Pomona Politics

Pomona: Primary Election Results

Published 3/11/2024 | 8:10 am PST

Though ballots are still being counted, and the votes for the 2024 primary election won’t be officially certified until April 12, 2024, it looks like there will be run-offs in November between the following local candidates:

POMONA CITY PRIMARY NOMINATING ELECTION Member of the City Council, 1st District candidates Debra Martin (40%) and the incumbent John Nolte (36%).

POMONA CITY PRIMARY NOMINATING ELECTION Member of the City Council, 4th District candidates Guillermo Gonzalez (36%) and the incumbent Elizabeth Ontiveros-Cole (35%).

POMONA CITY PRIMARY NOMINATING ELECTION Member of the City Council, 6th District candidates Lorraine Canales (38%) and Miranda Sheffield (34%).

The Pomonan endorses Miranda Sheffield for the Council, 6th District. With a Master’s in Public Policy, she has served on various Commissions and is a constant contributor at Pomona’s City Council meetings.

The citizens of Pomona once again re-elected incumbent Tim Sandoval (53%) for Mayor.

The citizens passed both Measure P and Measure X, sales tax measures that, according to estimates, will bring $16.8 million and $5.8 million annually to the City, respectively.

Gil Cisneros, a former congressman and Democrat, (23%) will face off against Daniel José Bocic Martínez, a Republican (20%) for the 31st Congressional District seat in November.

For State Assembly, Republican Nick Wilson (32%) will be in the run-offs against the former Assemblyman Freddie Rodriguez’ wife, Michelle Rodriguez (23%). Freddie Rodriguez termed out of his office and ran this round for Pomona Mayor against Tim Sandoval, but came up short. In the Assembly race, Wilson and Rodriguez nosed out Pomona Council Member Robert S. Torres (20%), son of newly re-elected Congresswoman Norma Torres (54%).

Incumbent District Attorney Democrat George Gascón faced considerable opposition in this primary. At only 24% of the vote, he will be in the run-offs against Republican Nathan Hochman(17%). 

This primary election was, again, marked by low voter turnout across the county, but certainly in Pomona. Nearby Pasadena, with about 12,000 fewer residents than Pomona, had more than double the voter turnout.

The Pomonan is the cultural structure, empowering visionaries to propel the global society to the future.

Breaking: District 4 Candidate Guillermo Gonzalez Declares other Candidates have Violated Campaign Finance Laws

Published February 26, 2024 | 8:15am PST

Pomona, CA – The campaign committee of Guillermo Gonzalez for Pomona City Council 2024 has learned that both campaigns for Elizabeth Cole and Chara Swodeck are in current violation of Pomona’s campaign expenditure limits. Both candidate’s campaigns agreed to expenditure limits in return for printing a candidate statement. This rule was adopted by the voters in 2022 as part of the charter amendment updates. The city has thus far refused to enforce these expenditure limits, penalize the campaigns of the candidates, or take any meaningful action despite these apparent violations.

We will continue to monitor the situation, but this type of corruption is unacceptable, is contrary to the laws adopted by the city and state and should immediately disqualify these candidates for any position due to their actions. This campaign has reached out to the city and is seeking an immediate remedy. In the interim, the campaign seeks a statement from those organizations and elected officials who have endorsed these candidates to see if they condone such actions and if they will continue to support candidates who have demonstrated a complete lack of integrity and have seemingly violated the city’s campaign expenditure limits. The campaign has also forwarded complaints regarding both campaigns to the FPPC to seek an investigation and immediate remedy.


Organizations or elected officials who have endorsed Chara Swodeck:

Teamsters 1932
Mayor Tim Sandoval
Councilmember John Nolte
Councilmember Victor Preciado
Councilmember Nora Garcia


Organizations or elected officials who have endorsed Elizabeth Cole:

Pomona Police Officers Association
Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 398
Rep. Norma Torres
Councilmember and Assembly Candidate Robert Torres
BizFed PAC

Guillermo4Pomona@gmail.com

Guillermo Gonzalez has a Master of Science in Public Administration from California State University – Los Angeles where he graduated with honors. He has been a resident of Pomona since 2011 and is currently a candidate for Pomona City Council.

