On Nov. 5, residents of San Gabriel participated in the 2024 Presidential Election, voting for local measures and politicians in addition to the national election. Residents could vote at two locations both before and on election day: the San Gabriel Library and Roosevelt Elementary School. A corresponding student mock election was also held at Gabrielino High School.
National Elections
For the student mock election, Gabrielino students were able to submit an identical version of the ballot available to voters at the polls. This included federal races for the President, Senate, and House of Representatives, state races for the State Senate and State Assembly and county and local races for district attorney and superior court judges.
All Democratic candidates won in the student mock election, with 23.3% of students reporting a political preference for the Democratic Party and 18.4% for the Republican Party. 42.7% reported no political preference.
In the presidential race, 180 students voted for Kamala Harris, while 150 students voted for Donald Trump, contrasting with Trump’s victory on election night. “[I] wasn’t really surprised by the results; there were a lot of places where it seemed like it was going to swing either way,” junior Carter Mak commented. “Trump was doing more, so it’s clear why he won.”
Reflecting on the impact of the election, senior Dan Quach noted how the results of the presidential race were unlikely to impact students in California in a significant way.
State and County Elections
Other key races were also significantly different from the official results. Students re-elected LA County District Attorney George Gascon over Nathan Hochman, who earned 52.8% of the student votes, while Gascon lost 39.8% to 60.2% in the official election.
Also on the ballot were state and county measures, yet many of the measures were unknown to students. “The only propositions I knew about were [measure] 36 and measure SG,” Mak explained. “[I wanted] more details, like what does it do, not just who supports it.”
California State Proposition 36 was a measure to worsen the sentences for those with drug and theft offenses. Students approved every measure on the ballot, in stark contrast to the official election, where only 6 state ballot measures were voted in. Those approved include Proposition 3, guaranteeing a right to marriage in the California Constitution, and Proposition 2, which will provide more bond funding for California school districts.
Local Elections
Measure SG
Students also voted overwhelmingly in support ofMeasure SG, with over 90% voting in favor of the local measure, which would provide the district with $178 million in funding from bonds sold by the city. This would eventually need to be paid back, levying an average of $44 in property taxes and an $8.3 million contribution annually in San Gabriel.
San Gabriel City Council
In the city council race, students voted between Ding and Herrera, earning 46.5% and 47.6% of the vote respectively, reflecting the official results. The other candidates in the race were Jeanne Raya, Carina Rivera, and Isela Lopez Bowles.
The Tongva Times reached out to both candidates to ask about their backgrounds and future priorities as council members.
Herrera worked for 15 years as a customer service technician and later as a supervisor with Southern California Gas. After that, he was with Republic Services as a municipal manager before being elected.
His three priorities for his term are public safety, infrastructure, and youth empowerment. Herrera mentioned improving the fire and police stations in San Gabriel as well as revitalizing the Mission District and the Mission Playhouse. He also wants to be heavily involved in talking with local and state leaders, setting up monthly meetings.
“On behalf of the city, I’m going to new council member training from January 22 to 24 in Sacramento,” Herrera announced. “I’m going to reach out to the lawmakers, their assembly members, and state senators […] to start engaging in these conversations and trying to figure out how and what is the process of getting [state] funding.”
Herrera is confident he will bring a “new era of leadership” to San Gabriel. Ding did not respond to the Tongva Times’s request for an interview, but according to the San Gabriel City Council’s website, he has lived in San Gabriel for 15 years and operated his business, TD Financial & Insurance Services, for 25 years. He was first elected in 2020 with priorities to improve infrastructure and create more transparency in the city’s budget and with residents.
Both will be sworn into office on Dec. 17 at San Gabriel City Hall.
