While the U.S. Senate turned redder Tuesday, the House flipped to blue, and the 25th Congressional District flipped right along with it. Which was never a sure thing.
It was a see-saw ride all night as the results trickled in, but when incumbent Republican Steve Knight of Palmdale failed to take a commanding lead in the first absentee balloting, the die was cast. In the final tally, Agua Dulce Democrat Katie Hill locked it up by a 51.26-48.74 percent margin. Late absentee and provisional ballots will be counted in the coming days, but a 4,000-vote deficit is too wide a gap for Knight to close.
Congressional candidate Katie Hill at Nov. 3 campaign rally at Newhall School Auditorium | Photo (c)Bruce McFarland
Knight had defeated all four of his Democratic challengers, combined, in the June primary. Then the money started pouring in. Hill amassed a never-before-seen war chest of her own in excess of $7.5 million; coupled with many more millions in outside money that targeted the 25th District, she was able to be everywhere in the final weeks. Knight’s estimated $3 million was no match as Hill dominated the airwaves and mobilized her base to get out the vote.
It was a different story in the race for Santa Clarita City Council where the results never wavered throughout the evening, and money, while always a factor, wasn’t in the same ballpark or even the same town. Mayor Laurene Weste and Mayor Pro-Tem Marsha McLean were reelected, and incumbent appointee Bill Miranda won the voters’ affirmation amid a crowded field.
Los Angeles County probably has a new sheriff, although the final tally might not be known until those late ballots are counted. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Alex Villanueva was leading Sheriff Jim McDonnell by 820,333 votes to 815,406. (It’s a 5,000-vote gap, but it’s 10 times the raw number of votes, compared to the congressional race.)
In the Assembly, Republican Dante Acosta overcame a second challenge from Democratic school board member Christy Smith, although by a narrower margin (50.48-49.52) than in 2016 (52.9-47.1). Acosta lost in Los Angeles County by nearly 2 points (50.87-49.13, a 1,591-vote spread on election night) but more than compensated in other parts of the district. In the Antelope Valley, Republican Tom Lackey again defeated his Democratic nemesis, Steve Fox, 56-44.
On the community college board, longtime incumbent Joan MacGregor survived a challenge from Ann-Marie Bjorkman. MacGregor had faculty support while Bjorkman had backing from the local business community.
There were few surprises in local school board races other than the defeat of longtime board member Judy Umeck in Saugus.
Voters in Acton-Agua Dulce soundly defeated a school construction bond measure that was intended to modernize campuses and complete Vasquez High School construction projects.
At the top of the ticket, Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom will be scratching the “Lieutenant” off of his door after sending Republican John H. Cox back to San Diego County where he has lived for the past decade. Cox had taken a beating in the primary when his Republican opponent criticized him for being a Midwest slumlord.
And on the subject of rent control, California voters said, “no way.”
But they decided to keep what has been labeled the “gas tax,” which will incur $9 billion in debt to pay for transportation projects.
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein staved off a hard-fought challenge from state Senator Kevin de León of Los Angeles who was backed by Democratic Party insiders and led in absentee balloting. By early Wednesday, Feinstein had handily won a sixth term, 54-46.
Finally, Los Angeles County voters overwhelmingly approved a stormwater management measure that imposes a new tax on driveways, patios and other impregnable surfaces. The measure left a lot of Santa Clarita Valley residents scratching their heads after they’d been told to rip out their lawns and put in hardscape.
Gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom takes center stage at a campaign rally Saturday, Nov. 3, at the Newhall School Auditorium. Photo (c)Bruce McFarland.
Gavin Newsom, rally at Newhall School Auditorium, November 3, 2018 | COC photo
U.S. Rep. Steve Knight (R-Antelope Valley) conceded defeat Wednesday after voters in California’s 25th Congressional District chose Democratic challenger Katie Hill by a 52-48 percent margin, with 100 percent of the district's 350 precincts reporting.
Former Rep. Steve Knight confirmed speculation Sunday that he would be considering a run in the expected special election for Rep. Katie Hill’s soon-to-be-vacated seat.
Former Rep. Steve Knight officially announced his candidacy for the 2020 election for the 25th Congressional District seat on Saturday.
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Funny you mention Katie getting outside money as though Knight didn’t get any. He got quuite a lot too, as you well know. Yes, she had quite a war chest because of the positions she took on healthcare, climate and more. But it is also because of Trump’s harsh and bullying rhetoric. So many of us were saying no to divisive speech at the same time we were saying yes to her platform.
