Election Guide: Voters face choices from Town Council to president, minimum wage to crime penalties

Voting is now underway in the Nov. 5 general election, where Tiburon Peninsula residents will help select the next U.S. president and a senator, decide whether incumbents will keep their seats on the Tiburon Town Council and Marin Water board, and pick which new faces will join the Tamalpais Union High School District board.

Residents will also decide the fate of a local Measure B, infrastructure funding for the Tam Union district, and state initiatives on marriage equality, the minimum wage, prison labor, rent control, criminal penalties and the voter-approval threshold for housing and infrastructure bonds.

Ballot packets were being mailed out starting Oct. 7, the same day voting began at the county elections department in the Marin Civic Center. The 24-hour ballot dropbox at Belvedere City Hall was set to open Oct. 8.

The last day to register to vote is Oct. 21, though California allows same-day voting — meaning residents can register and vote provisionally through Election Day at the Civic Center or a local vote center. Four vote centers open Oct. 26; the closest to the Tiburon Peninsula is at the Marguerita C. Johnson Senior Center in Marin City. Additional vote centers open Nov. 2, including at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Tiburon, which will be open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 2-4 and 7 a.m. until polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day Nov. 5.

Register to vote or check your status at registertovote.ca.gov. Track your ballot online at wheresmyballot.sos.ca.gov. For more election details, visit marinvotes.org.

For complete local coverage, visit thearknewspaper.com/election2024.

Tiburon Town Council: Incumbents Isaac Nikfar and Holli Thier 

Tiburon officials, town voters, pick two

The two incumbents, Councilmember Isaac Nikfar and Vice Mayor Holli Thier, are defending their seats from challengers Chuck Hornbrook, chair of the Parks, Open Space and Trails Commission, and former mayor and councilmember Andrew Thompson.

Nikfar and Thier say they want to continue work they’ve already started, particularly on improving the town’s parks system for residents. Nikfar is seeking his first full term on the board, while Thier is in line to become mayor in December if re-elected.

Hornbrook says he is looking for more accountability among town leadership and has issued position papers on accountability and improving trail safety, community safety, Tiburon Boulevard traffic and community gatherings. Thompson says his focus would be on changing community behaviors and connecting residents to improve livability in town.

The four candidates were set to square off in an Oct. 8 candidate forum, after press deadline, hosted by The Ark and moderated by the League of Women Voters of Marin.

Candidate profiles appeared in the Oct. 2 edition of The Ark and are available at thearknewspaper.com/election2024.

Belvedere City Council: Incumbent Sally Wilkinson

Belvedere officials, city voters, pick three

Though the race is already settled without an election, the three council candidates will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot. Incumbent Sally Wilkinson will retain her seat, while two members of the city’s Planning Commission, Kevin Burke and Pat Carapiet, will get a promotion and replace retiring Councilmembers Nancy Kemnitzer and Jim Lynch.

Burke, Carapiet and Wilkinson will host a meet-and-greet at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 10 at the Belvedere Community Center.

Tamalpais Union High School District board: No incumbents

Regional officials, school district voters, pick two

Five newcomers — Ray Chaudhuri of Mill Valley, Jennifer Holden of San Anselmo, Amos Klausner of San Geronimo, Nick Ondrejka of Corte Madera and Ida Times-Green of Marin City — are vying for two seats on the board with the retirement of board members Leslie Harlander and Karen Loebbaka.

All five say they support Measure B, the $289 million bond measure also on the ballot, and that the district needs to do more work to close achievement gaps, improve diversity and support students’ collective mental health.

Coverage of their League of Women Voters of Marin candidate forum appeared in the Sept. 25 edition of The Ark.

Southern Marin Fire Protection District board: Incumbents Cathryn Hilliard, Ashley Ravache and Clifford Waldeck 

Regional officials, fire district voters, pick three

Challenger Rich Riechel is seeking to unseat one of the three incumbents, Cathryn Hilliard, Ashely Ravache and Clifford Waldeck. He’s a volunteer Mill Valley firefighter and president of its nonprofit, operations director of Marin Search and Rescue and a volunteer with Marin Urban Search and Rescue.

Ravache is the board president and seeks to expand wireless-carrier support and increase access to emergency services on school campuses, in neighborhoods and in open space. Hilliard is a past president whose son is a firefighter and division chief; she’s also the district representative to the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority and Marin Emergency Radio Authority and says her priorities are wildfire prevention and recruiting and retaining female and diverse firefighters. Waldeck is a former Mill Valley mayor seeking to enhance the readiness and responsiveness of the district, reduce fuel loads through vegetation management and ensure home-insurance coverage. He was recently appointed to the California board of Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Marin Municipal Water District board, Division 5: Incumbent Larry Russell

Regional official, division voters

Longtime incumbent Larry Russell of Tiburon is being challenged by Larkspur residents Dave Keatley, an executive for a global agriculture planning firm, and Dawn Matheson, an artist with an engineering background, to represent Division 5, which also includes Corte Madera, San Quentin and portions of Larkspur south of Corte Madera Creek and east of Highway 101.

