Fil-Am candidates surge ahead in California primaries

LOS ANGELES – Four Filipino American candidates emerged with strong performances in California’s June 2 primary election, with Attorney General Rob Bonta advancing to the general election, Assemblymember Jessica Caloza posting a commanding victory, Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia appearing headed for reelection and former Cerritos Mayor Mark Pulido securing a spot in one of Southern California’s most closely watched legislative contests.

While ballots continue to be counted statewide, early results indicate Filipino Americans remain a growing force in California politics at both the state and local levels.

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id=”h-pulido-advances-in-competitive-assembly-race” class=”wp-block-heading”>Mark Pulido

Mark Pulido  | FILE PHOTO

In California’s 67th Assembly District, former Cerritos Mayor and current Councilmember Mark Pulido advanced to the November general election in the race to succeed termed-out Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva. The top two candidates in the primary will face off in the November elections.

As of Wednesday morning, former Cypress Mayor Paulo Morales, a Republican, led the field with more than 35% of the vote. Pulido, a Democrat, followed with 25%, trailing Morales by nearly 5,400 votes. Democrat Ada Briceño, co-president of Unite Here Local 11, was more than 3,000 votes behind Pulido.

More than 55,000 ballots had been counted, with additional vote-by-mail, provisional and other ballots still being processed.

The district spans northern Orange County and portions of southeastern Los Angeles County, including Buena Park, Cypress, La Palma, Anaheim, parts of Fullerton, Cerritos, Artesia and Hawaiian Gardens.

Morales is endorsed by the Orange County Republican Party and Los Angeles County Republican Party. Pulido has received support from numerous labor unions and Asian American political advocacy organizations. Briceño is backed by the California Democratic Party, the Orange County Democratic Party, labor groups and the Working Families Party. Another Democrat, Artesia Councilmember Ali Taj, is in fourth position. 

Rob Bonta 

Democratic incumbent Rob Bonta, California’s first Filipino American attorney general, advanced to the November general election and is set for a rematch with Republican challenger Michael Gates.

The June primary narrowed the field to the top two vote-getters, who will compete in the November election.

As California’s chief law enforcement officer, the attorney general oversees criminal and civil legal matters on behalf of the state and represents Californians in state and federal courts.

Jessica Caloza

In California’s 52nd Assembly District, Democratic incumbent Jessica Caloza delivered one of the strongest performances among Filipino American candidates on the ballot.

According to unofficial districtwide results reported Wednesday morning, Caloza received 49,937 votes, or 81.7%, compared with 11,192 votes, or 18.3%, for Republican challenger Andrea Lee Anderson.

The district, located entirely within Los Angeles County, had all 120 precincts partially reporting. Election officials noted that vote-by-mail, provisional and other ballots will continue to be counted before results are certified on July 10.

Kenneth Mejia 

Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia appeared on track to win a second term overseeing the city’s financial oversight and auditing functions.

As of 12:51 a.m. Wednesday, Mejia held 58.72% of the vote, positioning the incumbent controller for reelection.

Statewide races take shape

Elsewhere, California’s gubernatorial race remained too early to call Wednesday morning.

Republican Steve Hilton led the field with 1,386,966 votes, or 27.8%, followed by Democrat Xavier Becerra with 1,267,070 votes, or 25.4%. Democrat Tom Steyer was third with 979,007 votes, or 19.6%.

Under California’s top-two primary system, the two candidates receiving the most votes advance to the November general election regardless of party affiliation.

In Los Angeles, incumbent Mayor Karen Bass advanced to the November runoff election, according to NBC News projections.

With ballots still being processed across California, early returns suggest Filipino American candidates remain well-positioned in several prominent races heading into the November general election.

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