California elections, 2014

California state elections in 2014 was the first year in which the top statewide offices were elected under the nonpartisan blanket primary, pursuant to Proposition 14, which passed with 53% voter approval in June 2010. Under this system, which first went into effect during the 2012 election year, all candidates will appear on the same ballot, regardless of party. In the primary, voters may vote for any candidate, regardless of their party affiliation. The top two finishers, regardless of party, then advance to face each other in the general election in November.

The 2014 elections for statewide offices also coincided with those for all of California's seats to the House of Representatives, all of the seats of the State Assembly, all even-numbered seats of the State Senate, and statewide ballot propositions.

The primary election was held on June 3, and the general election on November 4. Although the general election saw the California Republican Party lose every statewide election (including the gubernatorial race), the party did make gains in both houses of the California State Legislature, with a net gain of four seats in the Assembly and two seats in the Senate. In both cases, the Republican gains ended the supermajorities of the California Democratic Party in those chambers.

Congressional

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2014

All 53 U.S. Representatives from California were up for election in 2014, but neither of the state's two U.S. Senate seats.

Constitutional officers

Overview

California Constitutional officers elections, 2014 Primary election — June 3, 2014
Party		Votes	Percentage	Candidates	Advancing to general	Offices contesting
	Democratic	15,280,653	46.97%	15	7	7
	Republican	11,611,163	35.69%	19	7	7
	Nonpartisan	3,797,417	11.67%	3	2	1
	Green	788,568	2.42%	5	0	0
	No party preference	592,003	1.82%	9	0	0
	Peace and Freedom	305,373	0.94%	3	0	0
	Libertarian	99,056	0.30%	1	0	0
	Americans Elect	56,072	0.17%	1	0	0
Valid votes		32,530,305		—	—	—
Invalid votes				—	—	—
Totals			100.00%	56	16	—
Voter turnout

California Constitutional officers elections, 2014 General election — November 4, 2014
Party		Votes	Percentage	Officers	+/–
	Democratic	28,423,041	50.77%	7
	Nonpartisan	6,074,201	10.85%	1
	Republican	21,483,596	38.38%	0
Valid votes		55,980,838		—	—
Invalid votes				—	—
Totals			100.00%	8	—
Voter turnout

Governor

Main article: California gubernatorial election, 2014

Incumbent Democratic Governor Jerry Brown won re-election to a second consecutive and fourth overall term in office. Although governors are limited to lifetime service of two terms in office, Brown previously served as Governor from 1975 to 1983 and the law only affects terms served after 1990.

California gubernatorial election, 2014
Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jerry Brown (incumbent)	2,354,769	54.3
	Republican	Neel Kashkari	839,767	19.4
	Republican	Tim Donnelly	643,236	14.8
	Republican	Andrew Blount	89,749	2.1
	Republican	Glenn Champ	76,066	1.8
	Green	Luis J. Rodriguez	66,872	1.5
	Peace and Freedom	Cindy Sheehan	52,707	1.2
	Republican	Alma Marie Winston	46,042	1.1
	No party preference	Robert Newman	44,120	1.0
	Democratic	Akinyemi Agbede	37,024	0.9
	Republican	Richard William Aguirre	35,125	0.8
	No party preference	"Bo" Bogdan Ambrozewicz	14,929	0.3
	No party preference	Janel Hyeshia Buycks	12,136	0.3
	No party preference	Rakesh Kumar Christian	11,142	0.3
	No party preference	Joe Leicht	9,307	0.2
	Democratic	Karen Jill Bernal (write-in)	17	0.0
	No party preference	Nickolas Wildstar (write-in)	17	0.0
	No party preference	Jimelle L. Walls (write-in)	3	0.0
Total votes			4,333,028	100.0
General election
	Democratic	Jerry Brown (incumbent)	4,388,368	60.0
	Republican	Neel Kashkari	2,929,213	40.0
Total votes			7,317,581	100.0
	Democratic hold

Lieutenant Governor

Main article: California lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2014

Incumbent Democratic Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom won re-election to a second term in office.

California lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2014
Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Gavin Newsom (incumbent)	2,082,902	49.9
	Republican	Ron Nehring	976,128	23.4
	Republican	David Fennell	357,242	8.6
	Republican	George Yang	333,857	8.0
	Democratic	Eric Korevaar	232,596	5.6
	Green	Jena F. Goodman	98,338	2.4
	Americans Elect	Alan Reynolds	56,027	1.3
	Peace and Freedom	Amos Johnson	39,675	0.9
Total votes			4,176,765	100.0
General election
	Democratic	Gavin Newsom (incumbent)	4,107,051	57.2
	Republican	Ron Nehring	3,078,039	42.8
Total votes			7,185,090	100.0
	Democratic hold

Attorney General

Main article: California Attorney General election, 2014

Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Kamala Harris won re-election to a second term in office.

