Decisions ’24 – Calvert and Rollins Still too Close to Call, Roth Leading Medina for Supervisor’s Seat

Decisions ’24

As of Noon Thursday 11/7

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RIVERSIDE  – In a race with national implications over control of the U.S. House of Representatives, sixteen term incumbent Ken Calvert and challenger Will Rollins remains undecided as of print time midday Thursday.

Corona native, Calvert, the senior member of California’s Republican delegation has represented different swaths of Riverside County since 1993. Former federal prosecutor Rollins, in his first run for public office, challenged ran a tough race against the incumbent two years ago, losing by 4.6%, just over 11,000 votes. As of late Thursday afternoon, Calvert led by 6,742 votes just under 3%, of 238,132 votes counted.

In the contest to replace retiring District 1 Supervisor Kevin Jeffries, State Sen. Richard Roth, D-Riverside, was trending toward victory in the intra-party race pitting him against former Assemblyman Jose Medina, D-Riverside.  

As of late Thursday afternoon, Roth held a 4.42% lead, 3,741 more votes of 84, 473 cast. 

Roth, who will term out of the state Senate this year, was an Air Force major general stationed in the area before entering politics. He spotlighted as accomplishments since 2012 securing funding for the UC Riverside School of Medicine and funds to increase the number of judicial officers countywide.

“I’m running for supervisor to build more housing our families can afford, improve our quality of life, recruit doctors and make mental health care more accessible,” the senator said in campaign literature. “I’ll ensure we fund and support public safety to combat crime, fight gang violence and stop illegal drugs from overtaking our communities.”

He said he has a “plan to address homelessness by partnering with nonprofits (and) expanding mental health and substance abuse treatment services.”

Medina, who was an educator prior to entering the Assembly in 2010, pointed to his record supporting greater appropriations for UCR, seed funding for the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and a bevy of restoration projects in Riverside as highlights of his political career.

He vowed to ensure the sheriff’s department is “accountable” in order to restore “trust with our community,” alluding to complaints regarding conditions in the jail system, which has led to at least one lawsuit.

“I will deliver for Riverside County families by tackling our homelessness crisis by rapidly moving people off our streets and into housing,” he said in a campaign promotion.

He appeared before the board in June to oppose double-digit percentage pay hikes ultimately approved for the sheriff, district attorney and other elected officials. He vowed that, if elected, he would continue Jeffries’ tradition of declining pay raises for himself. Jeffries, who is the most senior member of the board, is also the lowest paid of the five supervisors.

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