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Pyska, Rasmussen, Harry top respective races; Hess, Owen in dead heat for District 1 supervisor seat
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The Lake County Registrar of Voters issued its final update for the first night of counting at 1:19 a.m. Wednesday.
Based on those initial returns, Jessica Pyska appears headed for a second term as District 5 supervisor, topping challenger Daniel “Boone” Bridges by a margin of 13.5%.
While the District 5 race was expected to be settled in the primary, the biggest surprise of the night may have been the District 4 race, with an open field of four candidates.
Brad Rasmussen, Lakeport’s police chief, led the field by a wide margin with more than 58% percent of the vote.
If he can hold onto a percentage of more than 50 percent plus one — the margin needed in a primary race with more than two candidates — Rasmussen will clinch the seat outright and not have to race to November.
Following Rasmussen in the returns were Laura McAndrews Sammel, with 21.10% of the vote; Scott Barnett with 16.10%; and Chris Read with 4.62%.
The District 1 race for an open seat had five candidates, although one of them was on the ballot but dropped out.
In that field, a neck-and-neck race has emerged between John Hess and Helen Owen.
Hess, a retired congressional chief of staff and Lake County planning commissioner, led for most of the night, particularly in the absentee or vote-by-mail ballot counts.
However, as the night wore on and the precinct returns were reported, Owen, a well-known local rancher, chased Hess down and caught up to him.
By the end of the night, the two were in a statistical dead heat: Hess had a lead of only two votes over Owen — 454 to 452 — and both had far outpaced the rest of the field.
Coming up in third place in the first night’s count was Sean Millerick, with 244 votes, followed by Bryan Pritchard, who dropped out of the race, with 117 votes and Bren Boyd with 25 votes.
In the race for Superior Court judge for Department 4, incumbent Judge Shanda Harry — seeking a second six-year term — was leading by a 53% margin over challenger attorney Anna Gregorian by the end of the night. That margin is likely to be insurmountable even as more ballots are counted in the days to come.
Luke Bingham, running unopposed for sheriff, received 5,401 votes in the initial county, or 100% of the vote.
The Kelseyville Unified School District’s Measure Q bond, which sought to issue $35.5 million in bonds and enact property tax estimated to be $60 per $100,000 of assessed value, needs a simple majority to win. However, the initial election night tally put the “no” votes in the lead by six ballots and less than one percentage point.
The official canvass period will now begin, with the Registrar of Voters Office planning to certify the election by April 4.
Over the coming month, thousands more ballots are expected to be counted and, as a result, the final ballot count and percentages should change significantly, although trends tend to remain the same.
One number that will certainly change is overall voter turnout. The initial estimate was that voter turnout for the Tuesday primary was 19.64%, or 7,181 out of 36,561 registered voters.
Based on past election history, that percentage should increase once the final ballot count is complete.
The full preliminary counts through early Wednesday morning are below.
SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE — DEPARTMENT 4
48 precincts of 48 reporting
* Shanda Harry, 4,688 votes, 76.36%
Anna Gregorian, 1,451 votes, 23.64%
DISTRICT 1 SUPERVISOR
12 precincts of 12 reporting
* John Hess, 454 votes, 35.14%
* Helen Owen, 452 votes, 34.98%
Sean Millerick, 244 votes, 18.89%
Bryan Pritchard, 117 votes, 9.06%
Bren Boyd, 25 votes, 1.93%
DISTRICT 4 SUPERVISOR
11 precincts of 11 reporting
* Brad Rasmussen, 907 votes, 58.18%
Laura McAndrews Sammel, 329 votes, 21.10%
Scott Jason Barnett, 251 votes, 16.10%
Chris Read, 72 votes, 4.62%
DISTRICT 5 SUPERVISOR
8 precincts of 8 reporting
* Jessica Pyska, 1,001 votes, 56.75%
Daniel “Boone” Bridges, 763 votes, 43.25%
KELSEYVILLE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOND, MEASURE Q
10 precincts of 10 reporting
Yes, 794, 49.81%
* No, 80, 50.19%
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
The 58-year-old man’s name was not released pending notification of next of kin.
The California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office said the wreck occurred on Highway 20 east of Blue Lakes Road.
