California’s primary Election Day came and went. Here’s what to know

Good morning and welcome to the post-Election Day A.M. Alert!

ELECTION NIGHT RECAP

It’s all done but the counting now, as ballots continue to trickle in across the state until the California Secretary of State’s Office’s March 12 deadline for accepting them.

Still, we know a lot after last night’s results came in, so let’s recap.

First up, as expected President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump locked up their respective primaries, while former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley trailed in a distant second in the California Republican Party’s presidential primary.

Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, and Republican Steve Garvey had a good night in the U.S. Senate race to succeed the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, though as The Bee’s David Lightman reported last night, Schiff’s victory speech was interrupted by supporters of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Proposition 1, the statewide ballot measure that would unlock billions in bond funding for mental health and substance abuse treatment, as well as more housing for the homeless, appears to be scraping by with just over 50% of the vote, an extremely narrow margin that even supporters anticipated might happen. If it fails, that will be a blow to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has championed the measure.

Be sure to check out today’s Best of the Bee for more of our election coverage!

NEWSOM LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS SECRETARY STEPS DOWN

This week, Newsom bade farewell to a member of his administration, when Christy Bouma stepped down as his legislative affairs secretary.

Bouma, who had served in that position since March 2022, moves on to a new position at the State Compensation Insurance Fund.

In a statement, Newsom praised Bouma’s work in dealing with the Legislature, which yielded a number of policy successes including efforts to modernize the state’s mental health care, behavioral health and substance abuse treatment systems, bills to tackle gun violence, an infrastructure package “and the nation’s first law to protect against price gouging by Big Oil.”

“The dedication, care and empathy she brings to her work every day brings out the best in everyone, and I’m deeply grateful for her service and partnership over the last two years,” Newsom said.

Taking Bouma’s place is Christine Aurre, who is not exactly a stranger to the legislative process, having previously served as deputy legislative affairs secretary under Bouma. Before that, she worked for then-Senate Majority Leader Robert Hertzberg and before that, Assemblyman Patrick O’Donnell.

“She definitely brings the policy expertise, the legislative contacts and all that you need in this particular position,” said longtime Sacramento lobbyist Chris Micheli in an interview with The Bee.

Micheli said that he wasn’t surprised to see Bouma step aside.

“That is a very high-pressure, 24-7 job, and most of the leg secretaries generally serve a limited amount of time,” he said. “This was a natural time to move on.”

The last secretary to serve a full four-year term was back in the Jerry Brown administration, Micheli said.

So what exactly does a legislative affairs secretary do?

Essentially, Micheli said, they act as the governor’s own personal lobbyist in the Legislature, liaising with legislative leadership on behalf of Newsom. She’ll provide oversight to a team of deputy secretaries working in different subject matter areas, and oversee recommendations to the governor “on whether to sign or veto a thousand bills a year,” Micheli said.

It’s an intense job in the best of times, but the stakes are even higher as California faces a crushing budget deficit and all eyes are on Newsom as he entertains a possible 2028 presidential bid.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“If the governor helped exempt one of his largest political donors from a bill that harms small businesses, the people of California deserve to know. Our leaders cannot be allowed to hide behind the veil of legislative ‘sausage making.’ They must be held to a higher standard.”

- Assemblyman Josh Hoover, R-Folsom, turning up the heat on Newsom as the push for Attorney General Rob Bonta to open an investigation into “Paneragate.”

Best of The Bee:

▪ California’s 2024 primary Election Day came and went, and now, as counties continue to tabulate the votes, and some candidates are looking ahead to November. Here’s a look at the unofficial results, as of early Wednesday morning, via Andrew Sheeler.

▪ Here are five key takeaways from early results in California’s 2024 primary election, via Hanh Truong, Jacqueline Pinedo, Angela Rodriguez, Jenavieve Hatch and Brianna Taylor.

▪ Sacramento mayoral candidates Dr. Richard Pan, Steve Hansen and Kevin McCarty are leading in early returns Tuesday to replace Darrell Steinberg, but it’s too early to tell which two will advance to the November election, via Theresa Clift.

▪ Adam Schiff, the veteran congressman who led the impeachment of Donald Trump, and Steve Garvey, the former all-star baseball player, won the top two spots in California’s U. S. Senate primary and will battle for the seat in November’s general election, via David Lightman.

▪ A California ballot measure that restructures the state’s Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) and unlocks billions in bond funding for homeless housing and behavioral health treatment centers appeared poised to pass Tuesday evening, via Andrew Sheeler and Jenavieve Hatch.

▪ Donald Trump coasted to a big win in California’s Republican presidential primary Tuesday, a victory that inches him closer to winning enough convention delegates to clinch the party’s nomination for president, according to Associated Press projections. In California’s Democratic primary, President Joe Biden easily won, a victory that also moves him closer to winning his party’s nomination, AP projected, via David Lightman.

▪ California interest groups bet big on Sacramento Assembly candidate Maggy Krell. Now, it looks like the nearly $1 million they spent on the Democratic deputy attorney general will pay off. On Tuesday night, early primary election results showed Krell with a sizable lead in the 6th District race to succeed longtime Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, via Lindsey Holden.

▪ The Republican incumbent and a Democratic challenger will vie to represent California’s 3rd Congressional District, a right-leaning stretch of the northern Sierra Nevada, via Gillian Brassil.

▪ The Democratic incumbent has advanced and a Republican mayor will likely join him in the race for California’s 9th Congressional District, a left-leaning Stockton-anchored seat in the Central Valley. Rep. Josh Harder, D-Tracy, will go on to the Nov. 5 general election, the Associated Press projected. Leading to join him is Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln, who garnered the support of national Republican fundraisers, via Gillian Brassil.

▪ A Republican assemblyman is leading in the primary race to fill retired Bakersfield Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s shoes in California’s most Republican-filled congressional district. Assemblyman Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, had 37.3% of the votes that had been counted as of 10:05 p.m. on Tuesday, outpacing his competitors. The Associated Press estimated that 42% of votes in California’s 20th Congressional District had been counted, via Gillian Brassil.

▪ Democrats are desperately trying to flip California’s 22nd Congressional District, one of the most Democratic-leaning districts in the country currently held by a House Republican — Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, who has been in Congress for the better part of a decade, via Gillian Brassil.