Yorba
Lindans can expect a heavier-than-usual onslaught of mailers,
automated telephone calls and roadway signs for this election season,
based on a field of 25 candidates seeking local City Council, school
trustee and water director positions on the Nov. 8 ballot.
For the
first time in two decades, all of the expiring positions scheduled
for the election are contested, and many of the candidates and
supportive political action committees are flush with campaign
cash.
Add in a
couple dozen of the phony “voter guides” that sell endorsements
to the candidates so the office-seekers can associate their
names with upbeat, positive-sounding committees and causes, and
the city's green recyclable trash containers soon will be brimming.
The
guides are called “slate mailers” by professionals who convince
candidates the paid-for endorsements are useful to win support from
low-information voters. Costs can range from $200 for the Family,
Faith and Freedom Association to $1,560 for the Women's Voter Guide.
But the
guides can eat up a lot of money without results. In a 2010 school
trustee race, one candidate spent $13,162 for endorsements
on 19 guides but ended as an also-ran.
Available
for purchase from the county's Registrar of Voters are several
helpful campaign aids, including lists of registered voters in cities
and school and water districts with each registrant's voting history
and lists of mail-in voters that can be updated as ballots are
returned.
Other
election-related items:
--One of
the busiest political consultants this year is Lysa Ray, who runs a
Santa Ana-based campaign services firm. She's an adviser and
campaign treasurer for Craig Young and Tara Campbell in the council
race and fills the same role for Councilwoman Peggy Huang.
Ray also
is treasurer for two political action committees involved in council
and water district contests: Residents for a Better Yorba Linda and
Citizens to Protect Our Water, which at last report raised $16,149 to
oppose the recall of water directors Robert Kiley and Gary Melton.
--The
first husband and wife to compete in the same election cycle is
Cristy Parker, candidate for one of three council positions,
and Benjamin Parker, candidate for one of two water district
seats. Each is endorsed by the Yorba Linda Taxpayers Association.
Previously,
Barbara Kiley served two terms on the council and Robert Kiley was
elected to the water board, but they didn't appear on the same
ballot. Barbara Kiley's wins were in 1992 and 1996, while Robert
Kiley's first election was in 2010.
--The
county's official Republican Party organization, whose 42 elected
members include councilmembers Gene Hernandez and Peggy Huang,
endorsed Hernandez, Craig Young and Tara Campbell in the
council race.
The
GOP group also endorsed Ric Collett and Andrew Hall in the water
district contest and is supporting a “no” vote on the recall of
directors Robert Kiley and Gary Melton.