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Primary Election 2026, Measure ULA, your first voting experience, and more
An election worker moves vote-by-mail ballots to be sorted to go through the signature verification machines at the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Ballot Processing Center last week.
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Gary Coronado
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Today's show: AirTalk host Larry Mantle discusses the 2026 primary election, L.A.'s Measure ULA, and your first voting experience.
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Primary Election 2026: What you should know as polling places open
The topic:
Polling places are open, as today is the final day to vote in this year’s primary elections in California. Although much has been said about the top-billed California gubernatorial race, a redistricted California has led to many competitive races in different parts of the state. Today on the show, we’ll provide last-minute analysis and hear from listeners as they head to the polls.
Who makes it to November’s general election: In California's primary system, the top two vote-getters make it through, regardless of party preference. The general election is slated for Nov. 3.
Join the conversation: Are you visiting a polling place today? What was the experience like in your area? Give us a call at (866) 893-5722 or email atcomments@laist.com.
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Guests:
- Fernando Guerra, professor of political science and Chicana/o Latina/o studies at Loyola Marymount University, where he is the founding director of the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles
- Jack Pitney, professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College
- Mariana Dale, LAist senior reporter
- Jon Fleischman, president and owner of Fleischman Consulting Group, a political affairs firm. He writes the 'So, Does It Matter?' Substack and is the former executive director of the California Republican Party.
- R. Michael Alvarez, professor of political and computational science at Caltech
- Sara Sadhwani, assistant politics professor at Pomona College
What will turnout mean for the primary election? Will the Latino vote be decisive?
Voters line up in Santa Ana to cast their ballots on Proposition 50 last year.
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Allen J. Schaben
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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The topic:
The California primary election has many uncertain races, many of which will be dictated by the turnout. In the state and across L.A. County, the Latino vote has served as a growing demographic that’s helped get candidates over the electoral hump. So what do trends say about turnout this primary, and what groups may impact municipal, statewide and federal races?
General data for early returns: Ahead of election day, analytics firm Political Data Intelligence noted that those 50 and older are returning their ballots across the state more quickly than younger demographics.
Latino electorate: Latinos make up roughly 40% of the state’s overall population. In recent polling done by Emerson College, they found the two candidates leading in Latino support were Xavier Becerra (36%) and Tom Steyer (22%).
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Guests:
- Matt Barreto, professor of political science and Chicana/o studies at UCLA, and co-founder of BSP Research, which conducted research for the Biden-Harris and Harris-Walz campaigns
- Mindy Romero, political sociologist, founder and director of the Center for Inclusive Democracy at USC
The latest with LA's 'mansion tax'
Workers construct new residential housing units in 2022 in Los Angeles.
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Mario Tama
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Getty Images
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The topic:
A City Council committee voted last Friday to shelve a proposed ballot measure aimed at cutting L.A.'s “mansion tax” nearly in half. Ysabel Jurado, chair of the ad hoc committee on Measure ULA, said it's too early to determine the tax's long-term effects on housing and revenue.
Why it matters: The proposal by Councilmembers John Lee and Marqueece Harris-Dawson would have asked voters in November to reduce the ULA transfer tax rate for multifamily and mixed-use properties to somewhere between 2% and 3.5%, down from the current rate of up to 5.5%.
How we got here: L.A. voters approved Measure ULA in 2022 to fund affordable housing and homelessness prevention. The measure taxes real estate sales over about $5 million. Since taking effect in April 2023, ULA has raised just over $1.1 billion from 1,633 real estate transactions, according to the city’s housing department. Critics say the tax has suppressed housing development.
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What's next? In its final meeting, the committee instead advanced a narrower pilot program that would reduce the property transfer tax only for newly built affordable housing projects. The ULA committee dissolves this weekend, but the ballot measure proposal was also referred to the City Council's rules committee, which could decide to take it up in the coming months.
Guests:
- David Wagner, housing correspondent for LAist
- Jason Ward, economist and director of the RAND Housing Center.
What was your first voting experience like?
Voters cast their ballots at a Masonic Lodge in Los Angeles.
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Mario Tama
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Getty Images
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The topic:
The ability to vote in our elections is central to our democracy. While most of us are given the right to vote at age 18, the ways in which we all find our way to the voting booth for the first time vary.
The question: What was your first time voting like? What drove you to cast your ballot for the first time? Did you cast your vote the first opportunity you had as a new eligible voter? Or maybe you came around later in life? Tell us about it.
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Join the conversation: Give us a call at (866) 893-5722 or you can email us at atcomments@laist.com. When emailing, include your first name and location.
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Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
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