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California State Board of Equalization election, 2018
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 22
- Early voting: Oct. 8 - Nov. 5
- Absentee voting deadline: Postmark Nov. 6
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: Yes
- Voter ID: No
- Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
2022 →
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| California State Board of Equalization |
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 |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: March 9, 2018 |
| Primary: June 5, 2018 General: November 6, 2018 Pre-election incumbent(s): George Runner (Republican) (District 1) Fiona Ma (Democrat) (District 2) Jerome Horton (Democrat) (District 3) Diane Harkey (Republican) (District 4) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in California |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2018 Impact of term limits in 2018 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018 |
| California executive elections |
| Governor Lieutenant governor |
California held an election for four seats on the state board of equalization on November 6, 2018. A top-two primary election was held on June 5, 2018; the top two vote-getters from each district, regardless of party, advanced to the general.
The election took place shortly after Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed legislation reducing the scope of the board's responsibilities in 2017 following accusations of mismanagement.[1] Read more below.
The California State Board of Equalization is the only elected tax board in the country and was established by a constitutional amendment.[2]
All four seats on the board were open, meaning the incumbent was not running. George Runner (R-District 1) and Jerome Horton (D-District 3) were term-limited, while one-term members Fiona Ma (D-District 2) and Diane Harkey (R-District 4) chose to run for state treasurer and U.S. House, respectively.
Candidates and election results
District 1
General election
General election for California State Board of Equalization District 1
Ted Gaines defeated Tom Hallinan in the general election for California State Board of Equalization District 1 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Ted Gaines (R) | 51.4 | 1,436,547 | |
| Tom Hallinan (D) | 48.6 | 1,355,782 | ||
| Total votes: 2,792,329 (100.00% precincts reporting) | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for California State Board of Equalization District 1
Tom Hallinan and Ted Gaines defeated Connie Conway and David Evans in the primary for California State Board of Equalization District 1 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Tom Hallinan (D) | 39.4 | 606,159 | |
| ✔ | Ted Gaines (R) | 32.6 | 500,879 | |
| Connie Conway (R) | 18.4 | 283,477 | ||
| David Evans (R) | 9.6 | 147,473 | ||
| Total votes: 1,537,988 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
District 2
General election
General election for California State Board of Equalization District 2
Malia Cohen defeated Mark Burns in the general election for California State Board of Equalization District 2 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Malia Cohen (D) | 72.8 | 2,482,171 | |
| Mark Burns (R) | 27.2 | 927,949 | ||
| Total votes: 3,410,120 (100.00% precincts reporting) | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for California State Board of Equalization District 2
Malia Cohen and Mark Burns defeated Cathleen Galgiani and Barry Chang in the primary for California State Board of Equalization District 2 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Malia Cohen (D) | 38.7 | 723,355 | |
| ✔ | Mark Burns (R) | 26.9 | 502,143 | |
| Cathleen Galgiani (D) | 25.7 | 480,887 | ||
| Barry Chang (D) | 8.7 | 163,102 | ||
| Total votes: 1,869,487 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
District 3
General election
General election for California State Board of Equalization District 3
Tony Vazquez defeated G. Rick Marshall in the general election for California State Board of Equalization District 3 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Tony Vazquez (D) | 69.9 | 1,895,972 | |
| G. Rick Marshall (R) | 30.1 | 815,829 | ||
| Total votes: 2,711,801 (100.00% precincts reporting) | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for California State Board of Equalization District 3
The following candidates ran in the primary for California State Board of Equalization District 3 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | G. Rick Marshall (R) | 26.4 | 335,570 | |
| ✔ | Tony Vazquez (D) | 20.2 | 255,988 | |
| Cheryl Turner (D) | 16.9 | 214,916 | ||
| Scott Svonkin (D) | 13.4 | 170,254 | ||
| Nancy Pearlman (D) | 12.6 | 160,105 | ||
| Doug Kriegel (D) | 3.5 | 44,962 | ||
| Ben Pak (D) | 3.5 | 44,588 | ||
| Micheál O'Leary (Independent) | 3.4 | 43,084 | ||
| Total votes: 1,269,467 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
District 4
General election
General election for California State Board of Equalization District 4
Mike Schaefer defeated Joel Anderson in the general election for California State Board of Equalization District 4 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Mike Schaefer (D) | 52.2 | 1,559,373 | |
| Joel Anderson (R) | 47.8 | 1,427,566 | ||
| Total votes: 2,986,939 (100.00% precincts reporting) | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for California State Board of Equalization District 4
The following candidates ran in the primary for California State Board of Equalization District 4 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Joel Anderson (R) | 31.2 | 492,122 | |
| ✔ | Mike Schaefer (D) | 17.0 | 269,044 | |
| John Kelly (R) | 16.7 | 263,294 | ||
| David Dodson (D) | 14.9 | 234,534 | ||
| Ken Lopez-Maddox (D) | 14.5 | 228,811 | ||
| Jim Stieringer (R) | 3.7 | 58,642 | ||
| Nader Shahatit (R) | 2.0 | 32,105 | ||
| Total votes: 1,578,552 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Background
The California State Board of Equalization was established by a constitutional amendment in 1879 and "was initially charged with responsibility for ensuring that county property tax assessment practices were equal and uniform throughout the state," according to the board's website.[3] The board's responsibilities expanded to include oversight of 30 tax and fee programs, which generated 30 percent of that state's revenue ($60.5 billion) in fiscal year 2014-2015.[4]
Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed legislation in June 2017 reducing the board's staff from 4,800 to 400 and transferring the responsibilities of hearing taxpayer appeals and collecting sales and excise taxes to two new departments, the Office of Tax Appeals and the Department of Tax and Fee Administration. The board remains responsible for setting gas tax rates and pipeline levies and for overseeing county property tax assessments.[1]
The legislation followed a March 2017 evaluation of the board by the California Department of Finance, which reported "multiyear misallocations and reporting errors of sales and use tax" and that "some board members routinely supplement their staff by redirecting revenue generating staff to perform non-revenue generating board member activities, including outreach activities."[4] The evaluation noted staff-redirecting activities in districts 3 and 4, represented by Horton and Harkey, respectively; Harkey stated that she was not involved in the redirecting in question, while Horton said that District 3 activities described in the evaluation were within the board's scope and properly conducted.[5]
Three of the elected board members—Runner (R), Horton (D), and Harkey (R)—opposed the legislation reducing the board's responsibilities while Ma (D) supported it, The Sacramento Bee reported.[6]
State overview
Partisan control
This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in California heading into the 2018 elections.
