Yorba Linda voters will play key roles in two November election contests: the races for district attorney and to replace Ed Royce in Congress

Voters in Yorba Linda and other north county cities will play key roles in choosing winners in two important contests in the November election: the bad-blood battle between Todd Spitzer and Tony Rackauckas for district attorney and the race to replace Ed Royce in Congress.

Particularly important in both races will be the selections made by registered voters who did not cast a June 5 primary election ballot, but who will turn out for the Nov. 6 general election.

In the district attorney rivalry, the 22.4 percent of voters who chose former Brea mayor Brett Murdock will be making a selection between challenger Spitzer and incumbent Rackauckas.

June turnout in the north county cities totaled 44.7 percent, better than the countywide 42.9 percent. November election turnout in non-presidential years has ranged to 67.3 percent in 2012.

Yorba Linda led June turnout in north county with 50.5 percent, followed by Brea, 48.3; Placentia, 47.1; Fullerton, 44.1; La Habra, 43.6; La Palma, 42.1; and Buena Park, 34.9.

Highlighting the district attorney contest is a decades-long personal antagonism between Rackauckas and Spitzer, who worked for Rackauckas 10 years as a prosecuting attorney.

Spitzer has held a number of political offices representing many north county cities, including separate terms on the county board of supervisors for a total of 12 years and six years in the state Assembly.

Spitzer's start in public office began with a 1992-1996 term as a Brea-Olinda school trustee, where he pushed an inquiry into grade changing at Brea-Olinda High School, which led to a principal's termination and a superintendent's early retirement, according to newspaper accounts.

Rackauckas has won five four-year terms as district attorney, a non-partisan office, starting in 1998. He was appointed municipal court judge in 1990 and elevated to superior court in 1993.

Rackauckas topped the countywide primary vote with 38.5 percent, followed by Spitzer with 35.2 percent and two other candidates with 26.2 percent. Rackauckas won Buena Park, La Habra, La Palma and Placentia, while Spitzer took Brea, Fullerton and Yorba Linda.

The contest to replace former Fullerton and current Yorba Linda resident Ed Royce in the 39^th Congressional District pits Republican Young Kim against Democrat Gil Cisneros. Young led the vote in all north county cities except La Habra, won by Cisneros. Phil Liberatore, running as a “pro-Trump conservative,” was a close second in Yorba Linda.

Total district vote for Kim was 21.7 percent and for Cisneros 19.1 percent. Kim won in Orange County and Cisneros in Los Angeles County. Liberatore won in San Bernardino County, with Cisneros placing second.

One certainty: Soon after Labor Day mailboxes will fill with flyers – sadly, so many negative – and dozens of “voter guides,” commonly called “slate mailers,” with endorsements, for which candidates will pay thousands of dollars.

Yorba Linda voters choose all Republicans for partisan offices in June 2018 primary save one: Democrat Diane Feinstein for Senate

Alone among north county cities, Yorba Linda voters chose Republicans over Democrats in all partisan races on the June primary ballot save one – they joined voters in Brea, Buena Park, Fullerton, La Habra, La Palma and Placentia in giving a plurality of votes to Senator Diane Feinstein.

Vote leaders in Yorba Linda included John Cox for governor and GOP contenders for lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, controller, treasurer, insurance commissioner and Board of Equalization member.

From one to four Democrats topped the tally for statewide offices in the other north county cities, while most gave wins to Republicans Phillip Chen for state Assembly and Young Kim to replace Ed Royce in Congress. Democrat Gil Cisneros, who will face Kim in November, won La Habra.

Three Yorba Linda residents hoping to oust Chen from his position, Melissa Fazli, James Gerbus and Scott Lebda, placed third through fifth, respectively. Democrat Gregg Fritchle, who ran second, will challenge Chen for the seat in November in his fifth try for the job.

Incumbent Chen's 55^th Assembly District includes Yorba Linda, Brea, La Habra and Placentia, while Royce's 39^th Congressional District includes all north county cities except La Palma. Both districts also include cities in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.

Recall of state Senator Josh Newman won in all seven cities, but Yorba Linda voters gave the recall a 64 percent majority, while the margin in the other cities ranged from 51 to 59 percent. Each city chose Ling Ling Chang, who lost to Newman in 2016, to replace him.

In the non-partisan contests, challenger Todd Spitzer placed first in Yorba Linda, while incumbent Tony Rackauckas won in Brea, Buena Park, Fullerton, La Habra, La Palma and Placentia for county district attorney. They'll face off in November.

Top vote-getters in all seven cities were Marshall Tuck for state superintendent of public instruction – his largest margin was in Yorba Linda – and Undersheriff Don Barnes to replace Sheriff Sandra Hutchens. Barnes could win outright, but Tuck will face Tony Thurmond in November.

Not all votes cast have been counted as of deadline. Remaining are some mail-in ballots and provisional and paper ballots cast at precincts.

Interestingly, only Yorba Linda among the seven north county cities has a majority of registered Republican voters.

Here are the current numbers: Brea 23,382 (42.4 percent R, 30 percent D and 23.7 percent no party preference); Buena Park 34,437 (41.2 percent D, 29.2 percent R and 26 percent NPP); and Fullerton 65,084 (36.8 percent D, 34.6 percent R and 24.6 percent NPP).

Others: La Habra 25,032 (38.7 percent D, 33.1 percent R, 23.8 percent NPP); La Palma 7,831 (36.9 percent D, 33.7 percent R, 25.9 percent NPP); Placentia 25,605 (40.7 percent R, 31.3 percent D, 23.8 percent NPP); and Yorba Linda 40,668 (52.7 percent R, 22.4 percent D and 21.2 percent NPP).