Election Guide

I am a life-long San Fernando resident who has experience working for our community and is dedicated to ensuring our city is a place where we feel safe, supported and proud. 

My campaign is centered on putting our community first and elevating public safety. 

I am a proud product of the City of San Fernando. I attended both San Fernando Elementary and Middle School. At the beginning of my career, I worked for San Fernando Recreation and Community Services serving our community’s children as an after-school counselor, summer camp counselor, and then Recreation Leader. 

I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from California State University, Northridge, a Master’s Degree in Teaching, and am completing my Doctorate in Applied Clinical Psychology. 

My parents are immigrants who instilled in me the importance of hard work, family and community. I am the first in my family to achieve a higher education and have dedicated my career to serving children and families. With your support, we can ensure our community will have the support and resources we need to thrive. 

Together we will: 

• Make our community safer 

• Improve city services. Connect residents to city resources 

Five generations of my family have made San Fernando our home, and I am committed to making San Fernando safer and more prosperous for future generations to come. I joined the City Council in 2019, have served as Mayor since December 2021, and was recently featured in The Valley 200 as one of the region’s most prominent leaders. I am proud of the progress we have made with balancing the budget, beautifying our city, and attracting new businesses including Target, which will open in 2023. I have opposed overdevelopment in our city, and have focused on public safety, combating homelessness, improving our parks and water supply, and strengthening our infrastructure. 

Prior to serving on the City Council, I worked as a financial aid supervisor at Los Angeles Mission College and spent decades helping students achieve their dreams in education. I have volunteered with Las Palmas Senior Citizen Club and have voiced the need for more funding and resources. 

My parents taught me to be active in our community, and I have passed on those same values to my children and grandchildren, who live here too. I am honored to serve the residents, and my focus has and always will be on lifting the San Fernando community to greater prosperity. 

For 8 years, I served on the San Fernando City Council as your council member and mayor. Together, we generated $21 million in economic growth, renewed our focus on repairing infrastructure, planted hundreds of trees, and attracted new businesses like Walgreens, Smart & Final, Chipotle, and Starbucks. 

If elected again in 2022, I will: 

• Fully fund our street and sidewalk repairs 

• Renovate and maintain parks 

• Prioritize public safety and prevent homeless encampments 

• Expand senior programming and resources like the San Fernando shuttle 

• Elevate new cultural arts programming 

• Attract new retail and restaurants STOP property overdevelopment, like the 101 JCPenney Apartments project 

As your former Mayor, a proud father and a small business owner, I am the right candidate for this moment. I have a proven track record of leading San Fernando City Hall to budget surpluses while increasing access and accountability. In 2019, I was recognized by The San Fernando Valley Business Journal as one of the 200 most influential leaders in the area, stemming largely from my focus on partnering with the public and private sectors of our community. Now, I am running for City Council because we need steady, unbiased leadership to make San Fernando the cleanest, safest and most prosperous city in the region. 

My grandparents came to San Fernando in 1955—the first Mexican American family on the block. I grew up hearing about my mother’s adventures in the City and am now raising my three children on the same street. Like the generations before me, I want the best for my family. I’m running for City Council to bring out the best in San Fernando. 

I graduated from UCLA and then earned a law degree from Stanford Law School and a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University. I returned to the Valley because this is home. I want to use my education, work experience, and vision to achieve great things for our City. 

I will support small businesses, families, veterans, and seniors. I will work to bring a movie theater, entertainment, children’s play places, and shopping with a focus on parking and preventing congestion. I will lead the effort to revitalize and beautify our parks, streets, and downtown while maintaining the City’s character and charm. I am a military wife, mother, and attorney and am ready to listen to your ideas and concerns. 

I’m endorsed by local neighbors, small business owners, and community leaders. I hope to earn your vote.

I am honored to have served as your councilmember since 2011, and twice as your Mayor. Together, we balanced the budget, secured $7 million in new revenues, beautified our historic Brand Boulevard, and renewed San Fernando’s reputation as a vibrant city. In addition, we established financial reserves, paid down $4.7 million in debt, and repaved more streets. 

As your council member, my focus has been on maintaining good management, accelerating our infrastructure repairs, increasing public safety, improving water conservation, and opposing overdevelopment. I have also advocated to bring more businesses to San Fernando. Since 2011 to 2021, we have issued 741 new business licenses. These include Smart & Final, San Fernando Brewing Company, Truman House Tavern, CVS, Vallarta Supermarkets and many others. In 2023, we will welcome a Target store. 

I started a scholarship in memory of Elias Rodriguez and Gabriel Fernandez for students in our city, and to date, we have raised approximately $30,000 in scholarships. In addition, I helped secure $7,500 to pay for banners to honor our veterans. 

I love San Fernando and am committed to the City’s success. I am running to serve you for another term to protect the progress we have made and to continue making San Fernando the best place to live and work. 

