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.