The county registrar’s office has begun sending out sample ballots for the upcoming Nov. 4 state, county and local election, and absentee ballots go out beginning on Monday, Oct. 6.
The election is sure to shake up local and countywide politics, as Malibu voters will be tasked with deciding on Measure R, along with helping elect a new county sheriff and a Third District county supervisor to take over for Zev Yaroslavsky, who is termed out.
To find out your polling location, read over sample ballots and other voter information, visit lavote.net. Here’s a preview of three major seats up for the taking.
County supervisor: Kuehl vs. Shriver
“We’re going to have a new sheriff in December, we’re going to have a new county tax assessor — thank God — and we’re going to have two new county supervisors in December,” Yaroslavsky said during an appearance in Malibu earlier this year.
“We’re losing a lot of institutional memory in the county, which is not a good thing,” he added. That loss could present a daunting task for whoever wins Yaroslavsky’s seat, as the county enters a new era. Former State Sen. Sheila Kuehl is running against nonprofit director, businessman and Kennedy family member Bobby Shriver.
Yaroslavsky has yet to endorse anyone in the race, and it’s unclear if he will.
“He’s leaving the door open,” press deputy Joel Bellman said in an email on Tuesday.
Shriver, who is a former Santa Monica mayor, has emphasized a platform of generating ideas at the local level, while Kuehl touts her lengthy career in state politics.
County sheriff: McDonnell vs. Tanaka
The cards are heavily stacked against former County Undersheriff Paul Tanaka, who has been under Federal investigation for months for his role in alleged inmate abuse in the county jail system. He was second-in-command to former County Sheriff Lee Baca, who resigned under a veil of controversy in January.
Jim McDonnell, the current Long Beach Police Chief, ran away with the June primary, garnering 49 percent of the vote. Tanaka won just 15 percent.
House of Representatives: Lieu vs. Carr
Longtime U.S. Democratic Congressman Henry Waxman is retiring, meaning Malibu and surrounding cities will have a new Federal representative in Washington.
State Sen. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) is taking on Republican Elan Carr, a criminal prosecutor and political newcomer.
Carr is widely viewed as a moderate Republican who is “pro-business” and “pro-environment,” according to the Los Angeles Times. Lieu has a lengthy track record in state politics and hopes to get a polarized Congress moving on big issues like climate change and Social Security.
Waxman has endorsed Lieu.