California Attorney General election, 2014
Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Kamala Harris (incumbent)	2,177,480	53.2
	Republican	Ronald Gold	504,091	12.3
	Republican	Phil Wyman	479,498	11.7
	Republican	David King	368,190	9.0
	Republican	John Haggerty	336,433	8.2
	No party preference	Orly Taitz	130,451	3.2
	Libertarian	Jonathan Jaech	99,056	2.4
Total votes			4,095,169	100.0
General election
	Democratic	Kamala Harris (incumbent)	4,102,649	57.5
	Republican	Ronald Gold	3,033,476	42.5
Total votes			7,136,125	100.0
	Democratic hold

Secretary of State

Main article: California Secretary of State election, 2014

Incumbent Democratic Secretary of State Debra Bowen was term-limited out of office.

California Secretary of State election, 2014
Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Alex Padilla	1,217,371	30.2
	Republican	Pete Peterson	1,194,715	29.7
	Democratic	Leland Yee (withdrawn)	380,361	9.4
	No party preference	Dan Schnur	369,898	9.2
	Democratic	Derek Cressman	306,375	7.6
	Republican	Roy Allmond	256,668	6.4
	Democratic	Jeffrey H. Drobman	178,521	4.4
	Green	David Curtis	121,618	3.0
Total votes			4,025,527	100.0
General election
	Democratic	Alex Padilla	3,799,711	53.6
	Republican	Pete Peterson	3,285,334	46.4
Total votes			7,085,045	100.0
	Democratic hold

Treasurer

Main article: California State Treasurer election, 2014

Incumbent Democratic State Treasurer Bill Lockyer was term-limited out of office.

California State Treasurer election, 2014
Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Chiang	2,250,098	55.0
	Republican	Greg Conlon	1,571,532	38.4
	Green	Ellen H. Brown	270,388	6.6
Total votes			4,092,018	100.0
General election
	Democratic	John Chiang	4,176,793	58.8
	Republican	Greg Conlon	2,925,895	41.2
Total votes			7,102,688	100.0
	Democratic hold

Controller

Main article: California State Controller election, 2014

Incumbent Democratic State Controller John Chiang was term-limited out of office.

California State Controller election, 2014
Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ashley Swearengin	1,001,473	24.8
	Democratic	Betty T. Yee	878,195	21.7
	Democratic	John Pérez	877,714	21.7
	Republican	David Evans	850,109	21.0
	Green	Laura Wells	231,352	5.7
	Democratic	Tammy D. Blair	200,532	5.0
Total votes			4,039,375	100.0
General election
	Democratic	Betty T. Yee	3,810,304	54.0
	Republican	Ashley Swearengin	3,249,688	46.0
Total votes			7,059,992	100.0
	Democratic hold

Insurance Commissioner

Main article: California Insurance Commissioner election, 2014

Incumbent Democratic Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones won re-election to a second term in office.

California Insurance Commissioner election, 2014
Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Dave Jones (incumbent)	2,106,671	53.1
	Republican	Ted Gaines	1,651,242	41.6
	Peace and Freedom	Nathalie Hrizi	212,991	5.4
Total votes			3,970,904	100.0
General election
	Democratic	Dave Jones (incumbent)	4,038,165	57.5
	Republican	Ted Gaines	2,981,951	42.5
Total votes			7,020,116	100.0
	Democratic hold

Superintendent of Public Instruction

Main article: California Superintendent of Public Instruction election, 2014

Incumbent Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson won reelection to a second term in office. The office is nonpartisan.

California Superintendent of Public Instruction election, 2014 – Primary
Candidate		Votes	Percentage
Tom Torlakson (incumbent)		1,765,257	46.5%
Marshall Tuck		1,098,441	28.9%
Lydia A. Gutiérrez		931,719	24.5%
Total votes		3,797,417	100.0%

California Superintendent of Public Instruction election, 2014 – General
Candidate		Votes	Percentage
Tom Torlakson (incumbent)		3,167,212	52.1%
Marshall Tuck		2,906,989	47.9%
Total votes		6,074,201	100.0%

Board of Equalization

Incumbent Board of Equalization members Republican George Runner and Democrat Jerome Horton ran for re-election, while Republican Michelle Park Steel and Democrat Betty T. Yee are term-limited out of office.

