By Jim Shilander and Andrea Papagianis
South Orange County voters joined Californians across the state at the polls Tuesday for the state’s primary elections.
Two candidates from Dana Point advanced to the general election in races on the ballot by finishing second in their races. Since the primary ballot is non-partisan, the top two vote getters advance to a runoff in the general election in most cases.
With all precincts reporting to the Orange County Registrar of Voters, Dana Point Mayor Lisa Bartlett finished second in her race with three rivals for the 5th District seat on the Orange County Board of Supervisors. Laguna Niguel City Councilman Robert Ming won the race by just 205 votes, 14,757 to 14,552, potentially setting up a closely contested race in the fall. Mission Viejo City Councilman Frank Ury finished with 11,861 votes and Deputy District Attorney Joe Williams 9,030.
The 5th District seat is being vacated by the term-limited Pat Bates, who ran unopposed for the state Senate’s 36th District.
In the race for the 73rd Assembly District, constitutional lawyer and Irvine Valley College professor Wendy Gabriella, a Democrat, led all candidates, with 28.6 percent of the vote. However the seat is considered a safe one for Republicans.
Dana Point City Councilman Bill Brough led among the four Republicans with 27.6 percent, 11,438 votes. Rancho Santa Margarita City Councilman Jesse Petrilla had 19.1 percent. Former Laguna Niguel City Councilman Paul Glabb, who dropped out of the race Friday, actually had more votes the candidate he endorsed, Capistrano Unified School District board trustee Anna Bryson, 5,727 to 4,494.
Another CUSD Board member, Gary Pritchard of Mission Viejo, finished third in the race for County Clerk-Recorder, with 12.3 percent of the vote.
Assemblywoman Diane Harkey was leading her race for a seat on the state Board of Equalization, had 36.9 percent of votes in early voting, but because that district is larger than the county, more votes are coming in.
San Clemente resident Joe Leicht was 12th of 15 candidates in the race for governor, receiving 675 votes, for 0.3 percent. Incumbent Jerry Brown led early poll numbers with 39.9 percent of vote, with Neel Kashkari ahead among Republicans.
Rep. Darrell Issa also led two challengers in the 49th congressional district, with 68.6 percent of the vote in Orange County.
Voters also favored Proposition 41, which would authorize the redirecting of $600 million in bond money to fund housing for low-income and homeless veterans, with 59.1 percent. Proposition 42, a proposed constitutional amendment that, if passed, would require local governing bodies to comply with state public records and opening meeting laws, also was favored by voters, receiving 65.6 percent of the vote.
Countywide, Measure A, which would require Orange County’s 12 elected officials, including the five supervisors, to contribute to their pensions, received wide support, with 87.5 percent.