Manhattan Beach Voters Preferred Hilton, Opposed Tax Measure ER
Jun 18, 2026 09:50AM ● By Mb News Staff
Initial vote totals show how the voters of Manhattan Beach approached some races in the June primary differently from others in the region and the state.
For instance, a half-cent sales tax proposed countywide in Measure ER is on track to pass narrowly by 51% to 49%. But Manhattan Beach voters opposed the measure by nearly two to one, with 64% saying no.
In races for governor and state senate, the top vote-getters among Manhattan Beach voters were Republicans, despite the city's electorate showing a longtime preference for Democratic candidates. (The city voted 64% to 31% for Democratic candidate for president Kamala Harris over Donald Trump.)
Los Angeles County provides vote totals broken down by community for each election. The results used for this story were updated June 9, a week after the election, and will be updated as the election nears certification 30 days after the vote.
Here is how Manhattan Beach voters voted in key races.
Local voters gave a strikingly higher level of support to Republican candidate Steve Hilton than did voters statewide, giving the British-born former Fox News host 33.4% support, versus Hilton's 24.7% support across California.
Hilton appeared to owe some of that boost to the fact that local Republican-leaning voters were much less supportive of Chad Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff, who got only 3.8% support in MB versus 10.2% statewide.
Democratic-leaning voters were slightly less supportive of former Attorney General Xavier Becerra than voters statewide, offering 26.2% support, while Democrat and current San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan garnered double the support locally (7.2%) that he got statewide. Billionaire Tom Steyer's share of the Manhattan Beach vote almost precisely matched his statewide total of 22.8%.
Overall, 60% of Manhattan Beach voters endorsed one of the top 5 Democratic candidates for governor, with 37.1% supporting the top 2 Republicans. Hilton and Becerra will square off in November.
Two of the top three vote-getters in the primary among Manhattan Beach voters were Republican candidates, Rick Marshall and Kristina Irwin. Marshall edged out Democrat Brian Goldsmith by 1%, with 21.9% of the local vote. Irwin was 5% lower at 16.9%.
Democratic-leaning voters were marginally more supportive of Goldsmith, who qualified for the November runoff election, that all voters in the district, offering him 20.9% compared with 18.3% district-wide. Local voters were much less supportive of the other candidate to make the runoff, Democrat John Erickson, who got the most votes in the primary (20.5%) across the district, but fared 7% worse among Manhattan Beach voters.
Overall, local voters gave 61.7% support to the top 5 Democratic candidates.
Measure ER was presented as a temporary, 5-year sales tax increase of 0.5%, with funds directed to healthcare services. County officials say they face greatly increased costs as a result of recent national legislation that reduced healthcare funding.
The local opposition (64%) to Measure ER recalls a similar outcome in the November 2024 election. (See chart at top of story.) Then, countywide, voters approved Measure A, to both double a sales tax whose revenue is devoted to addressing homelessness and to make it permanent, with a 57.8% "yes" vote. But the result was almost the opposite locally, with 57.1% of Manhattan Beach voters saying "no" to county Measure A.
At the same election, local voters chose to increase the city sales tax with Measure MMB, with 57.4% support. The big difference: Measure MMB revenues remain 100% local.
Some voters may recall a second- or third-tier argument in favor of Measure MMB, which was that local sales taxes were then below a state-imposed maximum, and if Manhattan Beach voters did not enact MMB, the county might step in and raise taxes, sending the revenue to the county instead of keeping it local.
Did the existence of that maximum mean that Measure ER will not apply to Manhattan Beach? No. The maximum was raised by legislation (AB 1768) signed by the governor the day before the primary election. The new law applies only to Los Angeles County and Contra Costa County, each of which had pending votes on sales tax increases.
Meantime, local voters gave somewhat more support to his primary challenger, former Sheriff Alex Villanueva – 25.8% versus the 21.7% support he got countywide.
More than a third of voters in the county chose one of six alternative candidates, whereas local voters were more likely to choose between the two top candidates who have advanced to the November runoff, with only 22.5% choosing an alternative.
For instance, a half-cent sales tax proposed countywide in Measure ER is on track to pass narrowly by 51% to 49%. But Manhattan Beach voters opposed the measure by nearly two to one, with 64% saying no.
In races for governor and state senate, the top vote-getters among Manhattan Beach voters were Republicans, despite the city's electorate showing a longtime preference for Democratic candidates. (The city voted 64% to 31% for Democratic candidate for president Kamala Harris over Donald Trump.)