California Board of Equalization elections, 2014 Primary election — June 3, 2014
Party		Votes	Percentage	Candidates	Advancing to general	Seats contesting
	Democratic	2,003,631	55.2%	4	4	4
	Republican	1,624,246	44.8%	8	4	4
	Libertarian	198	0.0%	1	0	0
	Peace and Freedom	170	0.0%	2	0	0
Valid votes		3,628,255		—	—	—
Invalid votes				—	—	—
Totals			100%	16	8	—
Voter turnout

California Board of Equalization elections, 2014 General election — November 4, 2014
Party		Votes	Percentage	Seats	+/–
	Democratic	3,674,237	53.50%	2
	Republican	3,193,444	46.50%	2
Valid votes		6,867,681		—	—
Invalid votes				—	—
Totals			100%	4	—
Voter turnout

District 1

California's 1st Board of Equalization district election, 2014
Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	George Runner (incumbent)	608,637	59.85
	Democratic	Chris Parker	408,343	40.15
Total votes			1,016,980	100
General election
	Republican	George Runner (incumbent)	984,604	57.8
	Democratic	Chris Parker	718,129	42.2
Total votes			1,702,733	100.0
	Republican hold

District 2

California's 2nd Board of Equalization district election, 2014
Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Fiona Ma	876,378	68.86
	Republican	James E. Theis	396,241	31.14
Total votes			1,272,619	100
General election
	Democratic	Fiona Ma	1,448,657	68.7
	Republican	James E. Theis	660,973	31.3
Total votes			2,109,630	100.0
	Democratic hold

District 3

California's 3rd Board of Equalization district election, 2014
Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jerome Horton (incumbent)	402,244	99.45
	Republican	G. Rick Marshall (write-in)	1,849	0.46
	Libertarian	Jose E. Castaneda (write-in)	198	0.05
	Peace and Freedom	Eric S. Moren (write-in)	134	0.03
	Peace and Freedom	Jan B. Tucker (write-in)	36	0.01
Total votes			404,461	100
General election
	Democratic	Jerome Horton (incumbent)	858,471	62.4
	Republican	G. Rick Marshall	517,287	37.6
Total votes			1,375,758	100.0
	Democratic hold

District 4

California's 4th Board of Equalization district election, 2014
Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Diane Harkey	324,642	34.8
	Democratic	Nader Shahatit	316,666	33.9
	Republican	John F. Kelly	101,836	10.9
	Republican	Van Tran	84,162	9.01
	Republican	Shirley Horton	74,794	8.01
	Republican	Lewis Da Silva	32,094	3.44
Total votes			934,194	100
General election
	Republican	Diane Harkey	1,030,580	61.4
	Democratic	Nader Shahatit	648,980	38.6
Total votes			1,679,560	100.0
	Republican hold

State legislature

State Senate

Main article: California State Senate elections, 2014

Voters in the 20 even-numbered districts of the California State Senate elected their representatives.

State Assembly

Main article: California State Assembly elections, 2014

Voters in all 80 of California's state assembly districts elected their representatives.

Statewide ballot propositions

June primary election

The following propositions were on the June ballot:

• Proposition 41 - Passed

  The Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Bond Act Of 2014 is a legislatively referred statute that authorizes $600 million in bonds for affordable multifamily housing for veterans and their families. Supporters argued that this would fund such housing for low income and homeless veterans, while opponents were concerned that it would divert funds from the bonds previously approved under Proposition 12 on 2008 to assist veterans in general who are purchasing properties.

• Proposition 42 - Passed

  This initiative constitutional amendment requires local governments to comply with laws that provide public access to their body meetings and records of government officials. It also eliminates the reimbursement for the costs of such compliance. Supporters argued for the need for such open public access, while opponents disagreed with provisions that would impose the costs of compliance upon the local governments involved instead of the state.

November general election

The following propositions have qualified for the November ballot:

• Proposition 1 - Passed

  The Safe, Clean, and Reliable Water Supply Act is a legislatively referred statute that authorizes bonds to upgrade California's water system. The original bill was going to be appear on the November 2010 ballot, but the California Legislature postponed the vote until now. This measure was then originally numbered as Proposition 43, but on August 13, the legislature passed a revised version of the proposal for the 2014 ballot to address issues of the ongoing statewide drought, and numbered this new one as Proposition 1. This updated proposal authorizes $7.12 billion in general obligation bonds, and reallocates $425 million of unused bond authority from prior water bond acts, for various state water supply infrastructure projects. Supporters believed that this will help provide safe and reliable supplies of water to farms, businesses and communities, especially during the current drought. Opponents argued that the proposed specific projects in the initiative are misplaced, saying that there is too much emphasis on building new dams, which does not really help to relieve the drought.

