2024 General Election Voter Guide

2024 GENERAL ELECTION VOTER GUIDE

DOUGLAS COUNTY COMMISSION

Profiles by Josie

With two new districts, the Douglas County Commission races look different this year. Find out more about each candidate inside, page 6A.

DISTRICT ATTORNEY

Profiles by Kim Callahan

kcallahan@ ljworld.com

Dakota Loomis (D) Mike Warner (R)

Both men running for DA have been highly critical of the current DA, who was ousted in the primary. Learn more about the race inside, page 5A.

LEGISLATURE

Profiles by Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com

Find out who’s running for the Kansas Legislature in and around Lawrence, page 10A.

By Bremen Keasey

No city leaders will be on the ballot this November, but Lawrence voters will have an opportunity to change the structure of their local government to include a directly elected mayor and a City Commission that’s elected partly by geographic districts.

bkeasey@ljworld.com

Voters in Lawrence are being asked to vote on a referendum that could raise the affordable housing sales tax from 0.05% to 0.10%, allowing some of the funds to pay for services to help people experiencing homelessness. The ballot initiative was approved by the City Commission in August as part of the budget discussions for 2025, as the Journal-World reported. The sales tax increase would add an extra nickel in tax to every $100 in purchases made by consumers in Lawrence. State law requires that all city sales tax increases be put to a citywide vote. Currently, the city has a 0.05% affordable housing sales tax that voters approved back in 2017 that helps fund programs related to affordable housing. By Bremen Keasey l

DEATHS

CHERYL LEE ALLEY

Services for Cheryl Alley, 61 , of Lawrence, will be held at 10:30 am Wednesday October 16 2024, at Rumsey­Yost Funeral Home 601 Indiana St Lawrence KS 66044 Burial and graveside services will take place at Hubble Hill Cemetery Kearny Ave, Tonganoxie, KS 66086

Cheryl passed away Tuesday, October 8, 2024, at home surrounded by her family

She was born April 15, 1963, in Lawrence, the daughter of Lloyd and Margaret Douglas She graduated from Lawrence High School in 1981 and later became a nurse at Lawrence Plastic Surgery where she worked for (20) years She was an avid KU Jayhawks and KC Chiefs fan She enjoyed spending time with family and taking walks with her husband She is survived by her husband Henry Green and her brothers Mark Douglas (Kathy) Douglas and Steven (Norma) Douglas along with her

sons and daughters Bryan Alley (Monica Alley) and Cody Alley (Jessica Alley), and granddaughters Thea Emmalee, and Viola Other survivors include her nieces and nephews Amber, Ashley, Marie, Steven, Michael, Daniel, Jason and Anne The family suggests sending flowers to Rumsey­Yost Funeral Home the day before services October 15 Online condolences made at rumsey­yost com

J DUANE MORTENSEN

Duane Mortensen (96) of Lawrence KS passed away on October 9, 2024, in Lawrence He was born on a farm near Royal lowa, on December 3, 1927, the third son of John and Ella Mortensen He was a kind, generous, friendly man, who was always curious about the world a true gentleman, and an avid reader and sports fan He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers, Darrel, Virgil, and Vernon He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Audrey, three children Mary Mortensen, Lawrence, KS, Ruth Mortensen, Chicago, IL Neal Mortensen (Trena), Indianapolis, IN; two grandchildren, Tristan Mortensen (Erika Schlichter), Riner, VA, and Tianna Maschger (Tyler), St Petersburg FL two great­granddaughters, Elan and Layla, one brother Ronald (Barbara) Mortensen, Valley, NE,, and one sister, Peggy Miller Ft Worth TX as well as a host of nieces and nephews He attended country schools as a child then graduated as valedictorian from Royal High School in 1945 He worked for Hale Grain Co in Royal for 18 months (including driving a school bus), prior to serving in the U S Army of Occupation in Seoul Korea until 1948 Under the G I Bill, he attended the University of lowa and graduated with a B S in Commerce in 1952 Duane was active in the Lutheran campus ministry in Cedar Falls, Iowa, where he met his future wife in 1953, Audrey Mortvedt, who was serving as Lutheran Counselor to Students

They were married in Dell Rapids SD on Oct 16 1955, and had three children, Mary, Ruth and Neal Family vacations including visiting 47 states, as many state capitols as possible as well as going to many baseball games featuring his beloved Pittsburgh Pirates

He was an accountant at the John Deere Waterloo Tractor Works from 1952­1963 and at the John Deere Dubuque Works from 1963 until his

retirement as Plant Controller in 1982 In Iowa Duane served as president of the Dubuque Industrial Bureau and on the boards of the Dubuque Savings and Loan the Dubuque Chamber of Commerce the United Way, the lowa Taxpayers' Association and the Governor s Commission on Judicial Compensation He served on the board of Aquinas Institute in Dubuque and also as president of the Dubuque Library Board and was active in the politics He and Audrey received the Distinguished Civic Service Award from the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce in 1975 He also served on many congregational and area leadership positions in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America

He served as Business Manager of Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque from 1982­1987, then he and his wife Audrey retired to Springf ield, MO, living there until 1999 They enjoyed spending time in the Ozarks, where they had spent their honeymoon They then spent 11 years in Columbia MO and moved to Lawrence KS in 2010 into a duplex at Lawrence Presbyterian Manor

The funeral will be held at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church 2211 Inverness, at 3:00 pm on Saturday October 19 2024 Inurnment will be held in the spring of 2025 at Stordahl Lutheran Cemetery Dell Rapids SD Memorials may be given to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Presbyterian Manor Good Samaritan Fund 1429 Kasold, Lawrence, KS 66049 or the Lawrence Public Library Friends and Foundation, PO Box 973 Lawrence KS 66044 or at lplks org /give Online condolences made at rumsey­yost com

JOAN THOMASINA HUMES VIGNATELLI

Funeral Mass for Joanie Vignatelli, 90, Lawrence, will be at 4:00 p m on Tues , Oct 15, 2024 at St Lawrence Catholic Center in Lawrence VISO from 3:30 p m until service time at the church warrenmcelwain com

ON THE RECORD

Editor’s note: Names in marriage and divorce listings appear as submitted by Douglas County District Court staff.

