The primary is over. Here are three key takeaways from Times columnists

A screen shows images of Adam Schiff and Steve Garvey.

By Ryan FonsecaStaff Writer

March 8, 2024 6:30 AM PT

Good morning. It’s Friday, March 8. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

What the primary election says about California, according to Times columnists
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And here’s today’s e-newspaper

Three election takeaways from Times columnists

With Super Tuesday in the rear-view mirror — except for perhaps finding the soggy remains of your “I Voted” sticker in the washing machine (not just me, right?) — many contests have already shown decisive voter choices for November match-ups.

L.A. Times columnists have been sharing their strong perspectives on our latest democratic event and what it says about California. Here are a few of their key takeaways.

Schiff’s win contradicts California’s stereotype as ‘a wacky land of flaming liberalism’

Just over half of ballots have been counted, but the primary race for California’s next U.S. senator has been called: Democratic Rep. Adam B. Schiff of Burbank and Republican Steve Garvey, retired Dodgers All-Star, are headed for a November runoff.

Schiff has so far secured more votes than his Democratic rivals — House colleagues Reps. Katie Porter of Irvine and Barbara Lee of Oakland — combined.

By choosing the moderate Schiff, Times political columnist Mark Z. Barabak wrote, Democratic voters “showed that Feinstein’s center-left ideology, studious manner and results-oriented approach to governing have not lost their appeal — even if the outcome might contradict the stereotype of the state as a wacky land of flaming liberalism.”

Mark also noted that Garvey’s strong primary finish is significant in a state with roughly 5 million registered Republicans. That’s more GOP voters than there are people living in more than half of other U.S. states.

“While it’s easy to overlook them— especially for Democrats and their partisans — many GOP faithful are presumably glad to have someone to vote for who represents their party, rather than having to choose a least-bad Democrat.”

Schiff’s ‘savvy but stinky’ tactics could linger in voters’ noses

The three prominent Democrats who competed in the Senate race have all had fairly similar legislative actions — ProPublica vote-crunching found that Schiff, Lee and Porter voted the same 96% to 98% of the time. Breaking out with a distinct message to voters was critical.

The message Schiff’s campaign ran with framed Garvey as his big rival, effectively boosting Garvey’s profile without any GOP dollars. By ignoring the bigger threat of running against Porter, Schiff stacked the deck in his favor for November, in a race he’s extremely likely to win in a state with nearly twice as many Democratic voters as Republicans.

Times political columnist George Skelton argues that Schiff displayed “savvy but stinky” tactics with an “disingenuous message” that could tarnish his idealist image among certain voters.

“Idealism is not a standard requirement for campaign combat. All’s fair in love and war and primaries. … Schiff certainly did nothing illegal. But he skirted close to the edge on truth.”

Elections can feel like a game. Can democracy win if more voters decide not to play?

Here’s a dismal fact for you: The majority of Californians who are eligible to vote in the primaries do not do so.

A look back at the figures for the March 2020 primary show about 38% of eligible voters in the state cast a ballot. And as Times columnist Erika D. Smith pointed out, the final turnout for this week’s election is projected to be even lower.

The main explanation Erika heard from experts: “few people are excited about voting or they don’t feel the need to vote because not much will change either way.”

That echoes what some newsletter readers shared in our recent survey asking about barriers to the democratic process.

“Apathy is the main barrier,” Long Beach resident Mark Waters shared. “‘Why bother voting? It won’t change anything.’ I know that it’s true, but we should be promoting our right to vote as the most patriotic thing a regular citizen can do.”

Burlingame resident Laura Somers wondered: “How do we galvanize people to act BEFORE too much is lost?”

Beyond the apathy, cynicism and “garden variety procrastination,” Erika suspects another factor is at work: “the mass gamification of elections.”

“There’s a slow shift underway from thinking of voting as a simple act of civic duty,” she wrote this week. “Instead it’s becoming a series of strategic decisions and complicated calculations made in a desperate attempt to create a government of politicians who will actually improve our lives.”

