Coastal O.C. Democrats hold edge in state legislature elections

Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach) maintained a narrow lead Friday over Newport Beach councilmember Diane Dixon to represent the 74th Assembly District.

Petrie-Norris and Dixon respectively marshaled 51.05% and 48.95% of the vote.

The Incumbent Democrat is looking to hold onto the seat flipped from Republican control in 2018. Petrie-Norris won that election by nearly 11,000 votes.

“I just wanted to take a moment to express how deeply grateful I am for all the people who have believed in me, who have supported me, and who have worked so hard for me and this campaign,” Petrie-Norris wrote in a Tweet on Wednesday. “Looking forward to continuing this fight with you by my side!”

In the 2020 election, Republicans in the coastal Orange County assembly district were energized to retake a seat in the State Capitol. There was widespread frustration among conservatives who argue it was unconstitutional for Gov. Gavin Newsom to order the closure of businesses, schools, and beaches to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Dixon is widely-known in Newport Beach as a fiscal conservative bend who isn’t shy about standing up to county and state officials on behalf of residents. She was part of the Team Newport candidate slate swept the 2014 election with the help of influential lobbyist Dave Ellis.

In Laguna Beach, Petrie-Norris has gotten top marks from city officials for securing more state resources to address wildfire risk. Laguna Beach received $1 million in last year’s state budget to create additional fuel modification zones that separate homes and evacuation routes from the wildfire-prone vegetation growing in open spaces.

She also presented a $2.9 million check from the state to Orange County United Way to fund housing for Orange County veterans experiencing homelessness. More recently, she’s taken the  Employment Development Department to task for failing to fulfill claims of Californias who have lost jobs because of the pandemic.

In the 37th State Senate District election, UCI law professor David Min has maintained a surprising lead over Sen. John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa).

Min and Moorlach have respectively earned 51.59% and 48.41%.

Moorlach has served in the senate since 2015. Before that, he was the Second District supervisor on the Orange County Board of Supervisors. He was also Orange County Treasurer­-Tax Collector for 12 years.

If the results hold, Min’s defeat of Moorlach, a long-time Republican representative, would signal that Orange County is turning increasingly purple. Although Min ran against Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine) to replace Mimi Walters in 2018, the state senate would be his first seat in elected office.

“Regardless of how this goes, I want to thank all of our supporters, who contributed so much of their time and effort,” Min wrote in a Tweet on Thursday. “I’m so proud of the amazing grassroots campaign we’ve built together.”