Why are Yorba Linda City Council elections drawing fewer candidates each cycle?

 

Two factors help explain the dearth of candidates seeking Yorba Linda City Council seats: the cost of campaigns and endorsements from the county's official Republican Party organization.

This year, only three contenders are running for two positions, and two years ago, nobody filed to run against three incumbents. And only three candidates sought two seats in 2018.

By contrast, 27 residents signed up to run for five positions in the first council election in 1967, and 18 residents joined the race for the five slots in 1970. The field of contenders ranged from six to 11 in the other regular elections in the first 50 years of cityhood.

In past years, credible candidates could get by with spending a couple thousand dollars, since campaigning consisted of precinct walking, distributing printed handbills and some advertising in the local weekly newspaper.

Now, however, expenses include hiring professional campaign consultants to design colorful mailers and seasoned treasurers to handle state-mandated financial reporting requirements. Mailings to 48,000 registered voters, automated phone calls and roadway signs add to costs.

The largest campaign account for a council position in city history was raised by Carlos Rodriguez for his second-place finish for one of two positions on the 2018 ballot, a total $102,722 ($84,731 cash; $9,500 self-made loan; $8,491 non-monetary goods and services).

This year, Rodriguez has a campaign kitty of $63,283, as of June 30, according to his state-required financial filing received Aug. 1 at the city clerk's office. First-time council candidates Ryan Bent and Janice Lim have until Sept. 29 to file their first pre-election financial reports.

Total campaign spending for the three candidates won't be available until after a Jan. 31 deadline, when an accounting of money raised and spent through Dec. 31 must be filed.

A factor that's increasingly important is an endorsement from the Orange County Republican Central Committee, an official party organization, with 39 members elected from the county's seven state Assembly districts and 18 ex-officio members (officeholders and past candidates for the county's federal and state legislative seats).

These endorsements are especially important in Republican-rich Yorba Linda, the county's second-most Republican city, behind Villa Park's 52.2% count. Yorba Linda's GOP registration stands at 47.7% of 47,930 registrants, with 28.1% Democratic and 21.1% no party preference.

For the 2022 general election ballot, the committee endorsed incumbent Rodriguez early on and endorsed Lim over Jess Battaglia on a 40-10 vote at a July 25 meeting. Battaglia didn't file for the ballot by an Aug. 17 deadline, and Bent didn't seek an endorsement.

Though council positions are non-partisan, the GOP committee sees the posts as farm teams for future runs for higher office. The group also endorses in school and water board contests.