By approaching elections as a game to be won — “instead of voting for who you think is the best candidate for the office or who best represents your interests” — Erika argues that we run the risk of making a complicated and imperfect system even more alienating. But she said it makes sense how we got here.

“...with so many democratic ideals at stake in such an existential way and with razor-thin margins for many candidates running in a deeply divided and gerrymandered country, the gamification of elections suddenly seems necessary to get the outcomes we want.”

Here are a few more perspectives from L.A. Times columnists on the primaries and what to expect in the coming weeks and months.

Anita Chabria: In 2024, it’s an election between authoritarianism and the uncommitted
Gustavo Arellano: ‘You cannot get close to’ Kevin de León at his surreal, high-security election party
Mark Z. Barabak: Katie Porter goes MAGA, claiming California’s election was rigged. It wasn’t

Today’s top stories

Women in front of a Pizza Hut holding signs and chanting

Business

Pizza Hut workers in L.A.’s Historic Filipinotown go on a 3-day strike, alleging wage theft.
A $2-billion downtown L.A. megaproject gets boost from the governor’s office, and hopes for approval in 2024.
A shift in China-U.S. trade is hurting California, and helping Texas.

Crime and courts

‘We f— them up ... Lmao’: A Northridge woman has been arrested in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
What does the ‘Rust’ armorer’s criminal conviction mean for Alec Baldwin’s case?
A man dies after Fullerton police shoot him multiple times with ‘less-lethal’ beanbag rounds.
Police allege a cyclist in a ‘national parks’ shirt broke equipment that detects wildfires.

More big stories

George Gascón survived the primary. Can Nathan Hochman unseat him as D.A.?
After winter storms, California can expect a late start to the wildfire season.
Are L.A.’s anti-camping laws failing? We went to 25 sites to find the truth.
The Oscars are here (finally). Who’ll win?
LAFD calls on the city to end a pilot program that sent health workers to 911 calls.
Stormy Daniels alleges in a new documentary that Donald Trump cornered her the night they met.
A UCLA diversity report finds women and minorities drove Hollywood’s biggest successes.
The closure of Culver City’s arts-driven Mandrake Bar marks ‘the end of an era.’
Biden, in a fiery State of the Union, draws contrast with Trump, pitches vision for a second term.
Kansas could soon make doctors ask patients why they want abortions and report the answers.
Beverly Hills school district expels 8th graders involved in a fake nude scandal.
California could get a new city very soon. Here’s what that means.

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Commentary and opinions

Editorial: California can’t let big polluters win by undermining climate change disclosure laws.
Gustavo Arellano: The legacy — and disappointment — of Katie Porter’s Orange County revolution.
Anita Chabria: How does California celebrate women’s history month? With two male senators.
LZ Granderson: Stunt workers are unsung heroes of the movies. Give them an Oscar category.
Michael Hiltzik: Bowing to right-wingers, the SEC issues a pathetically watered-down climate disclosure rule.
Sammy Roth: Column: Are utility companies heroes or villains of the climate change saga?

Today’s great reads

A man and a woman sit together on the court at Pauley Pavilion

Waiting to get inside Pauley Pavilion for UCLA basketball games can be a real love line. UCLA students have camped out for tickets to big games at Pauley Pavilion, bonding over the experience. For some lucky Bruins, it led to marriages.

Other great reads

Ghosting is ruthless. So why are we all doing it?
This is the no-nonsense fairy godmother behind the careers of your favorite stand-up comics.

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

For your downtime

Four Styrofoam containers of Dominican food from El Bacano in North Hollywood

Going out

🍽️ L.A.’s only Dominican restaurant introduces a family’s legacy of meaty, comforting glories.
🚆Riding this train through California’s snowy mountains rules right now.
🎤 Justin Timberlake will play a one-night show at the Wiltern next week — and it’s free.

Staying in

📖 How three shades of jazz swirled together in 1959 to make ‘Kind of Blue.’
📺 Yes, an ex-heavyweight champ (Mike Tyson) is boxing a YouTuber (Jake Paul) on Netflix.
🌯 Here’s a recipe for breakfast burritos with seared tomatoes and avocado.
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