Friday, December 09, 2016

Trump wins in Yorba Linda, but gets fewer votes than McCain, Romney; Campbell wins across-the-board in City Council contest; other results tallied

As expected, Donald Trump handily won Yorba Linda's presidential vote with a 56.6 percent majority, but the count was below the percentages won by the GOP candidates in 2008 and 2012.

Fewer Yorba Lindans were registered to vote this year and more who cast ballots chose not to vote for the listed candidates for president than in the previous two presidential elections.

Although Hillary Clinton won a majority county-wide – the first Democratic win since 1936 – and took the tally in 21 of the county's 34 cities, she only mustered 33.6 percent in this city (better than Barack Obama's 29.7 percent in 2012 and about even with his 33.7 percent in 2008).

Trump's 56.6 percent was lower than John McCain's 64.3 percent in 2008 and Mitt Romney's 68.1 percent in 2012 in city voting.

This year's registered voters totaled 42,534, less than 43,010 in 2008 and 45,494 in 2012, but 2016's 85.6 percent turnout topped 2008's 81.6 percent and 2012's 77.3 percent.

In 2008, 352 Yorba Linda voters didn't mark a ballot-listed choice for president, a number that dropped to only 282 in 2012. This year, 1,783 didn't vote for one of the five listed candidates.

GOP Rep. Ed Royce continued his dominance in the Yorba Linda vote, winning 66.7 percent here, better than his 55.3 percent county-wide, 51.8 percent in Los Angeles County and 60.4 percent in San Bernardino County, for a 13th two-year term, over Democrat Brett Murdock.

Despite losing for state Senate to Democrat Josh Newman, Republican Ling Ling Chang won 62 percent of this city's vote. She took just 45.5 percent county-wide and only 48.4 percent in Los Angeles County, but she won in San Bernardino County with 54.1 percent.

Republican state Assembly candidate Phillip Chen won over Democrat Gregg Fritchle by winning in Yorba Linda (65.9 percent), county-wide (56.8 percent) and in San Bernardino County (56.9 percent). He barely lost in Los Angeles County (49.7 percent).

Tara Campbell's big win as the top vote-getter for one of three City Council positions was across-the-board. She won the early vote, vote-by-mail ballots and the total precinct vote.
She took 34 precincts, as Gene Hernandez, Beth Haney and Cristy Parker won one each.
(Ties were recorded in two precincts with a total 22 voters.)

One interesting factor in the water board contests was Bob Wren's 48 percent of the vote to Al Nederhood's 52 percent to replace recalled director Gary Melton, even though Wren, the city's former chief of police services, opposed the recall. Melton and Bob Kiley were recalled by more than 70 percent of the vote, and Brooke Jones, Kiley's replacement, won by 72 percent.

Yorba Linda voters approved five of 17 state propositions, although 12 passed statewide.
The differences: the city said no to school bonds, high-income tax extension, sentencing changes, political spending advisory, gun and ammo sales restrictions, legalizing pot and banning plastic bags.