-This story has been updated-
By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO – Three Jewish candidates in California’s June 5 primary election made it into the history books – one to his delight, and two others to their dismay.
Delighted was Steve Poizner, who ran as an independent, yet placed first for the upcoming November runoff for the position of California Insurance Commissioner. This was the first time that a candidate unaffiliated with either party has ever made it to a statewide runoff. Poizner had served as the state’s Insurance Commissioner from 2007 to 2011, then ran unsuccessfully for governor. He had been a Republican but changed his registration to “decline to state,” which is the equivalent of an independent. In the general election, he will face Democrat State Sen. Ricardo Lara.
Dismayed were State Sen. Josh Newman and Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky, who both were recalled from office.
Newman is a first-term state senator who was recalled from office by voters angry over his vote in favor of the 12.5 cent per gallon increase in California’s gas tax. Although Newman was among 81 legislators voting for the increase, the anti-gas tax campaign organized by radio host and former San Diego City Councilmember Carl DeMaio considered Newman, who had won his Senate seat narrowly, the most vulnerable to a recall campaign intended to send a message to other state legislators.
The potency of Reform California’s anti-gas tax campaign theme was demonstrated on election night by Republican businessman John Cox, who came in second in the California governor’s race, thereby earning a runoff spot against Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat. He told supporters he would make it one of his primary campaign themes.
Newman called the campaign against him an abuse of the process. DeMaio, asked about this, commented the campaign “doesn’t have an ethnicity, or a religion, this is money!” Newman will be replaced by Republican Ling Ling Chang, who won the provisional election held simultaneously in the event a majority voted for Newman’s recall. The last state legislator to be recalled was Doris Allen, back in 1995.
Persky, a judge in Santa Clara County, became the subject of a recall election after he sentenced a rapist to only six months in prison. Critics contended Persky gave the light sentence to Brock Turner, a former Stanford University swimmer, because he was white and wealthy. Persky said he followed the recommendation from the probation department. It was reportedly the first successful recall of a California judge in 86 years.
Doing well in other races were such Jewish candidates as U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California) who had well over 40 percent of the vote in a large field in which closest challengers were hovering around 10 percent; and U.S. Rep. Susan Davis, who coasted to a runoff spot with over 60 percent of the vote. In California’s “jungle primary,” the top two finishers, regardless of their political parties, win runoff spots for the November election – even in cases like Davis’s when the top finisher has over a majority in the primary.
One of the most watched races in the country was the race in the 49th Congressional District to succeed Republican Congressman Darrell Issa. Coming first in a field of 16 candidates was Diane Harkey, a Republican who is currently a member of the State Board of Equalization, followed in semi-official returns by environmental activist and Orange County Democratic party chair Mike Levin and San Diego educator and former Washington staffer Sara Jacobs.
Jacobs is the granddaughter of Qualcomm co-founder Irwin Jacobs and was the beneficiary of an independent campaign by women’s groups urging voters to change the face of Congress. The race for the second runoff spot between Levin and Jacobs, both of whom are Jewish Democrats, was so close, it may remain in doubt until final certification of the vote. With 99 percent of the electronic vote counted, but with provisional ballots still to be tallied, Levin led with 18,958 votes to Jacobs’ 17,099.
Another candidate from a well-known San Diego Jewish family was Loren Casuto, who placed second in a non-partisan race for the District C seat on the San Diego Community College Board. Casuto is the son of the former San Diego regional director of the Anti-Defamation League Morris Casuto. He will oppose Grossmont College biology professor Craig Milgrim in the runoff.
Former San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis fell about 1,000 votes behind former Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher as the top primary finisher in a race for the County Board of Supervisors. The two will vie in November to succeed termed-out County Supervisor Ron Roberts. Although that race technically is non-partisan, Dumanis is an active Republican, and Fletcher an active Democrat.
Jeff Bleich, a Democrat and former U.S. Ambassador to Australia, was unsuccessful in his effort to win a primary spot in the race for California lieutenant governor, finishing well down in the pack. Two Democrats will face each other in the runoff, State Senator Ed Hernandez and former U.S. Ambassador to Hungary Eleni Kounalakis.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com
Statement from Shaunna Thomas, co-founder of UltraViolet, a leading women’s rights organization, that campaigned for the California Commission on Judicial Performance to remove Judge Persky from the bench following his decision in the Brock Turner rape case:
“Last night, in a monumental victory, California voters recalled Judge Aaron Persky because of his record of prioritizing rapists over the survivors of their crimes – including his infamous decision to let convicted rapist Brock Turner off with a slap on the wrist. This would not have been possible without the leadership of Professor Michele Dauber and the Committee to Recall Judge Persky, who worked tirelessly to guarantee that Persky’s recall measure was on the ballot.
“This recall shows that voters are justifiably outraged with a so-called justice system that protects privileged white rapists over the survivors of their crimes. With one in five women sexually assaulted in this country, judges who take violence against women seriously must be the rule, not the exception. Time’s up for judges that perpetuate rape culture from the bench.