Let’s face it — Los Angeles County government has come up short in many ways.  No one takes responsibility.

I’m Bob Hertzberg — and I will.

As a clean energy entrepreneur, State Assembly Speaker who was elected unanimously on a bipartisan vote, and Senate Majority Leader, I’m the only candidate with both meaningful business and political leadership experience.

At the state level, we’ve sent billions to LA County — but the county has squandered state funding I’ve worked tirelessly to bring home.

Now I’m running for County Supervisor to fix the mess. I will take responsibility for solving emergencies like homelessness, crime, housing, and mental health — and make sure county government gets the job done.

The Los Angeles Times called me “…a high velocity wonk: he loves big ideas and will flesh out every one of them.”

The LA Daily News said I have: “…relentless dedication and indefatigable energy… a reputation for integrity and perseverance.”

Nobody will work harder than me.

If I don’t deliver — hold me accountable – throw me out of office.

My career is defined by tackling the hardest problems, building diverse coalitions, and delivering results for my community.

I’m running to be the next Los Angeles County Supervisor from the 3rd District because I have the determination and experience to make a difference for the people who need it most.

Right now, working families are struggling to keep up with a crush of compounding crises. We need Los Angeles County to step up and protect workers’ rights while creating a thriving local economy. We need sustainable housing and services for the people living on our streets and community-focused public safety services that keep us all safe. We need our government to work for us.

I’m ready to use my experience leading the region on issues like homelessness, public safety, and economic development to put Los Angeles County back to work for the people. I’m ready to be your next Los Angeles County Supervisor from Board District 3, and I humbly ask for your vote.

Over the last few years, we’ve been reminded about the importance of having elected officials who understand our dreams and challenges… and who know how to get things done.

That’s why I’m running for State Senate.

I’ve been a minimum wage worker, cleaning hotel rooms and scrubbing toilets. So I KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO WORRY ABOUT PAYING THE BILLS.

I was raised right here in the Valley. So I UNDERSTAND THE UNIQUE CHARACTER OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, and how they can thrive. I also know firsthand how crime and
homelessness are impacting our communities. I have specific plans for how to address the homelessness crisis, and how to prevent more families from losing their housing.

I’m a renter, so I SHARE THE CONCERNS OF FAMILIES FACING HIGHER RENTS and wondering whether they can ever buy a house.

And, I’ve worked in government at the federal, state, and local levels, so I KNOW HOW TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITIES AND GET THINGS DONE. I am the only candidate for Senate who can say that.

I’m running because we can no longer ignore homelessness in our streets, crime in our neighborhoods, or the rising cost of living. Our families are hurting, and they deserve someone who will stand up for them. I will!

Let’s direct resources where they are most needed: schools, health care, and public safety.

Let’s focus on the issues that impact us daily: homelessness, the cost of housing and health care, the strength of local businesses, and the safety of our communities. That’s what I’ll do.

I’m proud that THE LEADERS AND ORGANIZATIONS WE TRUST MOST ON THESE ISSUES ARE SUPPORTING MY CAMPAIGN, including CONGRESSMAN TONY CARDENAS, ASSEMBLYWOMAN LUZ RIVAS, THE CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY, the California Nurses Association, business leaders, educators, and firefighters. Please join them

I’m Caroline Menjivar, daughter of Salvadorean immigrants and a lifelong San Fernando Valley resident. For 15 years, I have dedicated my career to serving others as a U.S. Marine, an Emergency Medical Technician, and a social worker helping survivors of domestic violence. Today, I am the Director of New Program Initiatives at MEND-Meet Each Need with Dignity, where I help deliver social services to families in need within this very district.

I’m running for the State Senate because I know what it’s like to overcome difficult odds. Adversity struck when my parents separated, and my mom became the sole provider for our family. My mom poured her savings into buying our first home, only to fall victim to the subprime mortgage crisis. When I was 19, we were evicted and found ourselves housing unstable.

Too many families live an illness, a lost job, or an eviction away from an uncertain future. We need to rewrite the rules for all Californians to be safe, healthy and thrive.

As your State Senator, I’ll focus on taking an “all of the above approach” to solving our housing crisis and moving the unhoused into housing with a focus on mental health services. When I worked as an EMT and social worker, I saw the gaps in our mental health systems. I’ll work to increase our mental health services to meet the needs of communities that are often underserved, such as our veterans and domestic violence survivors. 

We also must protect our communities from the effects of climate change. I’m proud to be endorsed by the California Environmental Voters because they know I’ll work to invest in more park space, increase access to cleaner energy public transportation, and bring more car charging stations to our neighborhoods. I ask for your vote by November 8th.

This ballot measure would amend the California Constitution to enshrine a fundamental right to reproductive freedom. That includes the right to choose to have an abortion and the right to choose or refuse contraceptives. Because these rights are already protected by state law, Prop. 1 is unlikely to have any financial impact on California, unless a court interpreted it as expanding the government’s obligation to pay for contraception and abortion procedures, which it already does for low-income residents.

