Below are the 2018 midterm election results.
Mayor Heidi Harmon reelected
Heidi Harmon will be the mayor of San Luis Obispo for a second term, beating out challengers Keith Gurnee and Donald Hedrick. Harmon won with 59.73 percent of votes, according to San Luis Obispo County’s final unofficial results. Harmon’s second campaign was “Promises Made, Promises Kept.”
“A more forward thinking view of San Luis Obispo is winning, so I think that’s a win for the city and that’s definitely a win for the campus and the students,” Harmon said from her election night party. “We’re all excited about the future of San Luis Obispo.”
Harmon has set high environmental goals for San Luis Obispo, with hopes to make the city’s carbon footprint zero by 2035.
At the Mustang News mayoral debate, Harmon said she believes San Luis Obispo is a special place and community members have an obligation to keep it as such. She also said since the government will never develop into the city’s open space, the community needs to be smart about where affordable housing will be approved and developed. Harmon said she believes the city needs to increase density for greater affordability.
Harmon, who said students contributed to her 2016 win, said she believes in more relationships and less ordinances. She said she is proud of her work toward better relationships so far, including her council making the party registration program permanent and voting against an expansion of the safety enhancement zone around St. Patrick’s Day.
Elected City Council Members
Carlyn Christianson
Incumbent Carlyn Christianson was elected to serve another four years on San Luis Obispo’s city council, earning 26.96 percent of votes. Christianson plans to continue her focus on affordable housing, increased transportation and environmental issues.
“I am still a champion of housing, transportation and environmental issues, and I still believe passionately in the city’s key partnership with Cal Poly in making this the best place to be,” Christianson wrote in an email to Mustang News.
Along with serving on city council, Christianson is an administrative assistant at Transitions Mental Health Association and has had a long career as a healthcare administrator for both nonprofit and for-profit organizations.
Erica A. Stewart
Erica A. Stewart, a Cal Poly alumna and administrator, was also elected to San Luis Obispo’s city council with 20.64 percent of votes. Stewart plans to improve city outreach programs and work more directly with local students.
“There a number of ways we can facilitate the combining of resources of the city, the county and Cal Poly to better serve our entire community,” Stewart wrote in an email to Mustang News. “My goal is to increase the connectivity and integration of the [Cal Poly and the city] in to one cohesive community.”
In addition to her employment at Cal Poly and start on city council, Stewart is a Civil Services Commissioner for the County of San Luis Obispo and is involved in multiple non-profits.
Measure results
No on County Measure G: Fracking and Oil Drilling Ban
Measure G will not be enacted with 55.78 percent of San Luis Obispo County voters rejecting the measure, meaning new oil and gas wells and fracking will be allowed in the county. Opponents of Measure G believe a ban on new oil and gas wells would have shut down jobs and faze out existing productions. Proponents of Measure G believed the measure would have helped protect water supply in San Luis Obispo and help the county move toward more sustainable energy.
Yes on City Measure F: Cannabis Business Tax
Measure F will be enacted with 79.57 percent of San Luis Obispo City voters supporting the cannabis business tax. The passage of Measure F allows for the possibility of commercial cannabis businesses in San Luis Obispo. The measure means any cannabis businesses in San Luis Obispo will be taxed up to 10 percent of gross receipts for retail business and up to $10 per square foot for cultivation. The money from the tax will go to the General Fund and can be used for any project, service, or operation in San Luis Obispo as decided by the City Council. This tax could raise an estimated $1.5 annually.
Proposition results
Yes on Prop. 1: Housing Programs and Veterans’ Loans Bond
Prop. 1 will be enacted with 54.1 percent of Californians voting yes, which authorizes $4 billion in bonds for housing-related programs, loans, grants and projects for veterans.
The bonds will help build housing near public transportation and help with home down payments. It is expected that the passing of this proposition will provide housing to 55,000 people.
Yes on Prop. 2: Use Millionaire’s Tax Revenue for Homelessness Prevention Housing Bonds Measure
Prop. 2 will be enacted with 61.1 percent of Californians voting yes, which means a part of the 1 percent income tax residents who make $1 million or more have to pay will go toward housing homeless people with mental illnesses. Prop. 2 is an expansion of Prop. 63, which passed in 2004 and established the Millionaire’s tax to help counties create and expand mental health services. The passing of this proposition means the homeless housing program, No Place Like Home, will be able to use $120 million a year from the tax revenue.
