The ultimate voter guide: Everything to know about election day, L.A. mayoral race

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Tuesday, June 7. I’m Justin Ray.

On Monday I voted. I felt like I couldn’t rightly send you all a guide to voting without having done so myself.

I went in person to a place in Hollywood, where they easily located my registration records. The only part I messed up is, at one point, the machine printed off my ballot. Then it asked me to review it and put it back into the machine. I tried to give it to the staff who kindly explained the process.

To make sure your voting experience goes a lot smoother, here is everything you need to know about the election. Turnout so far has been dismal, but that could all change Tuesday. A larger guide can be found here, but I will lay out the basics.

How to vote

You can check here if you are registered. Not registered? You can visit a voting center Tuesday to complete a conditional voter registration.

Registered voters can cast their ballots in person or return a completed mail-in ballot at each site. On election day, which is Tuesday, each site will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Here is everything that will be on your ballot. If you need to find voting centers, here is an interactive map (or you can check the county’s map).

What about the L.A. mayoral election?

The Times Editorial Board has issued its endorsements for the election.

Here is where the mayoral candidates stand on transportation, policing, crime, climate change and homelessness.

The Times has published profiles of the three mayoral candidates who have polled the highest:

• Colleagues and friends describe Kevin de León as an aggressive, persuasive politician intent on improving the lives of the working class. Currently serving as one of 15 council members, he is the only major Latino candidate for mayor in a city that is nearly 50% Latino.
• Karen Bass hopes to shape the city with the knowledge she’s gained from both neighborhood activism and City Hall. Bass started a community group in 1990 and eventually became a congresswoman, but “her evolution has been more about method than any shift of principle.”
• For decades, Rick Caruso has established himself as one of Los Angeles’ most prominent real estate developers and retail operators. He has implemented two “unusual approaches central to creating his corporate dynasty and personal wealth.”

And now, here’s what’s happening across California:

Note: Some of the sites we link to may limit the number of stories you can access without subscribing.

Sonoma State President Judy Sakaki announced Monday that she is stepping down. Sakaki faced an outcry over her leadership amid a campus sexual harassment and retaliation scandal involving her and her husband. Los Angeles Times

There are initial signs that California’s latest wave of coronavirus cases may be slowing. One big question, however, is whether reporting delays from the Memorial Day weekend are contributing to the perceived decrease. Here is what the latest numbers show in L.A. and across the state. Los Angeles Times

People wait in line for a COVID-19 test in Los Angeles on Jan. 4.

(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)

L.A. STORIES

Column: These Black men say they’ll vote for Rick Caruso, not Karen Bass. A new poll of likely voters found that roughly half of Black men plan to vote for Rick Caruso, not Karen Bass. “Of course, it’s not written in stone somewhere that all Black people must vote for Black candidates,” columnist Erika D. Smith writes. “But in this liberal city in this very liberal state, it’s also true that Caruso is the most conservative candidate running.” Smith gives her theories about why Black men are backing the billionaire, and she explains what she calls the “Ice Cube effect.” Los Angeles Times

Congresswoman Karen Bass, who is running for L.A. mayor, among her supporters and volunteers.

(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Los Angeles is hosting the Summit of the Americas, the first time the event has been hosted in this country since 1994. We have created a guide for the event that includes information on attendees, President Biden’s goals for the summit and what the LAPD has said about policing the event. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Column: The outcome is still unclear in fight over California Assembly speaker position. Besides governor, there’s no office in California government more powerful than Assembly speaker. There is a fight over this position that’s being waged mostly out of public view between current Speaker Anthony Rendon of Lakewood and Assemblyman Robert Rivas from Hollister in San Benito County. Here’s what else you may not realize about the position, and the men who are vying for it. Los Angeles Times

Current Speaker Anthony Rendon of Lakewood, right, and Assemblyman Robert Rivas from Hollister in San Benito County.

(Associated Press)

CRIME, COURTS AND POLICING

A California man accused of killing a couple after mistaking a woman for his ex-girlfriend will spend the rest of his life in prison, Orange County prosecutors said. James Rayon Buggs, 47, of Huntington Beach, was sentenced to two consecutive life terms without parole plus 54 years to life in prison in the 2019 slayings. Buggs killed Darren Partch, 38, and Wendi Sue Miller, 48, inside Partch’s condo, prosecutors say. Miller, whose hair resembled that of Buggs’ ex-girlfriend, had met Partch just hours before both were slain. Sacramento Bee

A lawyer won a personal-injury case. Then came the video, and an apology. A medical malpractice attorney told an Orange County jury how utterly meritless the case against his gastroenterologist client was. The plaintiffs’ demand for $10 million for the death of their father, a 49-year-old forklift operator, amounted to nothing less than “extortion,” he said. However, when the attorney talked to his colleagues, he used different language, saying the case involved “a guy that was probably negligently killed, but we kind of made it look like other people did it.” That’s not all. Los Angeles Times

Katherine Garcia, 21, left, and her sister Johanna Garcia, 27, are photographed at their home in Norwalk. They are the daughters of Enrique Garcia, seen in a framed photograph they are holding, a 49-year-old Santa Ana man and forklift operator who died in December 2017 after a medical procedure at South Coast Global Medical Center.

(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT

A McDonald’s was temporarily closed in Central California after videos allegedly showed mice and roaches inside the restaurant. The videos were posted on Facebook (click if you dare). The Fresno County Health Division said it was looking into the conditions of the McDonald’s. The Fresno Bee said that a message left with McDonald’s corporate office was not immediately returned. The Fresno Bee

3 articles on saving water during the drought. The Times’ Utility team published stories to help you in the state’s efforts to save water:

• To pre-rinse or not to pre-rinse? How to use your dishwasher during the drought. There is a way to save water with dishwashers, but it may involve removing one of those ingrained dish-washing habits that dies hard.
• Kids can help California save water in the drought. Educators say one of the best ways to help the state is to make sure its youngest citizens are cognizant of healthy water practices so they can carry that knowledge into adulthood.
• L.A. Times readers’ tips for saving water in the drought. The Times has been flooded (see what I did there?) with tips on saving water. This article includes shower hacks, tips for washing dishes with less water, and of course, doing laundry with water conservation in mind.
  

A kayaker fishes in Lake Oroville as water levels remain low due to continuing drought conditions in Oroville, Calif., on Aug. 22, 2021.

(Associated Press)

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

A woman found $36,000 in cash hidden inside a couch she obtained through Craigslist. Vicky Umodu, of Colton in San Bernardino County, found two sofas and a matching chair that someone was giving away for free on the site. The family was getting rid of the furniture after a loved one passed. When she got home, she found several envelopes filled with thousands of dollars in cash. She returned the cash but, as a way to say thank you, the family agreed to give Umodu $2,200 — money she needed to buy a new refrigerator. ABC7

After three turbulent years atop one of college baseball’s proudest programs, Jason Gill is out as USC’s baseball coach. Gill was fired by USC on Monday, more than a year after the university opened an investigation into his conduct. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles: Sunny 80 San Diego: Overcast 70 San Francisco: Overcast 68 San Jose: Overcast 84 Fresno: Sunny 97 Sacramento: Overcast 94

AND FINALLY

Today’s California memory is from Rita Sotolongo:

If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. (Please keep your story to 100 words.)

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.