By David Courtland and Carlos Garcia
Xavier Becerra, a Democrat and former Biden administration official, made history Tuesday night when he became the first Latino elected California governor. Defeating Republican opponent Steve Hilton by a wide margin, 117,541 votes or 60.71 percent to 76,000 votes or 39.29 percent, Becerra thanked his supporters shortly after polls closed. These numbers reflect voters in Ventura County.
“Si, Si, Puede! Yes, we can!” he told a cheering crowd, quoting “the battlecry of our beloved Dolores Huerta,” the United Farmworkers co-founder who died Oct. 28 at 96.
Becerra’s victory was part of a “blue tsunami” of Democratic Party victories across the nation as Democrats claimed both chambers of Congress and numerous state governor positions.
Tuesday’s Ventura County election results followed the pattern of state and national results with Democrats dominating in federal and state contests.
These were the election results as of the 4:39 a.m. Wednesday update from Ventura County Clerk-Reporter Michelle Ascension’s office:
Democrat Jacqui Irwin won the right to succeed the retiring Julia Brownley as 24th Congressional District representative, easily defeating Republican Sam Gallucci, 79,294 votes or 63.6 percent to 45,384 votes or 36.4 percent.
The 24th Congressional District includes Oxnard as well as much of the rest of Ventura County.
Incumbent Democrat Salud Carbajal, whose district includes part of Ventura, beat Republican opponent Bob Smith 23,059 votes or 66.96 percent to 11,376 votes or 33.04 percent.
Democrat Deborah Klein Lopez beat Republican Ted Nordblum, winning the right to replace Irwin as California’s 42nd District Assemblymember, .
In the 38th Assembly District contest, incumbent Steve Bennett beat fellow Democrat Michael MacDonald, 55,364 votes or 70.25 percent to 23,450 votes or 29.75 percent.
Under California’s “jungle primary” rules, the top two finishers go on the general election regardless of party, so two members of the same party can be finalists.
Ventura County’s new Superintendent of Schools is Karen Sher, who beat Maggie Marschner 96,220 votes or 57.56 percent to 70,944 votes or 42.44 percent.
Incumbent Gabriella Torres easily defeated opponent John A. Demers to be trustee for Ventura County Community College District Area 5, 16,716 votes or 79.27 percent to 4,372 votes or 20.73 percent.
In Oxnard, the three city council incumbents who were running were each sent back for another four years, beating back four challengers.
District 1 Councilmember Bert Perello hung on to his seat by a narrow margin with John Barrick behind by only 89 votes, 3,419 or 43.34 percent to 3,330 votes or 42.21 percent.
Eduardo Huerta trailed in third place with 1,140 votes or 14.45 percent.
District 2 Councilmember Gabe Teran beat Lizanne Nañez, 2,524 votes or 58.10 percent to 1,820 votes or 41.9 percent.
District 5 Councilmember Gabriela Basua defeated Noemi Corpuz, 2,130 votes or 55.27 percent to 1,724 votes or 44.73 percent.
Oxnard’s Measure E, which would have made the city’s sales tax permanent, was shot down 14,832 votes or 53.52 percent to 12,892 votes or 46.48 percent.
The results presented here are as of closing of this edition of VIDA Newspaper and are subject to change since there are many ballots to be counted.