Los Angeles County provides vote totals broken down by community for each election. The results used for this story were updated June 9, a week after the election, and will be updated as the election nears certification 30 days after the vote.
Here is how Manhattan Beach voters voted in key races.
Governor
Hilton appeared to owe some of that boost to the fact that local Republican-leaning voters were much less supportive of Chad Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff, who got only 3.8% support in MB versus 10.2% statewide.
Democratic-leaning voters were slightly less supportive of former Attorney General Xavier Becerra than voters statewide, offering 26.2% support, while Democrat and current San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan garnered double the support locally (7.2%) that he got statewide. Billionaire Tom Steyer's share of the Manhattan Beach vote almost precisely matched his statewide total of 22.8%.
Overall, 60% of Manhattan Beach voters endorsed one of the top 5 Democratic candidates for governor, with 37.1% supporting the top 2 Republicans. Hilton and Becerra will square off in November.
State Senate District 24
Our local state senate district, now known as District 24, is open for the first time in 12 years after Sen. Ben Allen was required to relinquish the seat due to term limits.Two of the top three vote-getters in the primary among Manhattan Beach voters were Republican candidates, Rick Marshall and Kristina Irwin. Marshall edged out Democrat Brian Goldsmith by 1%, with 21.9% of the local vote. Irwin was 5% lower at 16.9%.
Democratic-leaning voters were marginally more supportive of Goldsmith, who qualified for the November runoff election, that all voters in the district, offering him 20.9% compared with 18.3% district-wide. Local voters were much less supportive of the other candidate to make the runoff, Democrat John Erickson, who got the most votes in the primary (20.5%) across the district, but fared 7% worse among Manhattan Beach voters.
Overall, local voters gave 61.7% support to the top 5 Democratic candidates.
Assembly District 66
State Assembly District 66 has been held continuously for 12 years by Al Muratsuchi, who was forced to retire by term limits. (Muratsuchi ran for State Superintendent of Public Instruction in the primary, but did not qualify for the November runoff.)
Local voters preferred Democrats as a replacement for Muratsuchi, endorsing Paul Seo and Sara Deen, the two candidates who will go on to the final in November.
While local voters were slightly less supportive of each of the Democrats who advanced, they were somewhat more supportive of Scott Houston, an elected member of the West Basin Municipal Water District, offering him 4% greater support than he enjoyed across the assembly district. Houston was endorsed by Manhattan Beach city council members Amy Howorth and Nina Tarnay, and Manhattan Beach Unified School District President Wysh Weinstein.
Measure ER
Manhattan Beach voters do not tend to support sales tax increases – unless they're fully local.Measure ER was presented as a temporary, 5-year sales tax increase of 0.5%, with funds directed to healthcare services. County officials say they face greatly increased costs as a result of recent national legislation that reduced healthcare funding.
The local opposition (64%) to Measure ER recalls a similar outcome in the November 2024 election. (See chart at top of story.) Then, countywide, voters approved Measure A, to both double a sales tax whose revenue is devoted to addressing homelessness and to make it permanent, with a 57.8% "yes" vote. But the result was almost the opposite locally, with 57.1% of Manhattan Beach voters saying "no" to county Measure A.
At the same election, local voters chose to increase the city sales tax with Measure MMB, with 57.4% support. The big difference: Measure MMB revenues remain 100% local.
Some voters may recall a second- or third-tier argument in favor of Measure MMB, which was that local sales taxes were then below a state-imposed maximum, and if Manhattan Beach voters did not enact MMB, the county might step in and raise taxes, sending the revenue to the county instead of keeping it local.
Did the existence of that maximum mean that Measure ER will not apply to Manhattan Beach? No. The maximum was raised by legislation (AB 1768) signed by the governor the day before the primary election. The new law applies only to Los Angeles County and Contra Costa County, each of which had pending votes on sales tax increases.
LA County Sheriff
In the race for Los Angeles County Sheriff, local voters were substantially more supportive of current Sheriff Robert Luna than voters countywide, offering 51.7% support against his 44.7% support among all county voters.Meantime, local voters gave somewhat more support to his primary challenger, former Sheriff Alex Villanueva – 25.8% versus the 21.7% support he got countywide.
More than a third of voters in the county chose one of six alternative candidates, whereas local voters were more likely to choose between the two top candidates who have advanced to the November runoff, with only 22.5% choosing an alternative.
