Coachella Valley politics: 2018 year in review
A contentious sheriff’s race, a back-and-forth incumbent-upsetting race for Indio city council, and a complete election overhaul for Palm Springs; 2018 saw some major changes in the Coachella Valley political scene, and the shifts didn’t stop at the three alluded to above.
In a year of tectonic shifts in Congress, the valley’s 36th Congressional District seat remained steady; incumbent Democrat Dr. Raul Ruiz was able to handily defeat his challenger, Republican Kimberlin Brown-Pelzer by a margin 59 percent to 41 percent vote margin.
“It’s been my life-long mission since I was a child to serve others and make this world a better place,” said Ruiz.
When it came to the race for Riverside County Sheriff voters turned out for a change; Chad Bianco upset sitting Sheriff Stan Sniff by a tight margin in the June primary, then carried his momentum to the general election, taking 58 percent of the vote compared to Sniff’s 42 percent.
“We know that the message we have of making a better Sheriffs Department of making a difference in our community is resonating with voters, obviously,” Bianco said. “And we’re moving forward from there.”
In Indio, challenger Waymond Fermon upset Mayor Mike Wilson, ultimately winning by a margin of 148 votes to secure the city council district two seat.
“Where the chips fall, they fall. But we just want to make sure all of our residents are accounted for,” said Fermon.
In Palm Springs, voters first elected to reject Measure C in June, which would have banned short-term vacation rentals in most neighborhoods in the city. Later in the summer, the city council re-vamped its representation process entirely, making the shift from at-large election to district-based elections, and making the decision to make the mayor’s position a rotating one.
The local races for state senate and state assembly saw incumbents hold onto their spots across the board:
State Senate 28th District – Republican Jeff Stone topped challenger Democrat Joy Silver 52 percent to 48 percent. State Assembly 56th District – Democrat Eduardo Garcia defeats Republican Jeff Gonzalez 64 percent to 34 percent. State Assembly 42nd District – Republic Chad Mayes defeats Democrat DeniAntionette Mazingo 55 percent to 45 percent.
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