Incumbents were winning all local seats in yesterday’s primary election in San Bernardino County, in most cases by a two-to-one margin. U.S. Representative Paul Cook, a Republican from Yucca Valley, had more than twice as many votes as his nearest competitor, Democrat Rita Ramirez, for his seat in the 8th District. Ramirez is a former Copper Mountain College trustee. Republican Chad Mayes, also of Yucca Valley, received 52 percent of the vote for State Assembly District 42, compared to 41 percent held by Democrat Greg Rodriguez. In these two races, the top two vote-getters will move on to the general election in November.
In the contest for the county’s 3rd district supervisor, incumbent James Ramos received nearly twice the number of votes as Donna Munoz of Morongo Valley. Ramos had about 65 percent of the vote, making him the likely winner and securing his seat for another term.
The other local contest, over Morongo Valley’s Measure E, a $350 parcel tax to benefit the fire department, lost by a large margin, 61 percent to 39 percent.
In the national and statewide contests, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump dominated the race for presidential nominees. Kamala Harris and Loretta Sanchez, both Democrats, will face each other in November for Barbara Boxer’s seat in the U.S. Senate. Voters also approved Proposition 50, which would suspend the pay of legislators who are accused of illegal activity while in office.
