Tony Teora

SHOCKER: LEO HAMEL WILL BE IN RUN-OFF IN 71ST ASSEMBLY DISTRICT—DESPITE DROPPING OUT OF RACE

 

By Miriam Raftery

June 9, 2016 (San Diego)—Seven Assembly seats and one state Senate race in San Diego County were among those on the ballot Tuesday.   Under the rules for state legislative elections, the top two vote-getters in each race will advance to a run-off in November. 

In a startling turn of events, the run-off in the 71st Assembly seat vacated by Brian Jones due to term limits will be between Santee Mayor Randy Voepel and jeweler Leo Hamel in November—despite Hamel announcing he was dropping out of the race shortly after the ballots were printed. 

"In a “top-two” primary, the two candidates with the most votes advance to the General Election. The only way a candidate can be removed from the ballot is by dying or via court order. This must occur no later than 68 days before the election (Per Elections Code 8810)," Sam Mahood, press secretary for Secretary of State Alex Padilla told East County Magazine.  San Diego Registrar Michael Vu confirmed that state election code provides that Hamel will be on the November ballot, once the results are officially certified.

The district spans two counties. In San Diego, Voepel got 61%, Hamel 27%, and businessman Tony Teora 12%.  In Riverside County, the placement order is the same, though Teora had 14% there.


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VOEPEL-TEORA ASSEMBLY RACE HEATS UP

 

By Miriam Raftery

Photo from www.StopRandyVoepel.com, a site criticizing Voepel's  "insurgent" remarks suggesting he would be a political  hit man for the GOP in Sacramento

May 27, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – Santee Mayor Randy Voepel is facing some formidable opposition in his run for the 71st Assembly seat.  An anonymous hit site, www.StopRandyVoepel.com, has posted audio of inflammatory statements made by Voepel—along with past tax lien documents on the self-proclaimed fiscal conservative’s home.

Meanwhile his opponent, Tony Teora, a centrist Republican who leans Libertarian on some issues but green on climate change, has invested heavily in his campaign including freeway signs, newspaper ads and newsletters to voters.  (Leo Hamel, a third candidate listed on the ballot, has withdrawn from the race.)


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71ST ASSEMBLY RACE NARROWS TO TWO CANDIDATES AS HAMEL DROPS OUT

 

By Miriam Raftery

April 10, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – The race to fill the 71st Assembly seat being vacated by Brian Jones due to term limits has narrowed to two candidates, both Republicans: Santee Mayor Randy  Voepel and business owner Tony Teora. 


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LEO HAMEL’S TIES TO CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY EYED IN ASSEMBLY RACE

 

Reprinted with permission from Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

By Ken Stone

Photo: Leo Hamel watches family assemble a puzzle in TV commercial. Photo via YouTube.com

March 18, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) -- San Diego jeweler Leo Hamel, a Republican candidate for state Assembly, says he joined the controversial Church of Scientology at age 18 or 19 but hasn’t taken part in church functions since the early 2000s.


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TEORA ANNOUNCES ASSEMBLY RUN: SEEKS “RESTORE LOCAL CONTROL BILL” TO HELP RURAL RESIDENTS, ALSO BACKS INCENTIVES FOR BUSINESESS TO BRING JOBS TO OUR REGION

 

By Miriam Raftery

Hear our interview: http://kiwi6.com/file/kt18gznf91

(Note, file may take a few moments to load, or cut and paste link into browser for faster open)

July 31, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) –Julian resident Tony Teora announced on East County Magazine’s radio show on KNSJ that he will be running for the 71st Assembly seat, which is open due to Brian Jones stepping down due to term limits.

Teora, a Republican, considers himself a “maverick” and a moderate candidate. “We have politicans today who are controlled by special interests,” he says adding that too often, elected officials vote against the interests of constituents,he says.


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

INCUMBENTS WIN HANDILY IN STATE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY RACES

 

By Miriam Raftery

November 4, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – By large margins, legislative candidates representing East County have won their reelection bids. Republican State Senator Joel Anderson leads Democratic challenger Fotios “Frank” Tsimboukakis by a 69.29% to 30.71% margin, with 37.7% of votes counted in the 38th district. 

In the 40th State Senate District, where two Democrats are in a run-off due to the top-two primary system, incumbent Senator Ben Hueso leads challenger Rafael Estrada 55.29% to 44.71% with a third of all precincts counted in San Diego County, though results from Imperial County are not yet available. Hueso enjoys the substantial lead despite an arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol.


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

HOWARD KATZ RUNS AS DEMOCRATIC WRITE-IN CANDIDATE AGAINST ASSEMBLYMAN BRIAN JONES

 

By Miriam Raftery

May 31, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – After learning that the Democratic Party didn’t have a candidate on the ballot in the 71st Assembly District that includes most of San Diego County’s inland regions as well as south Riverside County, Howard Katz obtained signatures to qualify as a write-in candidate.

Chairman of the Riverside Democratic Party,  Katz wants to roll back tuitions for public colleges and universities statewide, push for a healthcare-for-all Californians plan (which failed by two votes previously in the State Legislature), and support modest tax increases if needed to fund these initiatives.  Hear our radio interview podcast with Katz here:  http://kiwi6.com/file/oj62bcco0x

Katz previously ran for Congress against Darrell Issa.  In addition to Katz and Jones, a conservative Republican, moderate Republican Tony Teora, an engineer and science fiction author, is also in the race.


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

MODERATE REPUBLICAN TONY TEORA CHALLENGES ASSEMBLYMAN BRIAN JONES

Hear East County Magazine’s interview with  Tony Teora: http://kiwi6.com/file/xtdo52vum0 (new link)

By Trevor Hill and Miriam Raftery

May 23, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)- - In the 71st Assembly District encompassing most of East County,  Republican Tony Teora is running against Republican incumbent Brian Jones.

There is no Democrat on the ballot (though Democrat Howard Katz has launched a write-in campaign). While Jones takes far-right conservative stances across the board, Teora takes a moderate position on fiscal issues and voices progressive views on social issues and climate change, providing a clear choice for voters.


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.