General Elections in November will potentially elect new Paso Robles mayor
PASO ROBLES — On June 7, voting Americans will take to the poll booths for the primary election. Vote by mail ballots was mailed to all registered California voters on May 9, but in case you are nostalgic and prefer to hit the booth in person, here is what you need to know about this year’s primary election.
This year’s ballot will include candidates for U.S. Senate, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Controller, Treasurer, Attorney General, Insurance Commissioner, Member of State Board of Equalization, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, U.S. Representative in Congress, State Senator, State Assembly Member, as well as other local candidates.
Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked on or before election day and received by June 14 or in-person to a secure ballot drop box on June 7.
In-person voting locations will offer voter registration, replacement ballots, accessible voting machines, and language assistance to those who need it.
For Californians, 2022 is a big year as voters will take the polls in November to vote for a new governor or re-elect current Gov. Gavin Newsom.
In 2021, Newsom faced a recall election, which failed with California voters. The push to recall Newsom began in February 2020 and gained over 2 million signatures — only 1.495 million were required to trigger the recall election.
In the 2022 primary election, over 20 qualified candidates are running for California Governor — including Newsom. Qualified candidates from all parts of California are on the June ballot, some from the most northern and rural parts of the state to the most populated southern areas.
Their occupations range from farmers, fathers, mothers, business executives, small business owners, writers, lawyers, and more. Democrats, Republicans, and Independent Party candidates make up the list of potential governors.
You can find additional information on the primary election and voting in San Luis Obispo County through the County Clerk website.
Upcoming Local Elections
San Luis Obispo County
Specifically, in San Luis Obispo County, voters will be looking at the following:
District 2 now includes Atascadero within its territory. Current District 2 Supervisor Bruce Gibson is running for re-election, and is being challenged by candidates Geoff Auslen, John Whitworth, and Bruce Jones.
Appointed County Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano is running for re-election against James Baugh and Stewart Jenkins.
Current County Superintendent of Schools James Brescia is running for re-election unopposed. The same goes for District Attorney Dan Dow and Sheriff Ian Parkinson.
Paso Robles
In the Nov. 8 election, Paso Roblan voters will have some big choices to make as well.
For City Council, District 1 (currently held by John Hamon), District 2 (currently held by Maria Garcia), and the at-large mayor position, currently held by Steve Martin, are all up for election this year.
Nomination paperwork must be pulled and filed with the city clerk between July 18 and Aug. 12. Paperwork will include a nomination paper signed by at least 20 and no more than 30 registered voters within their district boundaries.
For more information on the 2022 Paso Robles general election, visit here.
For the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District, four trustee positions are up for election: Chris Arend (district area 1, four-year term), Lance Gannon (trustee area 4, four-year term), Tim Gearhart (trustee area not open), and Frank Triggs (seat elected at large, two-year term).
District 2 area is a four-year term in an unfilled seat.
Beginning this November, Paso Robles residents will vote for a single Board of Trustee candidate residing in their newly drawn trustee area. The district was previously under an “at-large” voting system which allowed voters within the district’s boundaries to vote for any candidate for all board member seats.
Under the new proposed system, candidates will be elected by “trustee areas.” This means only voters within a given trustee area can vote for candidates who reside within that same area. The new voting system is intended to offer more opportunities for board representation.
The nomination period for candidates opens Monday, July 18, and will close at 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 12.
A school board candidate forum will be held before the Board of Trustees meeting at the PRJUSD district office. Superintendent Curt Dubost will host an open forum for potential candidates. The forum is scheduled for June 28 at 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
For more information on the PRJUSD redistricting, visit here and through the agenda item J.6. here.
