Royce seeks 13th term in Congress; candidates compete for school and water district positions

Among the attendees at the open house celebrating the impressive 100-year history of Yorba Linda Boy Scout Troop 99 was Republican Congressman Ed Royce, who serves this city and all or parts of 14 others in three counties in the 435-member House of Representatives.

Of course, I asked Royce, a Fullerton resident and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee who often appears on cable news outlets, about supporting Donald Trump; he confirmed he's backing “the Republican nominee for President.”

Royce, a Cal-State Fullerton graduate who sends constituents a holiday card each December – “not printed or mailed at government expense” – is a popular politician in Yorba Linda, based on the votes he amasses in elections.

He took 77.2 percent of the Yorba Linda vote in 2014, while his district-wide total was 68.5 percent. In the June primary, he won 67.8 percent in Yorba Linda and 60.5 percent district-wide. He faces Democrat Brett Murdock of Brea Nov. 8, seeking a 13^th two-year term.

In other election news:

--Three challengers – all from Yorba Linda – filed to run against three incumbent trustees of the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, but they didn't submit 200-word candidate statements to be mailed with sample ballots to the district's 84,000-plus voters.

Trustee contenders can deposit $1,292 with the county Registrar of Voters to pay for costs associated with translating and printing the statements in five languages (Chinese, English, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese). All three incumbents paid for statements.

To date, since election law has allowed statements in the mailed sample ballot packets, no candidates in this community running against incumbents who've paid for statements have won without also including a statement.

The challengers are registered nurse Susi Khan, community volunteer Helen Kingsbury and businesswoman Irene Yezbak. Incumbents include six-year trustee Judi Carmona and eight-year trustee Eric Padget, both of Yorba Linda, and 16-year trustee Carol Downey of Placentia.

--Challengers and incumbents for an Orange County Water District directorship and a North Orange County Community College District trustee slot representing Yorba Linda did pay for statements.

Incumbent Roger Yoh of Buena Park and La Palma Councilman Peter Kim paid $1,584 for statements to Division 3 voters in the Orange County Water District, which manages groundwater supplies.

Most of the city is in the college district's Area 7, with two candidates competing for a seat now held by Tony Ontiveros of Anaheim Hills, who is not seeking a fifth term: Yorba Linda Library Commissioner Ryan Bent and former four-term trustee and Brea attorney Barry Wishart paid $1,185 for statements.

--Future columns will note interesting aspects of the first-ever recall ballot and regular election in the Yorba Linda Water District and the always-contentious ballot for three City Council slots.