Podcast: League of Women Voters Hosts Pomona Candidates Forum

Published 02/08/2024 | 9:50pm PST

The League of Women Voters of California is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights, build grassroots power in our communities, drive policy change on the biggest challenges facing our state, and ensure everyone is represented in our democracy.

The League of Women Voters of Mount Baldy Area held a forum for the city of Pomona candidates seeking to represent Districts 1, 4, and 6 starting in January. A mayoral forum was also featured in the forum.

Pomona Mayoral Forum
Tim Sandoval, Gustavo Ramirez, Veronica Cabrera, and Freddie Rodriguez

District 6 Candidates Forum
Miranda Sheffield. Glenda Barillas. and Lorraine Canales

District 1 Candidates Forum
John Nolte, Eugenio Diaz, Luis Cano, John Mendoza

District 4 Candidates Forum
Chara Swodeck, Elizabeth Cole, Guillermo Gonzalez

The League of Women Voters was officially founded in Chicago in 1920, just six months before the 19th amendment was ratified and women won the vote. Formed by the suffragists of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, the League began as a "mighty political experiment" designed to help 20 million women carry out their new responsibilities as voters.

Community Responses: 2024 Mayoral & City Council Poll

By Julian Lucas
Published 12/20/2023 | 11:15 Am PST


Earlier this month, the Pomonan published an election poll, which included the race for Mayor and City Council Districts 1, 4, and 6. Additionally, the Pomonan asked a series of three questions in regards to transparency, accountability & election promises, and what issues voters feel need to be addressed.

The mayoral poll took a shocking turn when candidate California Assembly Member, Freddie Rodriguez from Assembly District 52, announced his candidacy for Mayor. Mayor Tim Sandoval, the incumbent, leading poll popularity was humbled and Rodriguez took a slight lead at the time of the poll’s closing.

Initially, District 1 City Council incumbent, John Nolte, had an enormous lead, but this lead quickly shrunk when Pomona Library Board of Trustees Commissioner Debra Martin made it known she was also running.

District 4’s incumbent, Elizabeth Cole-Ontiveras continues to lose popularity as voters continue to choose between the two other contenders, Chara Swodeck and Guillermo Gonzalez. Gonzalez has a commanding lead over both candidates.

There is no incumbent for the 2024 City Council race for District 6. The three contenders, Lorraine Canales, Miranda Sheffield, and Glenda Barillas are almost level at this point.

When individuals run for office, they promise to perform certain tasks once elected. Since the poll became active on December 4th voters have voiced their concerns about the functionality of the city. 76.6% of voters feel the leadership has not fulfilled their tasks as promised.

Voters also voiced their concerns about the lack of transparency in government. 76.6% feel there isn’t transparency within the government..

57.8% of voters feel Mayor Sandoval has not addressed important issues such as economic development, city budget management, infrastructure improvements, along with social equity and inclusion. While 20.8% voiced their confidence in the Mayor, but 20.1% said they were unsure.

Furthermore, community members were able to voice important concerns regarding what they’d like to see addressed by city leaders. Many concerns were voiced and the majority of what was concerning was crime, prostitution, and the unhoused situation. We have provided a list of items that are important concerns for the people of Pomona. This list does not include all concerns and many of the responders’ concerns were the same.

The concerns they listed tallied in this order: Crime followed by Taxes, Homelessness, Economic Development and Youth Services. 

The poll will close in 5 days, but The Pomonan plans to repoll in the spring and fall. The poll represents 154 people so far. They are responding in a city within a county that are both notorious for low voter registration rates and low voter turnout rates. 

The Pomonan sends an open invitation to all candidates to submit substantive op-eds stating their position on an issue (or issues) that they consider critical to our community. No campaign propaganda, please. The Pomonan plans to publish articles where a candidate takes a stand, explains their position and explains how they plan to address the issue.

Julian Lucas, is a photographer, a purveyor of books, and writer, but mostly a photographer. Don’t ever ask him to take photos of events. Julian is also the owner and founder of Mirrored Society Book Shop, publisher of The Pomonan, founder of Book-Store, and founder of PPABF.