Russell says he’s building his expertise as a water engineer and 20 years on the board as he works to increase allocations from the Russian River and act as a watchdog on prices; he was the only member to vote against rate increases, saying they weren’t fair or equitable.

Keatley, an agribusiness professional and former member of a small water district, says Marin Water’s conservation strategies aren’t working and the board should be open to recycled water and desalination, pipeline projects and raising dams.

Matheson is an artist and engineer who notes she’d become the board’s only female member. She says water supplies are the biggest concern and that treating wastewater to make it drinkable is one solution.

Coverage of their League of Women Voters of Marin candidate forum appeared in the Oct. 2 edition of The Ark.

State Assembly: Incumbent Damon Connolly

California official, District 12 voters

San Rafael Democrat Damon Connolly faces Republican Andrew Podshadley, a Novato businessman. Connolly says his top issues are wildfire prevention, climate change and clean-energy issues, while Podshadley says his are infrastructure, tiny-home villages and enforcement of current laws.

U.S. representative: Incumbent Jared Huffman

Federal official, California District 2 voters

Another San Rafael Democrat, Jared Huffman, is seeking his seventh term and is facing Republican small-business owner Chris Coulombe of Sonoma County, whose platform includes eliminating income taxes for military veterans for life and suspending it on the first $182,000 in earnings for all Americans for five years.

U.S. senator: No incumbent

Federal official, all California voters

U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, is facing former baseball great Steve Garvey, a Republican, for the seat previously held by late Democrat Dianne Feinstein, with Democrat Laphonza Butler serving as interim appointee.

Schiff says he wants more affordable housing, more taxes on the wealthy and corporations, to abolish the filibuster and expand the U.S. Supreme Court and a moonshot initiative into renewable energy, technologies and jobs. Garvey says he wants to reduce homelessness by addressing mental health, drug addiction and housing affordability and to strengthen law enforcement and criminal accountability.

Voters must cast two votes — one for the winner of a special election to serve the remainder of the current term, through Jan. 3, and the second for the winner of the full six-year term, which begins Jan. 3.

U.S. president: No incumbent

Federal official, all California voters

Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris will face Republican former President Donald Trump. Though Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump, he’s still an American Independent Party candidate on the ballot. Other candidates include the Green Party’s Jill Stein, Libertarian Party’s Chase Oliver and the Peace and Freedom Party’s Claudia De la Cruz.

RealClearPolling aggregates for polls taken Sept. 19-Oct. 4 has Harris up 48.9% to Trump’s 46.8% in the national popular vote. In the battleground states, Trump was leading in Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina and Ohio, while Harris was leading in Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada, Virginia and Minnesota, for a Trump advantage of 262-257 in the electoral college.

Pennsylvania would get either candidate over the required 270 votes and was at a 48.2% tie in polls taken Sept. 12-29.

Measure B: Bond for Tamalpais Union High School District

County proposition, District 12 voters, 55% to pass

A yes vote will support a $289 million bond measure that officials say is critical to completing time-sensitive facilities upgrades without having to make cuts to staff and programs. The measure, which would need 55% approval to pass, would charge a tax of $17.60 per $100,000 of assessed value on properties in the district, which includes Tiburon, Belvedere and Strawberry. The money would fund an estimated $103.3 million in projects at Redwood High School, including $73 million toward building new art and music classrooms, expanding the school’s kitchen and constructing a new covered eating area; an estimated $22 million in roof and HVAC replacements; and a $1.1-million replacement of the turf on Ghilotti Field. Proponents say the bond keeps students safe and supports quality instruction by focusing only on the most essential projects. Opponents say the funding is for “vanity projects” with no senior exemptions and no plans to ensure improved academic performance.

Proposition 2: Public education facilities bond

State proposition, all voters

A yes vote would allow the state to sell $10 billion in bonds to help build and repair schools, including $8.5 billion for K-12 schools and $1.5 billion for community colleges. Some of the money would go toward building pre-K classrooms, gyms or kitchens. The state would spend about $500 million a year over 35 years to repay the bonds. Proponents say it will pay for badly needed repairs and make colleges safer. Opponents call it too costly and wasteful of money that should be spent on instruction.