No on Prop. 3: Water Infrastructure and Watershed Conservation Bond Initiative
Prop. 3 will not be enacted with 52.3 percent of Californians voting no, which means $8.9 billion in state general obligation bonds will not be spent to help fund water-related improvements, such as quality and supply. These funds were proposed to be added to the $4.1 billion bond generated from Prop. 68 for similar water-related issues.
Yes on Prop. 4: Children’s Hospital Bonds Initiative
Prop. 4 will be enacted with 58.6 percent of Californians voting yes, which means the state will issue $1.5 billion in bonds to improve children’s hospitals. The bonds will help fund grants for construction, expansion, renovation and equipping of qualifying children’s hospitals. The measure will aim to increase capacity and provide the latest technology to help treat more children at hospitals that care for more than 2 million sick children per year, regardless of what families can pay.
No on Prop. 5: Property Tax Transfer Initiative
Prop. 5 will not be enacted with 58.1 percent of Californians voting no, which means only certain homeowners older than age 55 (or those who meet other qualifications) will be eligible for property tax savings when they move homes. Public schools, fire, police, health care, and other services will suffer a loss of as much as $1 billion in local revenue.
No on Prop. 6: Voter Approval for Future Gas and Vehicle Taxes and 2017 Tax Repeal Initiative
Prop. 6 will not be enacted with 54.9 percent of Californians voting no, which means the fuel and vehicle taxes passed recently will remain in effect, continuing payment for transit programs and highway and road maintenance repairs. Voter approval will not be needed for any new increases in state fuel or vehicle taxes. There will be an estimated loss of $5 billion annually in California’s tax revenues, spending less on congestion relief, highway repair, and mass transit.
Yes on Prop. 7: Permanent Daylight Saving Time Measure
Prop. 7 will be enacted with 61.3 percent of Californians voting yes, which means the Legislature, with allowance by the federal government, can change daylight saving time with a two-thirds vote. This allows clocks to stay the same year-round. The measure will conserve more energy by maximizing sunlight. Ending the time change could eliminate health concerns and increase productivity of students, the workforce, and seniors.
No on Prop. 8: Limits on Dialysis Clinics’ Revenue and Required Refunds Initiative
Prop. 8 will not be enacted with 61.9 percent of Californians voting no, which means that kidney dialysis clinics will not have their revenues capped at 115 percent or have to refund excess profits to patients and insurers. Prop. 8 was opposed by the American Nurses Association California, Latin Business Association, American College of Emergency Physicians California, and other patient advocacy, health, veterans, community health care clinics, community, seniors, taxpayer and business coalitions. The opposition argued the initiative would allegedly result in the closure of dialysis clinics in California, reducing access to care and increasing taxpayer costs.
No on Prop. 10: Local Rent Control Initiative
Prop. 10 will not be enacted with 64.1 percent of Californians voting no, which keeps the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, which was passed by the California State Legislature in 1995, in place and prevents cities from enacting rent control on certain housing.
Yes on Prop. 11: Ambulance Employees Paid On-Call Breaks, Training, and Mental Health Services Initiative
Prop. 11 will be enacted with 61.9 percent of Californians voting yes, which means employers are now allowed to require ambulance workers to remain on-call during breaks. Employers will be required to pay paramedics and EMTs their regular rate during breaks as well as provide additional training related to active shootings, natural disasters, violence prevention and mental health and as much as 10 paid mental health services per year. The initiative was proposed to amend the state labor law after employer-required on-call breaks were found to violate this law in the 2016 Supreme Court ruling of Augustus v. ABM Security Services.
Yes on Prop. 12: Farm Animal Confinement Initiative
Prop. 12 will be enacted with 59.3 percent of Californians voting yes, which creates a minimum square footage requirement for calves raised for veal, breeding pigs and egg-laying hens. Any veal, pork or eggs produced from animals confined to spaces not meeting the minimum requirements are banned from sale.
Midterm Senate and House of Representatives Results