• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara), who is expected to win reelection against challenger Andy Caldwell, released a statement on Nov. 7 congratulating President-elect Joe Biden on his victory. “Votes are still being counted, but it has become clear that voters, both across the country and on the Central Coast, recognize that we are better than the divisive politics of Donald Trump,” Carbajal said in the statement. “We sorely need steady and compassionate leadership, and today American voters delivered by electing Joe Biden to the presidency.” Carbajal commended Biden for campaigning on a plan for COVID-19 recovery, expanding The Affordable Care Act, and protecting the climate. “Throughout his campaign, President-elect Biden focused on the hard work we all must do to restore trust in our Democracy and to bring us together as Americans,” Carbajal said. “I look forward to working with the Biden administration to renew the promise of America. Together, we will take decisive action to crush COVID-19 and make overdue investments in our infrastructure. We will protect and expand the Affordable Care Act and lower the cost of prescription drugs. We will protect our planet from climate change and create good-paying jobs in the renewable energy sector while we’re at it.” Early results show that Biden won big among Santa Barbara County voters: He secured 66.9 percent, or 103,902 votes. President Donald Trump secured 47,471 votes of those tallied so far. Carbajal held 60.7 percent or 175,857 of District 24’s votes so far, while Caldwell had 113,722 votes as of Nov. 9 unofficial results.
• Early results show that Assemblymember Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) has a substantial lead to win the state Senate race for District 19, a position currently held by Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) who did not pursue reelection. Limón held 222,684 votes as of Nov. 9, while opponent Gary Michaels held 116,904. Democrat Steve Bennett and Republican Charles Cole are running to replace Limón in the Assembly. Early results show Bennett with a substantial lead at 139,431 votes, while Cole had 67,375 votes.
• While not all California proposition races have been called yet, as there are votes left to be counted, the Associated Press had called nine out of 12 of the propositions as of Nov. 9. Californians voted no on Proposition 16, which proposed to repeal a constitutional provision that made it unlawful for California’s state and local governments to give people preference based on race, ethnicity, national origin, or sex, commonly known as affirmative action. Californians voted yes on Proposition 17, which restores the right to vote to former felons upon completion of their prison term. Voters said no to Proposition 18, which would have allowed 17-year-olds who would be 18 by Election Day to vote in primaries. Californians said no on Proposition 20, which would have created a stricter parole system for some crimes and recategorized some misdemeanors as felonies. Proposition 21 also did not pass, which would have allowed local governments to establish rent control on certain properties. Proposition 22 did pass: It classifies app-based drivers as contractors and not employees, something that app-based driving companies like Uber and Lyft lobbied hard for. Proposition 23, which would have increased regulations for dialysis clinics, did not pass. Voters said yes to Proposition 24, which allows consumers to prevent businesses from sharing their personal information. Proposition 25, which would have replaced the cash bail system with risk assessments, did not pass. As of Nov. 9, The Associated Press had not called Propositions 14, 15, or 19.
This article appears in Nov 12-19, 2020.