• Proposition 2 - Passed

  This legislative constitutional amendment makes several changes relating to state's reserve policy. It, among others, establishes a replacement version of the Budget Stabilization Account (first enacted per Proposition 58 in 2004), in which it will annually receive 1.5% of the estimated amount of General Fund revenues for each respective fiscal year. The Act also creates another reserve fund for public schools funding (as mandated per Proposition 98 in 1988) called the Public School System Stabilization Account. This measure was then originally numbered as Proposition 44, but was then re-numbered as Proposition 2. Supporters argued that this provides a strong rainy day fund, while opponents disagreed (among others) with provisions setting a maximum amount of reserves that school districts could keep at the local level.

• Proposition 45 - Failed

  Under this initiative, any health insurance rate change will need to be approved by the state's Insurance Commissioner before it can take effect. Any health insurer requesting such approval will need to provide information to justify their rate changes. The measure also provides procedures for public notice, disclosure, hearing, and subsequent judicial review for this approval process; it was different than similar states in allowing members of the public to sue the commissioner over approved rate hikes. Supporters believed that this will stop price gouging. Opponents were concerned about giving that much power to the Insurance Commissioner, who as an elected politician could be easily influenced be special interest groups.

• Proposition 46 - Failed

  This initiative will require the regular drug and alcohol testing of doctors. Administration of this will be given to the California Medical Board. Doctors will also be required to report any other doctor suspected of being under the influence while on duty. In addition, doctors will be required to check the state's CURES (Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System) prescription drug history database before prescribing certain controlled substances to patients. Furthermore, the $250,000 cap on pain and suffering damages in medical negligence lawsuits will be increased to account for inflation. Supporters argued that this will reduce medical negligence, while opponents were concerned that the cap increase in medical negligence lawsuits will eventually lead to higher health care costs.

• Proposition 47 - Passed

  This initiative downgrades the sentencing classification, from felonies to misdemeanors, for the crimes of petty theft, receiving stolen property, and forging/writing bad checks when the value or amount involved is $950 or less. However, a person who has a previous conviction for crimes such as rape, murder or child molestation or is a registered sex offender will still get a felony sentence. In addition, people currently serving felony sentences for these crimes will be re-sentenced unless a court determines that they are an unreasonable public safety risk. The resulting net savings in the state's criminal justice system will then be applied to a new "Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund" for mental health and drug treatment programs, K-12 schools, and crime victims. Supporters argued that this will reduce spending and government waste in the state's overcrowded prisons; opponents argued that this could potentially release over 10,000 prisoners, reduce penalties for stealing guns and sex crimes, and overburden the state justice system.

• Proposition 48 - Failed

  This was a referendum on Assembly Bill 277. Passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor in July 2013, it ratified gaming compacts with the Northfork Rancheria of Mono Indians and the Wiyot Tribe. Under the compacts, the Northfork tribe were permitted to build a casino with 2000 slot machines in Madera County on land that was accepted into federal trust for gaming, instead of building one on their reservation near Yosemite. The Wiyot Tribe would have then receive a percentage of the revenue from the Northfork's casino, in exchange for not building one of their own on their land near the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The tribes were also given exemptions to the California Environmental Quality Act "in deference to tribal sovereignty". Supporters of the compacts argued that the proposed casino will bring jobs and tax money, as well as avoid potentially negative environmental impact in both Yosemite and Humboldt Bay; opponents said that this would have paved the way for massive off-reservation casinos.

• Proposition 49 - Removed from the ballot by order of the California Supreme Court

  Originally put on the ballot by the state legislature, Proposition 49 would have been non-binding advisory question presented to voters, asking if the U.S. Congress should propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. In that case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the government is prohibited from restricting campaign contributions and other political independent expenditures by corporations, associations, or labor unions. This proposition alone would have no binding legal effect, and it will only be submitted to Congress as a formal request; under Article Five of the U.S. Constitution, the process for amending the Constitution can only be initiated by either Congress or a national convention assembled at the request of the legislatures of at least two-thirds (at present 34) of the states. On August 11, the California Supreme Court ordered that the measure be pulled from the November ballot pending further state constitutional review: at issue is that the state legislature has no defined specific power to place such advisory measures on the ballot.

Local races

Local races included:

• A runoff in the San Diego mayoral special election was held on February 11. The special election was necessary following the resignation of Bob Filner on August 30, 2013. A primary election was held on November 19, 2013. Since no candidate received a majority of the vote in the first round, a runoff election was held between the top two vote-getters on February 11. In the runoff, Republican Kevin Faulconer defeated Democratic candidate David Alvarez.
• The San Jose mayoral election will determine the successor to incumbent Democratic Mayor Chuck Reed, who is term-limited out of office. A primary election was held on June 3. As no candidate received a majority of the vote, a runoff election will be held between the top two vote-getters, Dave Cortese and Sam Liccardo, on November 4.

External links

• California Elections and Voter Information from the California Secretary of State