A neck-and-neck race between two Riverside city councilmembers unfolded as ballots continued to be counted Wednesday, March 6, in races for state Assembly seats representing the Inland Empire.
UPDATE: Election 2024: Ronaldo Fierro leads Clarissa Cervantes by 50 votes in Assembly race
Results posted Wednesday afternoon by the California secretary of state’s office show Clarissa Cervantes leading fellow Democrat and council colleague Ronaldo Fierro by 75 votes, 26.2% to 26%, in the race for second place in the 58th Assembly District primary.
See the latest election results
Leticia Castillo, the sole Republican on the ballot in the 58th, was first with 47.8%. Assuming Castillo retains her lead, the second-place finisher will advance with her to the November general election.
Fierro will not issue a statement Wednesday, Fierro spokesperson Caleb Ragan said via email. A Cervantes spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
In another attention-grabbing Inland Assembly race, Democrat Christy Holstege and Assemblymember Greg Wallis, R-Bermuda Dunes, appear headed for a November rematch of their 2022 general election contest, which Wallis won by 85 votes.
Holstege, a Palm Springs city councilmember, had 48.9% of the vote in the latest results posted in the 47th Assembly District race. Wallis was second with 45.9% while Democrat Jamie Swain was third with 5.2%.
The race for the 58th— which covers Jurupa Valley, Grand Terrace and parts of Riverside, Corona and Eastvale — took on an acrimonious tone in the form of online ads and mailers attacking Cervantes and Fierro.
Ronaldo Fierro, Tuesday, March 5, 2024, looks at preliminary election results with Amber Afzali, left, and Bill Blankenship during an election night party in Riverside. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)
Ronaldo Fierro, a Riverside City Councilmember and candidate for the 58th Assembly District, is seen Tuesday, March 5, 2024, with daughter Luna and wife Sheena during an election night party in Riverside. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)
Ronaldo Fierro, a Riverside City Councilmember and candidate for the 58th Assembly District, center, looks at preliminary results with supporters during an election night party in Riverside on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)
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Ads aimed at Cervantes, the sister of Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes, D-Riverside, called attention to her DUI arrests in 2014 and last summer and attempted to cast doubt on whether she was trustworthy and capable of representing the district.
Super PACs linked to the pharmaceutical and insurance industries, among others, paid for the anti-Cervantes ads. Cervantes paid for ads portraying Fierro as a shady businessman beholden to special interests.
Wallis won by a historically narrow margin after chipping away at Holstege’s lead in 2022 in the 47th,which takes in Banning, Beaumont, Calimesa, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Yucaipa, Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, Yucca Valley and parts of Redlands, Highland and San Jacinto.
Wallis could be in for a tough fight in November. Democrats hold a roughly 6 percentage-point edge in the 47th’s voter registration.
Wallis said via email: “We’re looking forward to all the votes being counted in the coming days. I’m confident that as we move on to the general election, our message of common sense solutions for safer streets, better schools, and more affordable living in California will continue to resonate with voters.”
Holstege expressed her “deepest gratitude” for supporters in an emailed statement.
“I am ready to fight for you in Sacramento — to protect healthcare, combat the affordability crisis, address our climate emergency, secure our fair share of state resources, and work towards building a sustainable and resilient future for our region,” she said.
Other Inland Assembly races of note included the 50th and 53rd districts.
Drawn through 2021 redistricting, the 50th — which includes Colton, Loma Linda and parts of Fontana, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, Rialto and San Bernardino — was an all-Democrat affair, with Etiwanda school board member Robert Garcia leading early returns with 42.59% of the vote as of 4 p.m. Wednesday, according to the San Bernardino County elections office.
Fontana school board member Adam Perez was second with 29.24% while vocational nurse DeJonaé Shaw was third with 25.94%.
Garcia, Perez and Shaw sought to represent communities served by Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes, D-San Bernardino, who is running for state Senate.
San Bernardino County election officials said the next round of election results is expected at 4 p.m. Thursday, March 7.
In the 53rd, which takes in Montclair, Pomona and parts of Chino, Ontario and Upland, five candidates competed to succeed the term-limited Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez, D-Pomona. Republican Nick Wilson was in first with 43.8% of the vote, followed by four Democrats, as of 3 a.m. Wednesday.
Michelle Rodriguez, Freddie Rodriguez’s wife, was second with 20.8% of the vote, followed by Pomona City Councilmember Robert Torres — son of Rep. Norma Torres, D-Pomona — with 17.8%, Javier Hernandez with 13.2% and Carlos Goytia with 4.5%.
Here’s a look at results in other Inland Assembly primaries.
34th Assembly District (Barstow, Twentynine Palms, Big Bear Lake, Apple Valley and parts of Highland, Hesperia and Victorville): Assemblyman Tom Lackey, R-Palmdale, leads Democrat Ricardo Ortega 66.4% to 33.6%.
36th Assembly District (Imperial County, Blythe, Coachella, Indio and part of Hemet): Republican Jeff Gonzalez leads a seven-candidate field with 34.5% of the vote. Democrat Jose “Joey” Acuna Jr. is second with 17.9%.
41st Assembly District (La Verne, Pasadena, Sierra Madre, La Cañada Flintridge, Bradbury, Claremont, and San Dimas and parts of Hesperia, Monrovia, Rancho Cucamonga and Upland): Republican Michelle Del Rosario Martinez leads four candidates with 41.9% of the vote. Democrat John Harabedian is second with 30%.
59th Assembly District (Chino Hills, Brea, Placentia, Yorba Linda, Villa Park and parts of Anaheim, Fullerton, Orange and Chino): Assemblyman Phillip Chen, R-Brea, leads Democrat Dave Obrand 65.4% to 34.6%.
60th Assembly District (Perris, Moreno Valley and parts of Riverside, San Jacinto, and Hemet): Assemblyman Corey Jackson, D-Perris, leads a three-candidate field with 52.1% of the vote. Republican Hector Diaz Nava is second with 28.1%.
63rd Assembly District (Norco, Menifee, Lake Elsinore, and Canyon Lake and parts of Eastvale, Riverside and Corona): Assemblyman Bill Essayli, R-Corona, received 59.4% out of three candidates. Democrat Chris Shoults is second with 37.6%.
71st Assembly District (Wildomar, Murrieta, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, and Temecula): Assemblymember Kate Sanchez, R-Rancho Santa Margarita, leads three candidates with 62.8%. Democrat Gary Kephart is in second with 34.8%.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional election results.