And she had an amazing number of volunteer supporters. She ran a top notch campaign. Is this station and news so controlled by the Reps that such a thing can’t be acknowledged?
The William S Hart Pony Baseball Complex will be the site of a fun, nostalgic and free photo shoot on Sunday, May 4, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Local high school baseball players from the graduating class of 2025 are encouraged to attend in their high school home uniforms and pose for group photos.
The Summer Academic Program for Elementary School Students is accepting applications for summer 2025. The five-week program, divided into different weekly themes, gives elementary students in grades one through five, an opportunity to be in a creative learning environment
The William S Hart Pony Baseball Complex will be the site of a fun, nostalgic and free photo shoot on Sunday, May 4, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Local high school baseball players from the graduating class of 2025 are encouraged to attend in their high school home uniforms and pose for group photos.
The Summer Academic Program for Elementary School Students is accepting applications for summer 2025. The five-week program, divided into different weekly themes, gives elementary students in grades one through five, an opportunity to be in a creative learning environment
The city of Santa Clarita Film Office has released the list of 11 productions filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, April 21 to Saturday, April 26.
For the second year in a row, The Master's University men's volleyball team will be the No. 1 seed at the NAIA National Championships. The competition will run April 29 to May 3 at Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Time is running out for tickets and sponsorships for this year's Silver Spur celebration, which will honor Marlee Lauffer with the 2025 Silver Spur Community Service Award in recognition of her longtime support of College of the Canyons and her philanthropic contributions to the Santa Clarita Valley.
Ticketing will be closing April 24 for the 2025 Santa Clarita Valley Man & Woman of the Year Gala Event, which will be held on Friday, May 2. Seating is limited and tickets have sold out for the last two years, so buy now to guarantee your seat at the table.
College of the Canyons track and field compiled some early points and saw a slew of strong performances during the opening meet of the two-day Western State Conference Prelims & Championships, hosted by Ventura College April 18.
SCVTV will debut a new public access series of video fitness shorts, "Training Tuesdays with M" on Tuesday, April 22. The shorts, two-to-four-minute videos, will air between regular programming at 8:24 a.m., 1:25 p.m., 4:24 p.m. and 4:55 p.m.
As gardening season blooms across California, officials with the California Department of Food and Agriculture are urging residents to take action to prevent the introduction of invasive fruit flies and other pests, which can threaten backyard gardens and the state’s robust agricultural landscape.
Legacy Christian Academy, will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a special celebration dinner and fundraiser, 5:30-9 p.m. Friday, April 25 at the Hyatt Regency Valencia.
Activated Events, the premier independent live events company, has announced the lineup for the return of Boots In The Park to Santa Clarita, noon- 10 p.m. Saturday, May 10 at Central Park.
The prestigious Bryan Clay Invitational yielded records upon records for The Master's University track and field teams April 16-18. Multiple school records went down including the women's 5000m, men's shot put and the men's 800m.
For just the third time in 23 matches, The Master's University men's volleyball team went five sets in a match. And for the third time in 23 matches, the team won, only this time it was for the GSAC Tournament Championship.
The Master's University men's and women's golf teams completed the final round of the GSAC Championship Tournament at Antelope Hills Golf Course North Wednesday afternoon, April 16.
Businesses defined as food generators are invited to an Edible Food Recovery Networking event Friday, April 25, from 8:30-10 a.m. at the Canyon Country Jo Anne Darcy Library, 18601 Soledad Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, 91351, CA.
College of the Canyons softball concluded its season sweep of L.A. Valley College by taking a 9-2 road victory over the Monarchs on Thursday, April 17.
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6 Comments
Congratulations Katie Hill, about time this district turned blue. Knight out for good and I am so happy. Go get ‘em Katie!
Thank you Katie Hill!!!
Funny you mention Katie getting outside money as though Knight didn’t get any. He got quuite a lot too, as you well know. Yes, she had quite a war chest because of the positions she took on healthcare, climate and more. But it is also because of Trump’s harsh and bullying rhetoric. So many of us were saying no to divisive speech at the same time we were saying yes to her platform.
And she had an amazing number of volunteer supporters. She ran a top notch campaign. Is this station and news so controlled by the Reps that such a thing can’t be acknowledged?
Sad day in SCV. The hard working people of this state are about to lose more money. Many good people will leave.
Congratulations Katie. You will be awesome for Santa Clarita! Glad to be rid of that fool Knight.
Well now we know you can buy an election. $6 million more than Knight was just enough to do. We will see how much she will need in 2 years.