June Primary Election: What's On Today's Ballot?

Today, Californians for the first time will vote in an open primary. That means the top two vote-getters in a race will move on to the November general election, whether they are from the same party or not.

In addition, this will be the first election with the new congressional, state Senate and state Assembly districts approved last fall by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission, which officially take effect in January. You can look at the new districts at this website.

For Milpitas, this means there are Congressional and Assembly district races underway today as the city votes for representatives in the  and the 25th Assembly District. City Councilman Pete McHugh is on the ballot for assemblyman.

City voters also will decide on Measure E, which would increase property taxes to pay for repairs within Milpitas Unified School District.

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m., though some results may not become official until later in the week.

If you aren't sure where to go to vote, don't worry, you can locate that easily on the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters page or at SmartVoter.org. You can find a number of resources on both sites.

Here's a breakdown of our local elections. Stay tuned to Milpitas Patch tonight for live coverage of the following races:

Measure E

Measure E would raise $95 million for school maintenance, facility upgrades, and a new elementary school in the Transit Area. It would charge residents an additional $50 per $100,000 of assessed home value. For example, the owner of a $500,000 home would pay an additional $250 per year in taxes.

State Assembly

This new district includes Milpitas, Fremont, Newark, Santa Clara and unincorporated east Santa Clara County.

There are three candidates in this race.

Democrat Bob Wieckowski was elected to the Assembly in 2010. He was previously on the Fremont City Council.

Milpitas City Councilman Pete McHugh will challenge Wieckowski. McHugh, also a Democrat, is a former Santa Clara County supervisor.

Republican Arlyne Diamond is a polical newcomer who founded Diamond Associates. She lists herself as a business owner and professor who has authored four business management books.

Congress

The new district includes Milpitas, part of Fremont, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Newark and Santa Clara.

There are three candidates.

Democrat Mike Honda was first elected to the House in 2000. He was born in California, spent World War Two in an internment camp in Colorado. After the war family was strawberry sharecroppers in San Jose area. He served in Peace Corps in the 1960s and was a science teacher before his political career. He was elected as a Santa Clara County supervisor in 1990.

Republican Evelyn Li is a medical doctor as well as graduate of U.C. Berkeley and U.C. Davis. She emigrated to the United States from Hong Kong as a teenager. Li has been a cardiologist for the past 25 years and founded the Asian Medical Clinic of Fremont. On her website, Li says, "I have had the amazing opportunity to participate in the American Dream. I want to make sure that our American Dream stays alive for our children and grandchildren."

Charles Richardson has lived in Fremont since 1979. He is a married father of four children. Richardson is a Missouri native who dropped out of high school to support his family and then went back to school and earned two college degrees. He now owns Bully's GrillPub in Fremont. On the ballot, the Army veteran lists no party preference. On his website, Richardson states he is "not a politician." He says he's running because "I believe major changes are needed to revitalize our country and protect the rights of other citizens like me."

Stay tuned to Milpitas Patch tonight for live election coverage.

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