Prop 26 would allow tribal casinos and the state’s four horse race tracks to offer in-person sports betting. At race tracks, sports betting could only be offered to people 21 or older. Age restrictions on sports betting at tribal casinos would need to be negotiated by California’s governor and each tribe, and written into each tribe’s compact with the state. The proposition would also allow tribal casinos to begin offering roulette and dice games, including craps. It taxes sports bets placed at horse race tracks. It doesn’t tax tribes, which are sovereign nations, but it requires tribes to reimburse the state for the cost of regulating sports betting. The proposition also creates a new way of enforcing some gaming laws, allowing anyone to bring a lawsuit if they believe the laws are being violated and the state Justice Department declines to act. Any penalty and settlement money that results would go to the state. State analysts say the proposition could generate as much as tens of millions annually for the state. It’s difficult to know the exact amount for a few reasons. New tribal-state compacts might require tribes to pay more to local governments, for example, and it’s unclear how much money will result from the new private lawsuits. The revenue would first be spent on education spending commitments and regulatory costs. If there’s any money left over, it would go to the state’s discretionary fund, as well as to problem gaming and mental health research, and the enforcement of gaming rules.

Prop. 27 would allow licensed tribes and gaming companies to offer mobile and online sports betting for adults 21 and older outside Native American tribal lands. Gaming companies — such as FanDuel and DraftKings — could only offer sports betting if they made a deal with a tribe. The measure creates extremely high thresholds for gaming companies to do business in California, making it all but impossible for smaller gaming companies to compete. The proposition creates a new division within the state’s Justice Department to regulate online sports wagering. That division could also decide whether to approve new forms of gambling, such as betting on awards shows and video games. It also gives the Justice Department additional powers to address illegal sports betting. Tribes and gaming companies would pay fees and taxes to the state that could total several hundred million dollars a year, state analysts estimate. The actual amount is uncertain, in part because gaming operators are allowed to deduct certain expenses to reduce their tax bill. After covering the state’s new regulatory costs, most of the money would be used to address homelessness and for gambling addiction programs, while 15% would go to Native American tribes that aren’t involved in sports betting. 

This measure would require the state to allocate at least 1% of Prop. 98 funding — money guaranteed for public schools and community colleges in the state budget — for music and arts education. That’s estimated to be a $1 billion annual set aside. Schools with high proportions of students from low-income households would get more funding. School districts will be required to spend 80% of the new funding on hiring arts and music instructors, and they will have to publish annual reports on how they spend the money.

This measure would require kidney dialysis clinics to have at least one physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant with six months of relevant experience available on site or, in some cases, via telehealth. It also requires that clinics report infection data to the state, as well as publicly list physicians who have ownership interest of 5% or more in a clinic. The measure also prohibits clinics from closing or reducing services without state approval and from refusing treatment to people based on their insurance type.

Prop. 30 would impose a 1.75% personal income tax increase on Californians making more than $2 million per year to fund a suite of climate programs. The goal is to clean up the state’s dirty air and help meet ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets. The proposition creates a new revenue stream to subsidize zero-emission vehicles and fund wildfire response and prevention — between $3.5 billion to $5 billion annually, growing over time, according to state analysts. Most of the money — about 80% — would go towards rebates for people buying zero-emission cars and to build more charging stations. Half of that funding will go to low- and middle-income residents, who are disproportionately affected by poor air quality and heavy pollution. The state already spends millions each year on zero-emission vehicle programs and dedicated an additional $10 billion over the next five years to those programs in this year’s budget. A quarter of the tax money would provide funding to hire and train firefighters, who are battling increasingly worsening wildfires. On average, the state spends about $2 billion to $4 billion annually putting out wildfires. The tax would go into effect in January 2023 and would end by January 2043, or possibly earlier, if the state is able to slash its emissions to at least 80% below 1990 levels for three consecutive calendar years. 

The referendum will decide whether to overturn a 2020 law that prohibits the sale of some flavored tobacco products. A “yes” vote upholds the current law; a “no” vote would strike down the law and allow the sale of flavored tobacco products. The outcome of Prop. 31 would impact the state budget because if the law is upheld the state could lose as much as $100 million in annual tobacco tax revenue from the sale of flavored tobacco.

You may either vote in person or by mail. If you are an active voter, you will receive a ballot in the mail prior to the election that you may mail to the county elections office and as long as they receive it within 7 days of Election Day it will be counted. Alternatively, you may also drop your ballot in a drop box at a polling center as long as it is submitted before 8 p.m. on Election Day. It is always best to submit your ballot personally to avoid any corruption of your ballot, however, if you cannot do so, you may authorize someone you trust to return your ballot for you. There is a section within the ballot where you can carry out this authorization, but if it is not filled, and you have someone else return your ballot for you, your ballot will be void.