Assessor
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Claude Parrish has served as Orange County assessor since 2015, but his tenure has been marred by a workplace misconduct investigation<\/a> that found he violated gender discrimination and retaliation policies and harassed a subordinate over her medical disability. He was challenged by Janet Conklin, who is running to unseat him while facing her own allegations of misconduct<\/a>.<\/p>\n What it takes to win<\/p>\n If one candidate wins 50% plus one vote, he or she will be elected. If no candidate receives more than 50%, the top two finishers will compete in a runoff in the November general election.<\/p>\n Follow the vote after polls close<\/p>\n Our limited-run newsletter Make It Make Sense unpacks the ballot count and results, then checks in regularly on officials voted into office and the measures voters pass.<\/p>\n Why this race matters<\/p>\n Residential and business properties in Orange County are valued at over $850 billion. Taxes from those properties help fund county services like parks and the Sheriff\u2019s Department. The assessor determines the taxable value of properties and who gets exemptions.<\/p>\n Go deeper<\/p>\n Auditor-controller This is one of the few races on the ballot that is all but officially decided. Incumbent Andrew N. Hamilton was unopposed. He was first elected as Orange County\u2019s auditor-controller in 2022. He has about 35 years of experience as a certified public accountant in the public and private sectors.<\/p>\n Why this race matters<\/p>\n The Auditor-Controller keeps track of the county\u2019s financial records and makes sure departments are using funds correctly and following laws, policies and contract requirements. The auditor-controller will have to make sure that no dollar goes to waste as the county deals with shrinking support from the federal government and its obligations to fund payouts from the 2024 Airport Fire<\/a>.<\/p>\n Go deeper<\/p>\n Board of Education, Trustee Area 5 The five trustees who make up the board serve as an appeals committee for students who want to transfer districts and for students who are expelled, rule on charter school appeals and approve the county Department of Education\u2019s budget.<\/p>\n What it takes to win<\/p>\n Orange County Board of Education seats are determined in the primary in a “winner-take-all” or “plurality” election. That means whoever has the most votes wins \u2014 even if they don’t have more than 50%.<\/p>\n Go deeper<\/p>\n Superintendent of schools The Orange County superintendent of schools is the chief executive of the county\u2019s Department of Education<\/a>, which provides support to districts, as well as fiscal oversight. Orange County has nearly a half million students in its public education system across 28 school districts. Those districts, like many across the state, have been struggling with budgets amid declining student enrollment.<\/p>\n What it takes to win<\/p>\n This is one of the few races on the ballot that is all but officially decided. Stefan Bean, a former charter school president, is running unopposed.<\/p>\n Go deeper<\/p>\n Board of Supervisors, District 2 Incumbent Vicente Sarmiento is facing off against three challengers for a seat on the board. <\/p>\n The five county supervisors are some of the most powerful people in Orange County, deciding nearly $11 billion in spending each year on key government services, including law enforcement, infrastructure, public health and mental health. They also oversee much of the county\u2019s social safety net, including operating county shelters and funding permanent supportive housing.<\/p>\n What it takes to win<\/p>\n A candidate could win outright with more than 50% of votes cast. If no candidate crosses that threshold, the top two finishers will compete in a runoff in the November general election.<\/p>\n Go deeper<\/p>\n Board of Supervisors, District 4 This is an open race \u2014 four candidates are vying to take over the post from Doug Chaffee, who is termed out in January 2027. <\/p>\n The five county supervisors are some of the most powerful people in Orange County, deciding nearly $11 billion in spending each year on key government services, including law enforcement, infrastructure, public health and mental health. They also oversee much of the county\u2019s social safety net, including operating county shelters and funding permanent supportive housing.<\/p>\n What it takes to win<\/p>\n A candidate could win outright with more than 50% of votes cast. If no candidate crosses that threshold, the top two finishers will compete in a runoff in the November general election.<\/p>\n Go deeper<\/p>\n Board of Supervisors, District 5 Incumbent Katrina Foley is facing off against two challengers for a seat on the board.<\/p>\n The five county supervisors are some of the most powerful people in Orange County, deciding nearly $11 billion in spending each year on key government services, including law enforcement, infrastructure, public health and mental health. They also oversee much of the county\u2019s social safety net, including operating county shelters and funding permanent supportive housing.<\/p>\n What it takes to win<\/p>\n A candidate could win outright with more than 50% of votes cast. If no candidate crosses that threshold, the top two finishers will compete in a runoff in the November general election.<\/p>\n Go deeper<\/p>\n Clerk-recorder The clerk-recorder is Orange County\u2019s data recordkeeper, and this officeholder tracks a wide range of records, including public money and birth certificates, for 3.2 million residents.<\/p>\n What it takes to win<\/p>\n A candidate could win outright with more than 50% of the votes cast. If no candidate crosses that threshold, the top two finishers will compete in a runoff in the November general election.<\/p>\n Go deeper<\/p>\n Superior Court judge, offices 13 and 41 Superior Court judges oversee courtroom proceedings and trials across all of Orange County. There are more than 100 judges in the court system. These trials cover everything having to do with state and local laws, including family law (such as child custody and divorces), landlord and tenant cases, contract disputes, thefts, felony murder, probate (distributing a person\u2019s possessions after death) and small claims.<\/p>\n What it takes to win<\/p>\n The winner will be decided in the primary by whoever gets more than 50% of the vote.<\/p>\n Go deeper<\/p>\n Treasurer-tax collector Incumbent Shari Freidenrich\u2019s tenure has been marked by allegations that she micromanages employees and that she creates a work culture that is a \u201chighly charged atmosphere of mistrust, suspicion.\u201d A workplace investigation also found that she threw her office keys at a subordinate out of anger. <\/p>\n Orange County\u2019s treasurer-tax collector is responsible for collecting around $10 billion in property taxes annually. The office also acts as the county\u2019s banker, managing and, until recently, investing funds that return yields that are used to pay for county services.<\/p>\n What it takes to win<\/p>\n The top vote-getter in the primary is all but assured to be elected because there are just two candidates. Should neither get more than 50% of votes, a runoff will be held in the November general election.<\/p>\n Go deeper<\/p>\n About the vote count<\/p>\n For LAist’s charts showing vote counts, we get numbers directly from the L.A. County<\/a> and Orange County<\/a> registrars of voters for local races. Totals are updated on our site as soon as possible after the registrars provide new tallies. For statewide races, counts come from the California Secretary of State’s Office<\/a>.<\/p>\n Keep in mind that, in tight races particularly, the winner may not be determined for days or weeks after election day. That’s because early voting and mail-in ballots have fundamentally reshaped how votes are counted and when election results are known<\/a>. In L.A. County, for example, updates on the counting are expected to continue through June 26. After the polls close on election night, expect updates every 15 minutes or so through the early morning hours Wednesday. After that, expect updated counts around 5 p.m. on the following days: June 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 18, 24 and 26. Final results must be certified by July 10.<\/p>\n Our priority during the vote count will be sharing outcomes and election calls only when they have been thoroughly checked and vetted by journalists. To that end, we will report when candidates concede and otherwise rely on NPR and the Associated Press for race calls (before official results). We will not report the calls or projections of other news outlets. You can find more about NPR’s and the AP’s process for counting votes and calling races here<\/a>, here<\/a> and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tracking your ballot<\/p>\n You can track the status of your ballot through California’s BallotTrax website<\/a>.<\/p>\n If your mail-in ballot has any problems (like a missing or mismatched signature), your county registrar must contact you to give you a chance to fix it.<\/p>\n Official results<\/p>\n
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