Final Count in 59th Assembly Primary: 9 Candidates in the Race

By Bill Peters

The filing date for candidates for the June 8 primary in the 59th Assembly ended March 17 with a total of nine candidates, down from an expected 11. Almost a dozen hopefuls had announced an intention to begin the election process to whittle down one candidate per recognized party to take over the Assembly post Anthony Adams will step down from in December. Six of the candidates running are Republicans, one is a Democrat, two will run under the banner of Libertarian party and one will represent the American Independent party in the primary contest.
The Registrar of Voters office did not receive filing papers from Donald Williamson, a former San Bernardino County Assessor who had indicated an interest in running as a Democrat; and Matthew Belgen, a respiratory care therapist from Twin Peaks who would have signed on as a Republican candidate.
The 59th Assembly District has been strongly Republican for many years and this year’s primary contest gives party members a choice of six candidates to replace the Republican Adams. The Republican candidates are Claremont City Councilman Corey Calaycay; Anthony Riley, a former special projects coordinator for San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gary Ovitt and currently an owner of a public relations firms in Hesparia and who serves on the Hesperia School Board; Christopher Lancaster, an advertising salesman for the San Gabriel Valley Newspaper Group and former Covina City Councilman, now of La Verne; Ken Hunter, a Lake Arrowhead real estate broker; Tim Donelly, a Twin Peaks businessman; and Iver Bye, a one-time Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney.
The lone Democrat candidate in the race is Darcel Woods, a Chaffey College professor who resides in La Verne. Dan Fernandes, a retired aerospace engineer of La Verne and Anthony “Tony” Tyler, a print shop owner from Hesparia have filed to run from the Libertarian party. Robert Gosney, a businessman from Hesparia will run as the American Independent party’s candidate.
Adams announced his decision not to run for re-election earlier this year. At the time he said, “Announcing my decision not to run for re-election at this time will give ample notice to potential candidates in Assembly District 59 and it will give voters plenty of time to sort out who will best represent them in 2011 and beyond.”
The 59th Assembly District is a highly gerrymandered district stretching over two-counties that includes cities in the High Desert, the San Bernardino Mountains, Pomona Valley and the San Gabriel Valley. Locally, the 59th Assembly District includes portions, or in some cases, all, of Arcadia, Sierra Madre, Monrovia and Bradbury.

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