March 3 California primary: L.A. Times endorsements

Feb. 23, 2020 9 AM PT

There’s no need to wait until Super Tuesday. Election day may be March 3, but new voting centers where voters can cast their ballots or turn in their mail-in ballots began to open on Feb. 22 across Los Angeles County. The nearly 1,000 new voting centers, which will all be open by Feb. 29, replace precinct polling places used in past elections. Find your location and when it opens.

The following are The Times’ recommendations for the local and state elections we chose to follow, with links to our full endorsements. There is no endorsement for the presidential primary; after much discussion, The Times decided not to weigh in at this point.

CONGRESS

House of Representatives, 25th District — Christy Smith
Currently in the state Assembly, Smith is a centrist, pragmatic Democrat who spends her time crafting policy and working with colleagues to get it passed.

CALIFORNIA BALLOT MEASURE

Proposition 13 ($15-billion bond measure for school construction and maintenance) — Yes
There’s still a need to build new school facilities and to provide older schools with some basic safety upgrades, such as protection from earthquakes, wildfire and lead-contaminated water supplies.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY BALLOT MEASURES

Illustration of sheriff's badge and firefighter's helmet

Measure R (civilian oversight of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department) — Yes
Measure R would significantly strengthen civilian oversight of the Sheriff’s Department, and it would focus county officials on improving psychiatric care, drug treatment and other services for people we currently send to jail.

Measure FD (parcel tax to fund the L.A. County Fire Department) — Yes
The new parcel tax on residential and commercial buildings in the Fire Department service areas would allow the agency to hire more firefighters and paramedics, upgrade its equipment and better serve the public.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY OFFICES

Los Angeles County district attorney — George Gascón
Gascón, a former Los Angeles police officer who also served as San Francisco’s district attorney, has championed rational reforms to make people safe and make the system fairer.

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
District 2 — Holly Mitchell
An impressive state lawmaker who has focused her work on justice, equity and fiscal issues, Mitchell would be the best person to carry on the county’s work in improving justice and human services.

District 4 — Janice Hahn
In her first term, Hahn has shown her commitment to listening to constituents and solving problems and that she’s willing to fight the battles necessary to get homeless housing projects done.

District 5 — Kathryn Barger
On a progressive board, Barger is a pragmatic moderate who provides valuable insight on issues such as homelessness and public safety, with the exception of her knee-jerk opposition to certain criminal justice reforms.

SUPERIOR COURT

Office No. 42 — Robert “Bob” Villa
An experienced deputy district attorney with hundreds of trials under his belt, Villa is ready to serve as a judge.

Office No. 72 — Steve Morgan
Morgan is a deputy district attorney but also brings valuable experience as a criminal defense lawyer.

Office No. 76 — Emily Cole
Currently assigned to the sex crimes unit of the district attorney’s office, Cole has the experience, wisdom and integrity to serve.

Office No. 80 — David Berger
Berger is smart and respected by judges, defense lawyers and fellow prosecutors.

Office No. 97 —Timothy D. Reuben
Reuben is an experienced civil litigation attorney with solid trial court experience.

Office No. 129 — Kenneth Fuller
Fuller has ample courtroom experience, both as a deputy district attorney and as a military judge advocate in the U.S. Air Force reserve.

Office No. 145 — Adan Montalban
As a deputy district attorney, Montalban has wide experience across a range of criminal cases, including murder and gang prosecutions.

Office No. 150 — Manuel Alejandro Almada
Almada is not one of the more experienced deputy district attorneys, but he is a well-regarded trial lawyer.

Office No. 162 — David D. Diamond
A former Burbank police commissioner, Diamond has served as a family lawyer, a civil litigator and a criminal defense lawyer and would bring a variety of experiences to the bench.

LOS ANGELES SCHOOL BOARD

LAUSD School Board District 1 — George McKenna
He is running unopposed. We’d like to see him do a better job of turning his good ideas into action.

LAUSD School Board District 3 — Scott Schmerelson
This anti-charter incumbent is less rigid in practice than his rhetoric would suggest, and he’s a stronger candidate than his challengers.

LAUSD School Board District 5 — Jackie Goldberg
After winning a special election last year, Goldberg has helped make district finances more transparent.

LAUSD School Board District 7 — Silke Bradford
This former teacher and principal is the best of five candidates to fill the board’s only wide-open seat in this election.

LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL

District 2 — Paul Krekorian
He’s an intelligent and thoughtful incumbent who deserves reelection, but he needs to speak up and be a stronger advocate for fiscal responsibility in City Hall.

District 4 — David Ryu
Ryu deserves a second term in office for his work trying to reform the city’s ethics and campaign finance system and for tackling homelessness in his district.

District 6 — Nury Martinez
Now the president of the City Council, Martinez needs to channel her bluntness and toughness into standing up for what’s right on homelessness and other issues.

District 8 — Marqueece Harris-Dawson
Running unopposed, Harris-Dawson is a thoughtful leader who wants the best for his community, but we hope he uses his experience as an insider to get more change faster.

District 10 — Mark Ridley-Thomas
For this open seat, no other candidate in the race can beat Ridley-Thomas’ experience, knowledge and long list of accomplishments.

District 12 — Loraine Lundquist
An astrophysicist and community activist, Lundquist offers a vision for a cleaner, healthier, more humane city. Incumbent John Lee does not.

District 14 — Kevin de León
The community and the City Council would benefit from De León’s skills at dreaming up ambitious solutions to major problems and then using his political savvy to get them adopted.