Orange County candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives and state Legislature have filed for the June 5 election, for the first time facing a campaign without a partisan primary.
The top two vote-getters in each race, even if they are from the same party, will run against each other in November under a voter-approved ballot initiative designed to curtail the highly partisan nature of modern politics.
Candidates also will be running in districts with newly drawn boundaries as a result of the redistricting that takes place every 10 years after the national census. This go-round, the district lines for the House and Legislature seats were drawn for the first time by a citizens’ commission created by voters in an effort to end the gerrymandering that traditionally accompanies redistricting when politicians draw their own lines.
However, the Orange County Board of Supervisors followed the traditional procedure and created their own districts.
The deadline for candidates to file was March 9, but in three races — the 47th Congressional and 69th and 72nd Assembly districts — the deadline was extended to 5 p.m. Wednesday because there were no incumbents filing for re-election.
One of those districts, the 69th Assembly, had only Democrats filing to run, guaranteeing the party a victory in November unless someone from another party or an independent jumps in by Wednesday and pulls enough votes in June to qualify for the runoff.
The secretary of state’s office will certify candidates during the next few weeks and publish a final, official list March 29.
“It’s a busy season for us already,” said Orange County Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley. “We’re just looking forward to June 5.”
Orange County includes all or part of six Congressional districts.
- 39th Congressional District. Two candidates: Republican Rep. Ed Royce of Fullerton and D’Marie Mulattieri of Orange. Mulattieri is listed as a “community volunteer” who belongs to no political party, although from 2006 to 2011, Mulattieri was registered with the American Independent Party.
- 45th Congressional District. Three candidates: GOP Rep. John Campbell of Irvine; Irvine Mayor Sukhee Kang, a Democrat; and Republican small-business man John Webb from Rancho Santa Margarita.
- 46th Congressional District. Five candidates: Rep. Loretta Sanchez, a Santa Ana Democrat; Republican independent businessman Jerry Hayden of Laguna Beach; Republican escrow company owner Pat Garcia of Huntington Beach; Republican accountant John J. Cullum of Placentia; and Santa Ana tax accountant Jorge Rocha, who has no party preference.
- 47th Congressional District. One candidate: Republican Steve Foley of Cypress. Filing deadline is Wednesday.
- 48th Congressional District. Three candidates: Republican Rep. Dana Rohrbacher of Costa Mesa; nonpartisan marketing executive Alan Schlar of Huntington Beach, who has changed parties between Republican and Democrat in the past 10 years; and Ron Varasteh, a Democrat and scientist-engineer-business owner from Irvine.
- 49th Congressional District. Four candidates: Republican Rep. Darrell Issa; Democrat Jerry Tetalman, a registered nurse and real estate agent; Dick Eiden, a retired attorney and poet who lists no political party; and Albin Novinec, a U.S. Marine who also lists no political party.
Every two years, half of the 40 state Senate seats are up for election statewide. This year, two of Orange County’s Senate seats are being contested.
- 29th Senate District. Two candidates: Republican state Sen. Robert Huff of Walnut in Los Angeles County and Democrat Greg Diamond, a workers’ rights attorney from Brea.
- 37th Senate District. Two candidates: Republican state Sen. Mimi Walters of Irvine and Democrat Steven Young, a Newport Beach civil justice attorney.
In the 80-member state Assembly, all or part of seven seats are in Orange County. The 55th Assembly District, for example, is mostly in Los Angeles County but includes Placentia, Yorba Linda, Brea and La Habra.
- 55th Assembly District. Two candidates: Republican Assemblyman Curt Hagman of Chino Hills and Covina social worker Gregg D. Fritchle, a Democrat.
- 65th Assembly District. Two candidates: GOP Assemblyman Chris Norby of Fullerton and Fullerton Mayor Sharon Quirk-Silva, a Democrat.
- 68th Assembly District. Two candidates: Republican Assemblyman Donald P. Wagner of Irvine and Democrat Christina Avalos of Orange.
- 69th Assembly District. Four candidates: Santa Ana City Councilwoman Michele Martinez, a Democrat; Orange County Clerk-Recorder Tom Daly, a Democrat from Anaheim; Democrat Julio Perez, a Santa Ana nonprofit director; and Santa Ana accountant Francisco Barragan, a Democrat. Filing deadline is Wednesday.
- 72nd Assembly District. Five candidates: Democrat Joe Dovinh, a Garden Grove city commissioner; Democrat Robert Ayala, a retired Garden Grove police commander; Republican Long Pham of Fountain Valley, a member of the county Board of Education; Los Alamitos Mayor Troy Edgar, a Republican; and business owner Travis Allen of Huntington Beach, a Republican. Filing deadline is Wednesday.
- 73rd Assembly District. Two candidates: Republican Assemblywoman Diane L. Harkey of Dana Point and teacher-writer James Corbett of San Clemente, a Democrat.
- 74th Assembly District. Three candidates: Republican Assemblyman Allan R. Mansoor of Costa Mesa; Republican Newport Beach City Councilwoman Leslie J. Daigle; and Newport Beach accountant Robert Rush, a Democrat.
Two of the five county Board of Supervisors seats are up for election. Technically, the seats are nonpartisan. All five current supervisors are Republicans. Janet Nguyen is seeking re-election, but Bill Campbell is leaving because of term limits.
- 1st Supervisorial District. Two candidates: Supervisor Janet Nguyen, a Garden Grove Republican, and retired educator Steve Rocco of Santa Ana, who lists no political party.
- 3rd Supervisorial District. Two candidates: Villa Park City Councilwoman Deborah Pauly, a Republican, and attorney Todd Spitzer, also a Republican.