TimesOC: Will threat to Roe change O.C. election outcomes?
Good morning. It’s Wednesday, May 11. I’m Carol Cormaci, bringing you today’s TimesOC newsletter with the latest roundup of news and events.
Last week’s bombshell leak of a draft opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court that foreshadows the overturn of the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling has reignited our increasingly politically divided country’s debate on a woman’s right to choose whether or not to have an abortion.
How is that debate shaping up in Orange County, one wonders, given its longstanding reputation for conservatism. Two of our colleagues, Seema Mehta and Priscella Vega, on the political beat during this election year, looked into how the very real threat to Roe is playing out among local voters in upcoming congressional races.
Mehta and Vega note that, according to polling, women are more likely than men to consider a candidate’s position on abortion when deciding how to vote. Female college grads — comprising more than 40% of O.C. voters — are also more supportive of abortion rights, they report.
GOP strategist Mike Madrid, who studies that particular voting bloc, is cited in the story. He told the reporters that overturning Roe, which would make abortion inaccessible in more than half of the states, “could be ‘an earthquake’ that upends the political leanings of suburban women.
“This is a really discerning, sophisticated, informed voter that knows exactly what they are voting for. They’re voting really strategically,” Madrid said. “They are voting against extremes. They are not voting ideologically.”
One of several O.C. women the reporters spoke to for their story, Danielle Sams, 37, told them she is registered as a nonpartisan voter, but tends to vote Republican, including for President Trump in 2020.
“After hearing of the likely end of Roe V. Wade the registered nurse said candidates’ views on abortion could influence her votes,” Mehta and Vega reported.
“I am a ‘my body, my choice’ person because I work in healthcare. I believe in being able to choose,” Sams, a Seal Beach resident, said.
An anti-abortion resident of Yorba Linda, Jon Fleischman, a former executive director of the state Republican Party, expressed doubt California voters will be swayed if the Roe ruling is overturned.
“Nothing changes in California. This decision simply says state laws will prevail, and California continues to be the most advantageous place to live if you’re seeking an abortion,” Fleischman said. “When someone’s turning out to vote, if you’re from California, are you more concerned about the price of your gasoline or abortion access?”
Nathan Glick, a spokesman for Asif Mahmood, a Tustin physician and Democrat who is the most prominent challenger to GOP Rep. Young Kim of La Habra, disagrees with Fleischman’s view, saying the overturning of Roe “will be a defining issue in the race. On one side, you have a doctor who has counseled patients making difficult decisions about their health. On the other, you have an anti-choice member of Congress who has consistently sided with far-right attempts to outlaw abortion.” Kim’s reelection campaign, the reporters noted, did not respond to a request for comment.
Regardless of which side of the debate you might take, California’s primary election will be here before you know it, on June 7. The Times has produced a helpful guide for all who need more information about how to vote. It covers how to register, how to vote by mail or in person, what to do if you didn’t get a ballot, and how to get more information about the election.
MORE NEWS
— In 1998, after a winter of heavy rains, the hill below Via Estoril in Laguna Niguel collapsed. Several homes slid down, others were destroyed, and the condominiums below were heavily damaged. Today a developer is proposing new condominiums at the base of the hill that could help the city meet a mandate to zone for 1,200 more units. But will they, too be taken out by a landslide? Hannah Fry has the story.
— Anaheim Fire and Rescue responded to a water basin near Placentia Avenue and Orangethorpe Avenue at 5:36 p.m. Sunday after receiving a report of a body in the water. They found the body near the shoreline upon arrival, and the Anaheim Police Department responded to the scene.
—The Anaheim Police Department has released the names of the victim and the suspect arrested after a body was found inside a parked vehicle Sunday morning. Officers responding to a report of screams having been heard in the area found the body of Amado Francisco Lopez-Martinez, 34, of Anaheim around 8:40 a.m. inside a small SUV parked on West Ball Road. It appeared he had suffered stab wounds, police said. Finding a knife at the scene believed to be the murder weapon, officers detained Jorge Escamilla, 24, of Anaheim who was getting out of the SUV on their arrival.
— Laguna Beach city officials cautioned residents that a young mountain lion who has been seen in Irvine and Mission Viejo in recent months, took a stroll through the downtown section of the scenic coastal city overnight Sunday-Monday.
— Remember the recent coyote attack on a 2-year-old who was on the sand at Huntington Beach? City officials this week held a town hall to advise the public on how to cope with the animals. One longtime resident who attended said her backyard has recently turned into a “freeway” for scavenging coyotes. One piece of official advice given Monday was for residents to take up hazing practices to scare them off. “You’re not done hazing that coyote until you can’t see them anymore,” Lt. Kevin Frager of OC Animal Care said.
LIFE & LEISURE
— Mohammad Ashraf, owner of an IHOP franchise in Fullerton as well as one in the L.A. community of Tujunga, was amazed to see his business boom during Ramadan this year. According to reporting by our colleague Stephanie Breijo, “Cars often double-parked in front of the chain restaurant before dawn, as members of the Muslim community assembled, hoping to have halal chicken tenders or turkey-bacon omelets as their suhoor meal before fasting for the day. The commotion this year made one thing clear to Ashraf, who is Muslim: his annual Ramadan-only menu of halal specials would have to stay, year-round.”
— Karl Seitz, 8, of Huntington Beach, is a budding actor who last month appeared on two episodes of the hit NBC television series “This Is Us,” which is winding down its final season this month. According to a feature story on Karl by my colleague Matt Szabo, the elementary school student plays the piano, dances in a charity German dance group with his cousins, rides a big bay horse, sings in a choir and enjoys swimming and playing with his two cats. He’s also severely visually impaired, having been born with bilateral Peters anomaly, a rare genetic condition that clouded the front of his corneas. This lively youngster sees a bright future ahead.
SPORTS
— An alleged sexual assault in a Mater Dei High School locker room, recently brought to light after The Times made a public records request, left a former football player uninjured but suffering from anxiety last summer. The story published this week by my colleagues Connor Sheets, Hannah Fry and Laura J. Nelson delves into past issues involving the Santa Ana private school’s powerhouse football team in terms of safety and transparency.
— Shohei Ohtani on Monday night crushed his first grand slam, a hit to left-center field to cap a five-run outburst that propelled the Angels toward an 11-3 victory over the Rays before 19,537 in Angel Stadium. Sportswriter Mike DiGiovanna’s full story can be found here.
— Newport Harbor High School defeated Mira Costa 25-20, 25-23, 28-26 on Saturday in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 boys’ volleyball semifinals. The Sailors took their turn to end the Mustangs’ playoff run, doing so a year after Mira Costa sent the Sailors home in four sets in the Division 1 final.
KEEP IN TOUCH
If you have a memory or story about Orange County, we would love to read it (please keep your submission to 100 words or less).
We want your help in making this the best newsletter it can be. Send your memory of life in O.C., news tips or comments to carol.cormaci@latimes.com or benjamin.brazil@latimes.com.
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