Voters’ voices from the San Gabriel Valley in the California governor’s race

Eddie Martinez can’t stand Donald Trump. So when Eric Swalwell entered the race for governor of California, Martinez had his choice.

“I liked the way he took Trump, the impeachment thing in Congress,” Martinez said of the former Bay Area congressman, a Trump foe who is serving as one of the House prosecutors in 2021 when Democrats hold the renegade president to account for a second term.

Then, suddenly, Swalwell’s campaign collapsed under the weight of abuse allegations, including allegations of sexual harassment by a former aide. With Martinez’s nomination out of the question, the Democrat turned to his second choice all along, Xavier Becerra.

Martinez has known Becerra for decades, dating back to when the former congressman, state attorney general and Biden Cabinet member were in the State Assembly. To his credit, says the 65-year-old retired public relations strategist, Becerra has never had a controversy and never had a personal scandal – crucial after Swalwell’s self-destruction.

Despite all that, Martinez said as he prepares to drop off his mail-in ballot at the Alhambra post office, it would be great if California elects its first Latino governor in modern times. It’s been more than 150 years, Martinez noted.

As the gubernatorial primary moves into its final two weeks, the race that has been largely uneventful has gained relevance. Becerra, who had been widely assumed to be dead as he set up near the polls, suddenly emerged as the Democrat to win.

“He has a lot of experience,” said Ruben Avita, a 57-year-old actor who leans Democratic and is leaning toward Becerra because of hedge-fund billionaire Tom Steyer. “Right now,” Avita said as she waited for a double take at the cineplex in Monterey Park, “I’m looking for someone with a proven track record.”

Among the Republicans running, Trump’s choice – conservative analyst Steve Hilton – appears to be firmly entrenched in the GOP environment.

“He’s got way more sense than any of these other idiots,” said Wayne The Flame – yes, he explained, that’s his legal name – which, while not a solid foundation, still counts as a vote.

The Claremont independent, retired at age 73 after a career selling motorcycles and hot rods, described Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, another major GOP contender, as a racist and trashed the entire Democratic field with a barrage of epithets. “Dumb—,” he said of voters who continue to put the same people in power.

If he’s not too happy, at least The Flame has made up his mind. Many voters remain undecided – or, at the very least, not entirely wedded to the candidate.

Others held their votes longer than usual, waiting for any last-minute changes and weighing the odds of the election as if they were betting on a high-stakes game of poker.

Like many Democrats, Bryce Dwyer’s concern is that Hilton and Bianco will take both seats in June’s second primary, advance to the November contest and give California its first Republican governor in 16 years.

A 40-year-old project manager at the Getty Research Institute, Dwyer held his 2-year-old daughter as his son, 6, frolicked in the afternoon at Sierra Madre’s Memorial Park. Across the street, the bells of Christ Church were tolling for an hour.

“None of the Democrats are showing anything that makes me happy,” said Dwyer, who dismissed Becerra (doesn’t see much there) and is deciding between Steyer and Orange County Rep. Katie Porter. He’s trying to vote in an organized manner, the East Pasadena resident said, and “this is the first time I’ve had no idea who I’m going to vote for as election day approaches.”

Priscilla Vega of the Democratic Alliance of Monrovia is still undecided about her gubernatorial candidacy

This is an unstable season in California, with precious little hope that the next governor — whoever that may be — will make things better anytime soon. That mix of disappointment and dissatisfaction came up again and again, like excruciating pains, in conversations with dozens of voters across the San Gabriel Valley.

The region’s racial and economic diversity — from the working-class neighborhoods of Pomona to the predominantly Asian neighborhoods to the mountain homes of San Dimas and Pasadena — make the valley a prime battleground in the race for the presidency.

Alana H., who asked not to use her last name, said she didn’t even bother to vote.