The CHP said that at approximately 12:53 p.m., CHP Officer Jaxin Gallagher and Officer Brian Hanson were dispatched to the crash.
When they arrived, they found that a red Toyota Corolla traveling eastbound and driven by the Willits man, had lost control in a curved section of the highway.
The Toyota crossed into the opposing lane of traffic where it collided with a black GMC Sierra pickup, traveling westbound, driven by John Leone, 83, of Upper Lake, the CHP said.
The CHP said John Leone, and his passenger, Elizabeth Leone, were transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital with suspected minor injuries.
The driver of the Toyota succumbed to his injuries on scene, along with two dogs within the Toyota, the CHP said.
The CHP said all of the vehicles’ occupants were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the collision. Airbags deployed in both vehicles.
No alcohol or drug use is suspected and the cause of the collision is still under investigation, the CHP said.
The California Highway Patrol, Caltrans, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Northshore Fire Department and All in One Towing responded to the scene to assist with the crash.
Highway 20 was open to one-way traffic control for the duration of the incident, the CHP reported.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The school board will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 6, in the boardroom at the district office, 2508 Howard Ave.
The board will first go into a closed session to discuss the discipline/dismissal/release of an employee before the open portion of the meeting begins.
Superintendent Matt Bullard is recommending the board approve two separate resolutions to implement the layoffs beginning in the 2024-25 school year.
In the case of the certificated staff, the first resolution calls for laying off nine full-time positions: three instructional coaches, three permanent substitutes, one permanent substitute counselor, one school psychologist and one director of supplemental support.
The second resolution, relating to classified staff, calls for discontinuing seven positions: The head groundskeeper, the after school coordinator, one skilled maintenance worker, one bus monitor, one day care assistant and two paraprofessionals.
Neither of the resolutions is accompanied by a report that explains the situation leading to the recommendations for cutting the positions.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
In the race for Assembly, Cecelia Aguiar-Curry (D-Fourth District), now serving as Assembly majority leader, is seeking reelection.
The California Secretary of State’s Office reported that Aguiar-Curry received 100% of the vote, with 89.8% of precincts partially reporting as of 1 a.m. Wednesday.
The Lake County Registrar of Voters Office reported that, with 48 of 48 precincts reporting, Aguiar-Curry had received 4,425 votes in the Tuesday primary.
In the race for California’s Fourth Congressional District, Mike Thompson once again came out on top.
The Democrat from St. Helena, who has long represented Lake County in the U.S. House of Representatives, led his primary field with 63.1% of the vote, or 62,027 ballots cast, as of 1 a.m. Wednesday, with 94% of precincts partially reporting, the Secretary of State’s Office reported.
The rest of the field includes Republican John Munn, 31.2%, 30,622 votes cast; Democrat Andrew David Engdahl, 4.7%, 4,577 votes cast; and Niket Patwardhan, no party preference, 1%, 1,104 ballots cast.
In Lake County, Thompson received 3,821 votes, or 55.60% of the vote, with 48 of 48 precincts reporting, followed by Munn with 2,751 votes, or 40.03%; Engdahl with 240 votes, or 3.49%; and Patwardhan with 60 votes, or 0.87%, according to Registrar of Voter tallies posted early Wednesday.
Thompson and Munn will now advance to the November general election.
“I was born, grew up, and still live in our district and I consider it the greatest honor of my life to represent our beautiful region in Congress,” Thompson said in a Tuesday night written statement. “I am greatly humbled by the outpouring of support that I received and I take seriously the responsibility entrusted in me from my constituents.
“Our district and our country face many great challenges. From combating climate change to keeping our communities safe to strengthening our economy and lowering costs for families and businesses, I will continue working every day to meet the needs of our district. That is why I have been endorsed by mayors, supervisors, sheriffs, business owners and community leaders from across our district,” he said.
“Together, we can continue working to find real solutions to the challenges we face today, and ensure that our district remains one of the best places to live, work, raise a family, start a business, and retire with dignity,” Thompson continued.
He added, “Thank you to the voters of our district for your support and trust in me. As we move towards November, be assured that I will continue to do everything in my power to support our district and protect our shared values.”
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