By Megan Miller, Special to the Independent
Laguna Beach residents flocked to the polls Tuesday to cast their votes and determine which candidates will proceed to the November ballot.
The June 7 primary election is the first to use California’s newly redrawn district map, and has seats up for grabs at the local and national levels. Public safety, inflation, and gas prices were among the top priorities some Laguna Beach residents identified at the polls.
As of Tuesday afternoon, about 4,484 mail-in ballots had been returned by Laguna Beach voters, according to data from the Orange County Registrar of Voters. About 2,429 were Democrat, and 1,211 were Republican. Another 707 were nonpartisan.
The results of the primary election will determine which candidates advance to the general election. The top two vote-getters for each seat will appear on the November ballot regardless of party affiliation.
Supervisor Katrina Foley is up for reelection for the 5th Supervisorial District against Newport Beach Mayor Kevin Muldoon and two other Republican candidates—former Assemblymember Diane Harkey and State Sen. Pat Bates.
Foley was seeing a substantial lead in early election returns with 47% cast ballots. Bates was the runner-up with 22%.
“I’m very optimistic. We’re excited. I think what it shows is I have bipartisan support across the board and across the district,” Foley said late Tuesday.
Asked about what she’s heard from voters this week, Foley added, “The majority of voters care about homelessness and the economy and the impact on them individually.”
Though the County seat is considered nonpartisan, Harkey, Muldoon, and Bates are vying for the conservative vote. Harkey is backed by the Republican Party of Orange County and Bates has the support of the Lincoln Club of Orange County, a conservative political action committee.
Foley, the sole Democratic candidate, was officially endorsed by all members of Laguna Beach City Council, who praised Foley’s record and approach to the County’s homeless crisis.
In the 47th Congressional District, which has a slight 1% Democratic edge, Laguna Beach voters will see Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine) up for reelection against Republican candidates Scott Baugh, Brian Burley, Amy Phan West, and Errol Webber.
Porter held a comfortable lead with 58% of early election returns. Baugh trailed her with 26.97%,
Former Rep. Harley Rouda bowed out of the Congressional race earlier this year. The Emerald Bay resident decided not to run after redistricting pitted him against Porter, making her the sole Democratic candidate.
Judie Mancuso, a Laguna Beach resident and animal rights advocate, came out strong in early election returns with 50.42% of the vote for the 72nd State Assembly District late Tuesday. Republican Newport Beach councilmember Diane Dixon was trailing with 36.98%.
“It’s so early that I’m trying to remain cautiously optimistic but it’s really exciting,” Mancuso said.
Voters are responding to the Republican Party stepping out of line with prevailing public opinion on gun control, climate change, and women’s rights, she added.
“These three issues will bury them and they’re going to fall on their sword for all three,” Mancuso said.
With a number of other seats up for grabs at the local, state, and national levels, and rising inflation and gas prices causing nationwide concern, some Laguna Beach voters said they voted outside of typical party affiliations.
“The price of gas, it’s outrageous. I mean, I was filling my car not two days ago, and the pump stopped at $100 and my car was not even full,” said Gabriela Tucker, an eight-year Laguna Beach resident.
The average price per gallon in Orange County was $6.37 as of Tuesday, according to a state AAA dashboard.
Crime prevention and finding solutions for the County’s homeless population were among the other issues some residents expressed concerns about.
Six months ago, Tucker said she was shopping at a Trader Joe’s just outside Laguna Beach when she was followed by a man attempting to steal her purse.
“Public safety, taxes – it’s just too much. The way prices are rising and taxes are rising. What do you do?” Tucker said.
Deborah Lincoln, a 40-year Laguna Beach resident and mother of two, said she used to feel safe enough in Laguna Beach to not lock her doors. That changed in recent years, when she was walking along the street and a man sitting on the street grabbed her leg to ask for money.
“It was scary, but it made me mad more than anything,” Lincoln said.
Orange County’s most recent Point in Time Count, which numbers approximately how many sheltered and unsheltered individuals reside in the County, shows that overall homelessness decreased by nearly 17% in the last two years.
The number of unsheltered individuals counted in Laguna Beach shrunk by 60%, from 71 to 28 persons.
Tucker said she supported spending money on aiding the homeless crisis, but also called for a more efficient program that would include expanding medical and mental health services for individuals and families in need.
John Parlette, an 80-year-old longtime Laguna Beach resident and artist, emphasized the importance of voting while sitting outside the polling center after casting his ballot.
“I never thought I’d be political. Never. I was surfing, or diving, or doing something fun,” Parlette said, adding that change starts at the “grassroots level.”
Daniel Langhorne contributed reporting to this story.
This story is developing and will be updated.