He cited some reasons: Rising fuel prices and rising costs of everything else. The fear is that her daughter who is in college will not be able to buy a home in California. Even worse, losing his faith. He no longer believes in the promise, once taken for granted, that each generation will ultimately improve its condition. And, Alana said, she’s not alone: ​​”Anybody who’s a normal person is in the same boat, we’re all just trying to stay afloat.” Standing in front of the Alhambra post office, the 52-year-old waved his arms as if to drown.

Jaunenito Pavon, at his Glendora winery and chocolate estate, would like California to elect a governor who can unite the state. He is still deciding on a candidate

Politicians from both parties “don’t get along,” he said, “what they do is fight for this and that, when everyone I know doesn’t care which party they belong to. They just want to put food on their table. They want their children to have a better life.”

Shelby Moore has similar concerns. Forget about ever buying a home, says the 30-year-old California native, an independent who leans Democratic. It’s no small thing to shell out rent. “I’ve lost almost every single friend I had in high school or college,” Moore said between waiting tables at a Mediterranean restaurant in Glendora. “They have all left the country.”

Shelby Moore, 30, a waitress in Glendora, said all her friends from high school and college have moved to California because it’s too expensive.

He will definitely vote, Moore said, although he doesn’t know for whom. One of the Democrats. Someone who will work to make California more affordable and prevent people like his friends from being charged.

In Claremont, Eric Hurley was another undecided Democrat. He attended last month’s gubernatorial debate at Pomona College, where the 56-year-old professor teaches psychology and Africana studies. Besides, he was too busy to pay much attention to the race.

But it’s important, Hurley said, that whoever succeeds “continues to fight the good fight and stand up for our freedoms. I would hate to see someone in the governor’s office start listening to what the current administration is asking.”

Eric Hurley of the Democratic Alliance has no intention of entering the gubernatorial race. But he’s looking for someone to stand up to the Trump administration.

Others support that view, that California needs to stand as a bulwark against Trump and his extremism, such as the crackdown that has alarmed many of the state’s immigrants.

But there is no big appetite for the kind of pushback that has made the current governor a huge social media audience and boosted Gavin Newsom’s political profile as he positions himself ahead of a 2028 presidential campaign.

Jennifer Harris, 56, is a single mother in Monrovia who oversees payroll at a food manufacturing company. He must stretch every dollar to support himself; Soon she will be shelling out $30,000 a year for her daughter to go to college. Buying a house, says Harris, is out of the question.

He admitted to mocking the governor’s memes — an over-the-top oeuvre that includes Newsom as a superhero, Newsom as a religious beacon, Newsom as a romance-novel hunk — and other mockery of the president. “But that’s not an old man’s way of dealing with it,” Harris said during a tour of Monrovia’s trendy malls. “It doesn’t solve problems.”

He said it’s best for the next governor – he hasn’t decided who he’ll support – to focus on practical things: improving the economy, making housing and health care more affordable, tackling homelessness and mental health issues.

Jennifer Harris said the presence of Gov. Newsom on social media is funny. But he wants the next governor to focus on practical things.

Britnee Foreman echoed that sentiment.

The 41-year-old, who lives in Azusa and works in the music business, was meeting a friend, Priscilla Vega, 43, for lunch in Monrovia. Along with food, the two Democrats shared their concerns about inflation and income inequality.

“Memes are very good for the community,” said Foreman, who is deciding between Becerra and Porter, based on their policy experience. (Vega, a lifestyle advertiser, has yet to narrow down his choices.)

Britnee Foreman says the next governor needs policies with “teeth,” not a social media presence.

“But I choose policy,” Foreman continued. “I don’t want them to be social media celebrities. It’s great if they tweet and have a cute little Insta story. But I need their goals to have teeth and drive us forward. And not just look as if it is moving forward.”

After nearly eight years, amid widespread unrest, California appears ready to put the Newsom era behind it. It is not clear which way the voters will choose, or which candidate they will choose to lead the country to, hopefully, a better place.