A dead California supervisor candidate about to be declared election winner
Your morning catch-up: Northern California dead man is on the cusp on an election win, FAA issues a nationwide ground stop and more big stories.
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The first line in the biography for Calaveras County’s leading vote-getter in the District 5 supervisor’s race states: “This election is about moving forward.”
It’s a message campaign staff members for candidate Bruce Giudici took to heart.
Before Dec. 3, the county’s recorder is expected to certify an election victory for Giudici, as only a few hundred ballots remain to be counted or cured.
The triumph would have been a dream come true had Giudici lived to see it. The 68-year-old candidate unexpectedly died months earlier during a freak accident while campaigning.
His grief-stricken staff, not sure how to proceed at first, pushed forward, campaigning for a candidate they knew would never sit in office.
Days away from victory, Essential California spoke with Team Giudici treasurer Roberta “Ro” Corso about the candidate, the race and the will to win.
Far from Blue California
Rural Calaveras County sits about 60 miles southeast of Sacramento in a parallel universe from this state’s coastal portions.
The county is about one-fourth the size of L.A. County landwise with a relatively tiny population (47,000).
Here, every statewide result is flipped on its head with Republican Steve Hilton trouncing Xavier Becerra (76.% to 24%) and GOP candidates winning every state seat in which they ran.
Giudici found an audience
Giudici connected with voters in the non-partisan county supervisor’s race.
The self-proclaimed fiscally conservative economist campaigned on offering “new leadership” and financial oversight, according to campaign materials. He also stood against data centers.
“Bruce was a really honorable man and he had high morals and he deeply cared about Calaveras County and District 5,” Corso said. “He’s the best person for the job.”
Tragedy strikes
Giudici’s campaign released a social media message on Aug. 31 saying that their candidate had slipped and died while “knocking on doors.”
“He fell off a steep incline, hit his head and died the next day,” Corso said. “It was shocking.”
She noted that campaign staff had several discussions on whether to proceed and questioned the county recorder’s office about possible options.
“We realized that the time to remove his name had already passed and we decided to move forward with Bruce,” Corso said.
What happens if Giudici wins
Should Giudici win, Gov.-elect Xavier Becerra would appoint a temporary replacement for the position until a new supervisor could be elected.
Barring a special election, the seat would become available during the next election in March 2028.
Message to voters: campaign for Bruce and against Clyde Clapp
Giudici narrowly topped opponent Clyde Clapp in June’s three-way primary, 37% to 36%, in which both advanced to the Nov. 3 general election.
This general election was a rematch of the 2016 District 5 recall that Clapp won with 33.8% of the vote, finishing ahead of third-place Giudici (23.4%).
It was in that election that Corso said she first aided Giudici.
She called Giudici “wicked smart with numbers.”
Team Giudici’s first social media post after his death explained that his campaign would continue.
“Bruce was determined to defeat Clyde Clapp and prevent him from returning for a second term,” the Sept. 2 post noted. “That’s why we must still elect Bruce on November 3 and give the voters of District 5 the opportunity to carry Bruce’s mission forward.”
Now what
The county has about 600 ballots left to cure and count as Giudici maintains a lead of 497 votes, as of Tuesday afternoon’s last count.
“We’re so far ahead there’s no way we can lose,” Corso said. “We have a written statement ready to release soon.”
As for Giudici’s replacement, Corso said the campaign has several interested candidates and will send an endorsement to Sacramento soon.
“We want someone who will care for District 5 the way Bruce did,” she said. “This is his win after all.”
The week’s biggest stories
Transportation concerns
- Federal Aviation Administration issues a nationwide ground stop on all flights due to ‘extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.’
- The extraordinary move caused havoc at airports across the country and affected thousands of flights.
- LAX, other airports filled with stranded passengers.
- Rescues are underway in New Orleans after a tanker hits a river cruise boat on the Mississippi River.
- Troubled LAX people mover drops further into junk bond status as key deadline nears.
El Niño rains
- A fierce debate over how bad California’s El Niño winter will get.
- Scientists are highly confident about the risk of coastal seawater flooding and beach erosion but when it comes to predicting the power of winter storms, there is far less consensus.
- Rain, dangerous surf and snow could hit Southern California soon.
- El Niño could make L.A.’s worst mosquito year this decade even worse.
Santa Cruz is the news
- Surf legend’s girlfriend said he was killed in a robbery, but authorities now suspect her in his murder.
- Costa Rican authorities have arrested Kurt Van Dyke’s girlfriend and a second suspect on suspicion of participating in his murder.
- A massive fin whale dies after beaching in Santa Cruz.
More news
- Microsoft went down, but workers kept refreshing their inboxes.
- Journalist Savannah Guthrie extends contract with NBC News.
- UFC fighter Tommy McMillen says he’s ready to fight days after apparent overdose.
- Former state Sen. Kevin Murray, champion of urban parks and homeless services, dies at 66.
Editor’s pick
Swanson: JuJu Watkins has already changed USC basketball. A title would make her an L.A. legend
USC guard JuJu Watkins knows there’s pressure to deliver a national title. And she knows that if she comes up short, it’ll leave a hole in her story.
More picks
- California’s losing quest for clean weed.
- Even business-friendly Vernon is souring on data centers.
- ‘Everything is abandoned.’ El Chapo’s son triggered a cartel war and emptied entire towns.
- Opinion: Mexican ambassador says ‘it’s business as usual’ after the midterms and Miller’s promotion.
- Opinion: It took Democrats one week to let us down.
Things to do
- 🚀 Opening Friday, the California Science Center’s $450-million Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center turns Southern California’s aerospace legacy into a sprawling, immersive museum experience. Its centerpiece is the 20-story space shuttle Endeavour, displayed upright with boosters and external tank in a dramatic gallery.
- 🎶 The indie band Cold War Kids are all right. The resulting “Robbers & Cowards / Complete Cowards” expands the original album with six live recordings from 2007 and the four newly completed tracks: “Loyalty,” “Jesse Latour,” “She Can Do No Wrong” and “There Goes the Night.” (The digital version includes Phantogram’s cover of “Hang Me Up to Dry.”)
- 🎭 ‘Oh, Mary!’ hits L.A. with Alaska electrifying Cole Escola’s camp hit at the Ahmanson.
Today’s recipe
This recipe for Aunt Angie’s Thanksgiving oyster dressing with fried oysters is for the oyster lovers and the oyster lovers only, wrote my colleague Stephanie Breijo. Oyster dressing — or stuffing — has a centuries-long history up and down the East Coast, dating back to the country’s founding colonies, and it’s still particularly beloved in the Northeast and the South.
Photo of the day
Games
Here’s today’s mini crossword, plus our other free, daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Jack Dolan, investigative reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, Fast Break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew J. Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.
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