Pasadena area voters grapple with local races, proposition on Tuesday

Pasadena area voters will weigh in on two local races on Tuesday, June 5, in addition to the two statewide ballot propositions, congressional races and the California presidential primary.

Five candidates are running for the 41st District Assembly seat representing Altadena, Pasadena, South Pasadena, Sierra Madre and foothills cities all the way to Upland. Anthony Portantino (D-La Canada Flintridge), the assemblyman currently representing the 41st district, will be forced out of office by term limits at the end of 2012.

Running to represent the redrawn district are South Pasadena Mayor Michael Cacciotti (D), Pasadena attorney and businessman Ed Colton (R), Pasadena City Councilman Chris Holden (D), Claremont businesswoman and conservative activist Donna Lowe (R) and Pasadena businesswoman Victoria Rusnak (D).

Voters in the Pasadena Unified School District, which includes Pasadena, Altadena and Sierra Madre, will also decide the fate of Measure A, which would change the way voters elect members of the Pasadena Board of Education. Currently, the seven members of the Pasadena Board of Education are elected to at large positions. Under Measure A, the school district would be divided into seven geographic sub-districts, each electing their own member of the board.

San Marino is part of the 49th Assembly District, where two candidates are running to replace termed-out Assemblyman Mike Eng. They are Matthew Lin (R), a former San Marino City Councilman, and Montebello school board member Ed Chau (D).

Under new election rules in California, the top two vote-getters in the primary compete again in the November election, so Chau and Lin are guaranteed to face off again.

--Bill Kisliuk, Times Community News

Twitter: @bkisliuk