The death last week of Democratic state Senator Jenny Oropeza saddened constituents in her district and fellow politicians in Sacramento, and raised the possibility that voters might go to the polls for a special election to determine who will replace her.
Oropeza’s name will appear on the Nov. 2 general election ballot. If either of the challengers – Republican John S. Stammreich or Libertarian David Ruskin – defeats her, he will move into her Senate seat. But if Oropeza draws the most votes, a special election will be held to determine her successor.
Under state law, if a candidate passes away within 68 days before an election, his or her votes are counted. If the candidate gets a majority of the vote total, a special election, or perhaps two special elections, are held to determine who steps into the office.
The first special election is a primary with candidates who file nominations papers as they would to get on any other primary-election ballot. If a candidate in the primary gets a majority of the vote total, he or she is elected to the office. If no candidate gets a majority, a second election is held to determine the winner.
A California Secretary of State’s Office spokeswoman said it was not immediately clear whether the second election would pit the top vote getters from each political party, or would pit the top two vote getters regardless of party affiliation, which is required in standard elections by the recently approved Proposition 14.
Oropeza died Wednesday, Oct. 20, following a lengthy illness. She was 53. She had been diagnosed with a blot clot in her abdomen in May, and was unable to travel from Long Beach to Sacramento this month to cast a vote when the state budget was approved. She is survived by her husband of 33 years, Tom Mullins, her mother Sharon, brother John and sister Lynne.
Flags were flown at half-staff at the state Capitol. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called Oropeza a champion for public health, the environment, transportation and veterans. Democratic state Assemblyman Ted Lieu said he was “deeply saddened” and called Oropeza a “champion for children, seniors, the poor, and those without voices in government.”
Stammreich is a U.S. Navy veteran and aerospace contracts manager who made jobs and business stimulation key pieces of his campaign.
He bemoans the loss of aerospace jobs and wants to comb through government regulations to determine which ones discourage businesses from locating, growing and remaining in the state. But he also says he wants to protect the environment as well. He is one of only two state Senate candidates endorsed by the organization Republicans for Environmental Protection.
Stammreich has served on the board of the Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council and the Los Angeles County Republican Central Committee, and has chaired the 54th Assembly District Central Committee.
He has served on the Los Angeles County Republican Party Executive Board and the executive committee of the California Republican Party. He opposed the solar energy-related Measure B in Los Angeles, and campaigned with the South Bay Tea Party against Propositions 1A through 1E in the state’s special election in May 2009.
He is married with two children.
Oropeza, a former state assemblywoman and member of the Long Beach City Council and school board, had described herself as leading the way in fighting second-hand smoke, improving health care for women and protecting the environment.
Last year the governor signed into law six of her health, consumer protection and environmental bills that she described as significant.
Oropeza chaired the Senate Majority Caucus and was the highest-ranking Latina in the Senate.
From Jan. 1 until Oct. 16, the Oropeza campaign received $97,000 in contributions and maintained $47,000 cash on hand, according to state campaign finance records.
In the same period the Stammreich campaign received $64,000 in contributions and was left with $2,300 on hand, but Stammreich said his campaign has maintained as much as $12,000 cash on hand since Oct. 16.
Requests to interview Ruskin, the Libertarian candidate and a Torrance resident, were unsuccessful. ER
