KUCI: Ask A Leader

Welcome to the CA Primary 2020 edition of “Ask A Voter.” This is an historic three month adjustment to CA’s primary with lots on our ballot besides presidential candidates. Factoids galore: CA has 415 delegates for the Democratic presidential nomination. The races within OC, many of which we covered right here, include: OC Brd of Supervisors Dists 1 & 3; House of Representatives Districts 38, 39, 45, 47, 48, and 49; State Senate Districts. 29 & 37; State Assembly Districts 68, 69, 72, 73, & 74; OC Board of Education Areas 1, 3, & 4. Today’s show we’re all over the political spectrum, folks with history, intention, and ideas for our deliberation: Laiseng Saechao – Asian Pacific Environmental Network Political Director and She The People affiliate; Alan Beek – Retired computer designer/Nixon campaigner/current Radio KPFK board member (minute 13:00); Alex Loniak – Orange Coast College President of Young Republicans (unfortunate no-show); Sophie Prettyman-Beauchamp (filmmaker) & Angelica Sheen (AWS Cloud Management employee) – Radio KUCI DJ’s and UCI graduates (minute 20:16); and Randy Lioz – Better Angels CA Director (minute 34:04). Once your ballots are submitted you can camp out on the following websites: http://apen4ej.org/, https://www.shethepeople.org/, and https://www.better-angels.org/california/.

We’re still in the horse race free zone, folks; more important than ever with the punditry stifling worthy discussion about policy. Our first guest will be Kim Bernice Nguyen, Garden Grove Council Member, challenging the incumbent in the OC Board of Supervisors District 1. This dist includes: Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Westminster and portions of Fountain Valley. Then, in the second segment (minute 31:00), we will hear from Anaheim City Council Member Jordan Brandman, who will talk about his bid running for the open seat for Orange County Board of Education Area 4, which includes: La Habra, Brea, Fullerton, Placentia, Anaheim, and Buena Park.

Returning to AAL is O C Board of Supervisor District 3 incumbent and local attorney, Don Wagner, who won the Supervisorial seat in the 3/12/19 special election. District 3 includes portions of Anaheim and Irvine, as well as Anaheim Hills, Orange, Tustin, North Tustin, Villa Park, Yorba Linda, and unincorporated Silverado and Trabuco Canyons. He considers the budget, emergency housing in the housing mix, the 30 year backlog of sexual assault kits, Board of Supervisors' relationship with the Orange County Sheriff's Office, and his campaign endorsements and financing.

Helping you out with your 3/3/20 ballot that you’ve received in the mail, we continue with local election coverage, in this horse race free zone! First we hear from Beckie Gomez, incumbent running for another term on the OC Board of Education’s Area 1; which includes: Garden Grove, Fountain Valley, Santa Ana and Tustin. In the second segment (minute 27:52) we meet Paulette Chaffee running for Trustee on the OC Board of Education’s Area 4, which includes: La Habra, Brea, Fullerton, Placentia Anaheim, and Buena Park.

As we continue our focus on local candidates in the CA 3/3 Primary, we shall first hear from Ashleigh Aitken about her challenging the incumbent in the 3rd District of the Orange County Board of Supervisors. This district includes: portions of Anaheim and Irvine, Anaheim Hills, Orange, Tustin, North Tustin, Villa Park, Yorba Linda, and Silverado and Trabuco Canyons. She is a former federal prosecutor and part of the Leadership Council of the United to End Homelessness OC. In the second segment (Minute 30:40), Ada Briceño; co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11, a hotel and resort workers' union and Chair of the Orange County Democratic Party, posts us on organizing at John Wayne Airport, LAX, and Loyola Marymount University. Clergy Laity United For Economic Justice (CLUE), has all the details for showing up and supporting the workers this Thursday at John Wayne noon-4 p.m.: aoverton@cluejustice.org or 661-373-8679.

As our vote-by-mail ballots are heading this week to our residences, OC Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley walks us through all the changes occurring here in the 3/3/2020 CA Primary. A good place to hang out during these next several weeks is: https://www.ocvote.com/vc/web/. In the second segment (minute 28:27), Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley (D) talks policy in her campaign for State Senate District #37, challenging incumbent John Moorlach (R). Join us as we cover state policies as they pertain to daunting trends. David Min (D) also challenging the incumbent, will be on next week’s show.

Dr. Hoda Anton-Culver, Director of Genetic Epidemiology Research Institute at UCI, offers very current commentary about the National Institutes of Health “All of Us" research program of which UCI is part. The study will include 1 million participants around the country. Information is available at: 949-824-0281, allofus@uci.edu, #JoinAllofUs, and https://allofus.health.uci.edu/. In the second segment (minute 26:53) is Andy Thorburn, the only candidate challenging incumbent Ken Williams in the Area 3 Orange County Board of Education. Local coverage of the CA Primary will continue through March 3rd.

“Ask A Leader” CA primary candidate coverage will be focusing on several local races. We begin with Dr. Ken Williams incumbent running for another term on the OC Board of Education’s Area 3, which includes Irvine. In subsequent weeks we’ll hear from candidates running in OCBE’s Areas 1, 3, and 4.