Congressional delegation
- Following the 2016 elections, Democrats held both U.S. Senate seats in California.
- Democrats held 39 of 53 U.S. House seats in California.
State executives
- As of May 2018, Democrats held seven of 10 state executive positions and the remaining three positions were officially nonpartisan.
- The governor of California was Democrat Jerry Brown.
State legislature
- Democrats controlled both chambers of the California State Legislature. They had a 55-25 majority in the state Assembly and a 27-13 majority in the state Senate.
Trifecta status
- California was a state government trifecta, meaning that Democrats held the governorship and majorities in the state house and state senate.
2018 elections
- See also: California elections, 2018
California held elections for the following positions in 2018:
- 1 Senate seat
- 53 U.S. House seats
- Governor
- Seven other state executive positions
- 20 of 40 state Senate seats
- 80 state Assembly seats
- Two state Supreme Court justices
- 35 state Court of Appeals judges
- Local trial court judges
- School board members
Demographics
| Demographic data for California | ||
|---|---|---|
| California | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 38,993,940 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 155,779 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 61.8% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 5.9% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 13.7% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.7% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.4% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 4.5% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 38.4% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 81.8% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 31.4% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $61,818 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 18.2% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in California. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
As of July 2016, California had a population of approximately 39,000,000 people, with its three largest cities being Los Angeles (pop. est. 4.0 million), San Diego (pop. est. 1.4 million), and San Jose (pop. est. 1 million).[7][8]
State election history
This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in California from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the California Secretary of State.
Historical elections
Presidential elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in California every year from 2000 to 2016.
| Election results (President of the United States), California 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2016 | 61.7% | 31.6% | 30.1% | ||
| 2012 | 60.2% | 37.1% | 23.1% | ||
| 2008 | 61.1% | 37% | 24.1% | ||
| 2004 | 54.4% | 44.4% | 10% | ||
| 2000 | 53.5% | 41.7% | 11.8% | ||
U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in California from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
| Election results (U.S. Senator), California 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2016 | 61.6% | 38.4% | 23.2% | ||
| 2012 | 62.5% | 37.5% | 25% | ||
| 2010 | 52.2% | 42.2% | 10% | ||
| 2006 | 59.5% | 35.1% | 24.4% | ||
| 2004 | 57.8% | 37.8% | 20% | ||
| 2000 | 55.9% | 36.6% | 19.3% | ||
Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in California.
| Election results (Governor), California 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2014 | 60% | 40% | 20% | ||
| 2010 | 53.8% | 40.9% | 12.9% | ||
| 2006 | 55.9% | 39.0% | 16.9% | ||
| 2002 | 47.3% | 42.4% | 4.9% | ||
Congressional delegation, 2000-2016
This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent California in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.
| Congressional delegation, California 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Democrats | Democrats (%) | Republicans | Republicans (%) | Balance of power |
| 2016 | 73.5% | 26.4% | D+25 | ||
| 2014 | 73.5% | 26.4% | D+25 | ||
| 2012 | 71.7% | 28.3% | D+23 | ||
| 2010 | 64.1% | 35.8% | D+15 | ||
| 2008 | 64.1% | 35.8% | D+15 | ||
| 2006 | 64.1% | 35.8% | D+15 | ||
| 2004 | 62.3% | 37.7% | D+13 | ||
| 2002 | 62.3% | 37.7% | D+13 | ||
| 2000 | 61.5% | 38.5% | D+12 | ||
Trifectas, 1992-2017
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.
California Party Control: 1992-2025
Twenty years with Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Assembly | D | D | D | S | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
See also
|
California government: |
Elections: |
Ballotpedia exclusives: |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Los Angeles Times, "In massive shakeup, Gov. Jerry Brown breaks up California's scandal-plagued tax collection agency," July 27, 2017
- ↑ California State Board of Equalization, accessed May 31, 2018
- ↑ California State Board of Equalization, "The Agency and its History," accessed June 5, 2018
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 California Department of Finance, " Final Report—California State Board of Equalization Evaluation," March 30, 2017
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Accused of mismanagement, California's tax collection agency 'is in complete disarray,' officials say," May 7, 2018
- ↑ The Sacramento Bee, "It took almost 90 years, but lawmakers voted to gut California’s tax board," June 15, 2017
- ↑ California Demographics, "California Cities by Population," accessed April 2, 2018
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Quickfacts California," accessed April 2, 2018