Proposition 3: Guarantee of marriage equality

State proposition, all voters

A yes vote would amend the California Constitution to recognize marriage between two people, regardless of their genders, sexual orientations or races. The document currently says marriage is only between a man and a woman, though the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that it’s unconstitutional to outlaw same-sex marriage anywhere in the U.S. With the court more recently overturning Roe v. Wade and other long-standing rulings, proponents say the state change would bake in protections and affirm marriage-equality laws. Opponents say no change is needed because it’s already federal law, but it opens the door to child marriage, incest and polygamy.

Proposition 4: Bonds for safe drinking water, wildfire prevention and climate programs

State proposition, all voters

A yes vote would sell $10 billion in bonds to fund $3.8 billion in water projects, $2.7 billion in wildfire and coastline protection and $1.2 billion toward fish and wildlife, with at least 40% targeting communities most likely to suffer from the impacts of climate change. It would cost about $400 million annually for 40 years. Proponents say the bond would protect communities, health and the economy, and opponents say the issues are necessities that should be budgeted for rather than using a pricy bond process.

Proposition 5: Decreases vote requirement for local housing and infrastructure bonds

State proposition, all voters

A yes vote would allow some local bond measures and related property taxes to pass with 55% support instead of two-thirds’ support, the same as bond measures for school districts. The bonds would have to fund public infrastructure or affordable or supportive housing. Proponents say the measure gives local communities more flexibility to improve infrastructure and build housing, while opponents say it makes it easier for local governments to increase bond debt passed on to local taxpayers.

Proposition 6: Ending forced labor by people in jails and prisons

State proposition, all voters

A yes vote would amend the California Constitution to prohibit involuntary servitude for any reason and prohibit the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from disciplining those in prison who refuse a work assignment. Those who volunteer, however, can get reduced prison time. Proponents say it restores human dignity by banning slave labor and improves public safety by focusing on rehabilitation. No opponent arguments were submitted.

Proposition 32: Raising the minimum wage

State proposition, all voters

A yes vote would raise the state minimum wage from $16 per hour to $18 per hour by 2026 for most industries. It would then go up annually based on the cost of living. Proponents say it will improve the standard of living for millions of workers and promote economic fairness. Opponents say it will hurt business, raise prices and cause job losses.

Proposition 33: Local governments and rent control

State proposition, all voters

A yes vote would remove a state law that prohibits rent control on single-family homes and housing built after early 1995, allowing governments to create or expand their own rent-control rules. Proponents say it would protect renters and keep them housed while more housing is built, while opponents say it would increase the costs to build housing and lead to less construction, making the housing crisis worse, and drive up market-rate costs for renters and buyers.

Proposition 34: Restricts spending of profits from selling prescription drugs

State proposition, all voters

A yes vote would create new rules about how certain health-care providers can spend money earned from federal discount drug programs, in which providers that treat low-income people get reduced-price drugs and then charge people with private insurance more than people with Medi-Care. For providers that spend more than $100 million over 10 years on things not directly related to patient care and that operate housing with at least 500 serious safety violations, they must spend at least 98% of discount program money on direct patient care or they will lose their licenses and be banned from receiving government contracts and grants. Proponents say the rules would help improve the program for Medi-Cal patients. Opponents call it a “revenge initiative” against the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which promotes rent control and is the primary funder of Proposition 33.

Proposition 35: Permanent tax to support Medi-Cal

State proposition, all voters

A yes vote would make permanent a temporary tax on managed-care organizations like Kaiser Permanente and Anthem Blue Cross that helps pay for California’s share of Medi-Cal. The tax has been in effect for 20 years. Proponents say it will help support health services that support low-income people. No opponent arguments were submitted.

Proposition 36: Increases penalties for theft and drug crimes

State proposition, all voters

A yes vote would roll back portions of a 2014 law that turned some nonviolent crimes like drug possession and shoplifting into misdemeanors instead of felonies. Someone with two prior theft convictions who shoplifts could get a three-year felony conviction, and if someone with past drug convictions hold drugs like fentanyl or cocaine, they could be charged with a felony — though if eligible for treatment, charges would be dismissed once completed. There will be increased costs for state and local jails, prisons, mental health and drug treatment and reduced funding for victims’ services and programs that keep kids in schools. Proponents say it would make communities safer and hold thieves accountable. Opponents say it would make California less safe by defunding crime-prevention and drug-treatment programs and cost taxpayers billions to imprison more people without reducing crime.

Reach Executive Editor Kevin Hessel at 415-435-2652. DONATE to support local journalism, or SUBSCRIBE NOW for home delivery and access to the digital replica.

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