rights.
Speaking of powerful positions, LA County Superior Judges are on your ballot. Susana Canales Barrón and Ashley Orona compiled this great guide on how to pick your judge. These judges handle everything under state law, including civil, criminal, family law, juvenile justice, mental health, and traffic cases.
Are you confused by the propositions and measures on your ballot? Check out a rundown of Measure ER, Proposition CB, and Propositions TC and TT by Susana Canales Barrón. For more on Measure ER, check out Dan Ross’ breakdown.
Overwhelmed by the eight LA City Council seats up for grabs? We got you. Here are rundowns for the candidates running for LA City Council odd-numbered districts: three, seven, 11, 13, and 15. Stay tuned for guides on districts one, five, and nine.
The five members of the LA County Board of Supervisors are the most powerful elected officials in the region. The board oversees a budget of nearly $50 billion, and each supervisor represents approximately 2 million constituents. Supervisor seats representing LA County Districts one and three are up for grabs this election.
LA Public Press also dug into how the county plans to respond to the possibility of ICE agents at polling sites, promotoras conducting essential election outreach, how LA politicians could improve street safety with voters wanting better streets, and more.
Guides from other newsrooms:
Nonprofit newsrooms, including LA Public Press, are legally barred from endorsing or opposing any candidate or electoral measure. You won’t find endorsements in the guides immediately below. Instead, you can expect to learn more details about each particular candidate or hot-button voter issue.
CalMatters – This statewide newsroom does a fabulous job of covering issues that impact Californians and has an excellent voter guide for our wonderful state. If you need more information on state and federal elections in California, CalMatters has assembled guides to the contentious California Governors’ race, California Attorney General, the U.S. House of Representatives, the California State Senate, the State Assembly elections, and so much more. CalMatters also is a one-stop shop for guides to powerful lesser-known offices like State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
LAist – LAist is one of LA’s NPR broadcast stations and publishes a “Voter Game Plan.” It’s a far-reaching guide that includes voter guides for Long Beach and Pasadena, as well as LA City, LA County, and the LA County Unified School District Board of Education District. View the Voter Game Plan here.
LA Daily News – The for-profit LA Daily News has also assembled an extensive guide that includes candidate questionnaires.
Newspaper endorsements:
Unlike nonprofit news agencies, some newspapers make endorsements through their editorial boards, which makes decisions distinct from the newsroom’s reporters.
Los Angeles Times – The LA Times’ editorial board typically makes extensive recommendations and endorsements in state, county, and local elections. However, this year, the paper published a voter guide that does not include endorsements,
Guides for voters from community organizations:
As you decide who and what to vote for, you might be interested in hearing from organizations that advocate for the issues you’re passionate about. It can be helpful to look through a few of these guides, especially if you want to vote with the interests you care about in mind.
Streets for All LA – If you’re passionate about expanding public transportation, bike infrastructure, pedestrian walkways, and public green spaces, check out Streets for All’s voter guide. Streets for All LA is an organization advocating for climate justice, better public transit, and streets that are safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
La Defensa – If you’re mindful of how individual candidates and measures can decarcerate one of the largest jail systems in the world, you’ll want to check out La Defensa’s voter guide. La Defensa is a nonprofit organization dedicated to “shifting away Los Angeles County’s reliance on criminalization and incarceration towards systems of care that center human dignity.” La Defensa also has a guide for judicial candidate recommendations.
Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE) – SAJE advocates for tenant rights, healthy housing, and equitable land development. It produced a helpful guide to the “People with Clipboards” outside local businesses and in local public spaces who are trying to collect signatures to get initiatives on the fall ballot. SAJE also has recommendations on which ones to sign and which ones to not sign.
LA Forward – LA Forward promotes progressive policies by supporting and developing organizers and candidates in Los Angeles. It assembled a comprehensive voter guide with endorsements here.
Other Sources:
Democratic Socialists of America — Los Angeles — The Los Angeles chapter of the DSA has five branches covering most of LA County, including Central LA, the Eastside/ San Gabriel Valley, San Fernando Valley, South Central / Inglewood, and the Westside. The organization put together an extensive guide that might be helpful for folks who care about Medicare for All, environmental justice, abolition, abolishing ICE, and more.
Planned Parenthood Action – This is Planned Parenthood’s political action committee, which advocates for reproductive health and freedom across the U.S. It also assembled a wide-ranging endorsement list for races in LA County.
The Party Line – For official political party endorsements, peek at the lists assembled by the Republican Party and the Democratic Party of Los Angeles County.
