Voters recall Newman; DBHS alumnus Chang to take spot in state Senate

Renee Elefante, Asst. News Editor

Former Republican Assemblywoman Ling Ling Chang was chosen to replace Democratic State Sen. Josh Newman, who was recalled by the voters, in the primary election on June 5.

Newman, who defeated Chang for the position in 2016, was targeted for recall by Republicans because he voted for the state gas tax increase that was approved last year. Chang does not support the gas tax increase, saying that the fees make life harder for middle-class families, according to Ballotpedia.

Chang, a 1994 graduate of Diamond Bar High School, served as a member of the Diamond Bar City Council from 2009 to 2014, including a stint as mayor of the city. She was elected to the state assembly in November 2014.

In the race for governor, Democrat Gavin Newsom and Republican John Cox will run against each other in November.  

Among the bills that garnered enough votes to pass were Propositions 68, 69, 71 and 72.

Prop. 68 grants $4.1 billion to support habitat conservation, parks and water-related projects, including $200 million to preserve the Salton Sea, California’s largest lake that is currently drying up.

Prop. 69 will use gas and vehicle registration fees for road and transportation-related purposes, such as fixing roads and highways.

Prop. 71 will move the effective date of ballot propositions from the day directly after their election to five days after.

Prop. 72 protects homeowners who decide to add a rainwater recycling system to their roofs from being charged with a higher property tax.

However, California residents rejected Measure 70, which was opposed by the Environmental Health Coalition and the Sierra Club. These groups were against the measure because they believed it would threaten California’s developments on climate change and clean air.

Because Prop. 70 did not pass, the state’s cap-and-trade earnings will not be transferred to a Greenhouse Gas Reduction Reserve Fund.