Marriages

Andy Resendiz, 25, Eudora, and Shaylyn L. Ballard, 25, Eudora.

Kellan D. Richards, 29, Merriam, and Trudy K. Peterson, 28, Merriam. Jose R. Mendoza, 56, Lawrence, and Josephine A. Ellis, 53, Lawrence. William A. Futrell, 37, Lawrence, and Summer R. Merrill, 33, Lawrence.

Jaime Dojaquez, 39, Lawrence, and Lucette C. Rangel Armenta, 33.

Van Dave S. Jacob, 24, Lawrence, and Priscilla Khanthaboury, 21, Lawrence.

Andrew W. True, 27, Lawrence, and Anne M. Tobler, 25, Lawrence. Cameron K. Rohr, 28, Lawrence, and Teri L. Buck, 27, Lawrence.

Marcus D. Coleman, 41, Park Ridge, Ill., and Aphton R. Riley, 38, Park Ridge, Ill.

Daniel J. Sanchez, 26, Lawrence, and Sydney R. Tosses, 26, Lawrence.

Nicholas R. Ozello, 34, Lawrence, and Shauna D. Ozark, 35, Lawrence.

Nicholas J. Talley, 39, Lawrence, and Corinna Ponce, 39, Lawrence. Benjamin T. Burdick, 35, Lawrence, and Alyssa L. Cool, 33, Lawrence.

Austin W. Kennard, 26, Lawrence, and Cassandra C. Nichols, 26, Lawrence. Jonathon W. Pratt, 28, Baldwin City, and Brayden L. Pascoe, 26, Baldwin City.

Cameron R. Foster, 25, Lawrence, and Jordan D. Kehring, 24, Lawrence.

Brock A. Chart, 33, Lawrence, and Dominique N. Scanlan, 31, Lawrence.

Adrian P. Pishny, 26, Blue Rapids, and Shelby L. Yoho, 25, Blue Rapids. Taylor R. Fisher, 35, Baldwin City, and Jessi A. Hoover, 34, Baldwin City.

Divorces

No divorces were reported in Douglas County this past week.

CORRECTIONS

City Manager Craig Owens told the Journal-World the city received $1.25 million that it could spend on affordable housing. Maureen Brady, a city spokesperson for Lawrence, said with those funds, the city can acquire land for future affordable housing projects and invest in public/private partnerships that create affordable units. The city began collecting the sales tax in April 2019, and since the referendum was passed to this year, the affordable housing trust fund has helped create over 700 affordable houses and apartments, according to Justice Matters, a grassroots, interfaith organization in Lawrence that helped get that tax passed. If the referendum is approved, it would repeal the current 0.05% affordable housing sales tax that the city collects, and instead make it 0.10%, with the revenue equally

divided between projects for affordable housing and homelessness services. The collection of that 0.10% tax would start on April 1, 2025. If the referendum is voted down, the current tax that funds housing projects would be left in place.

Owens said most of the funding for the city’s Homelessness Division, which last year had a budget of a little over $5.2 million, came from federal ARPA funds. Owens said passing the referendum will be “critical” for the city to build its capacity to respond to homelessness as part of “A Place For Everyone” — a combined effort from Lawrence and Douglas County with the aim of ending homelessness that called for $267 million in estimated spending in the next five years.

The 2024 point-intime homeless count for Lawrence and

we have made such an error, call 832-7154, or email news@ljworld.com.

Douglas County, which was completed earlier this year, was up 18% from last year, as the Journal-World reported. Although the numbers have increased, the city believes the increased funding and efforts led to “significant progress (for) building solutions” that helped people experiencing homelessness.

“We have recently started to see positive outcomes for the community as a result,” Brady said. But the progress could be stymied if the referendum ends up failing. If passed, the homelessness and affordable housing tax would only allow the city to maintain its current service levels, according to Brady. If the referendum is voted down, the Homelessness Division would have a $1.25 million shortfall when it comes to emergency sheltering services.

Voters will decide the issue as part of the Nov. 5 general election. Voters have until Oct. 15 to register to vote in the election. Advance voting begins on Oct. 16.

Physical therapy helped KU goalie get back on the field

HBy Autumn Bishop l LMH Health

ave you ever watched a soccer match and seen players collide? It isn’t uncommon for those impacts to result in a concussion for one or both. Statistics from the Consumer Product Safety Commission show that 40% of soccer concussions are attributed to head-to-player contact.

That was certainly the case for Sophie Dawe, a redshirt freshman goalie for the University of Kansas women’s soccer team. She was playing in the final spring game in April 2024 when she was in a head-on-head collision with another player and got a concussion.

Researchers say life expectancy is hitting its upper limit

By Mike Stobbe Associated Press

New York — Humanity is hitting the upper limit of life expectancy, according to a new study. Advances in medical technology and genetic research — not to mention larger numbers of people making it to age 100 — are not translating into marked jumps in lifespan overall, according to researchers who found shrinking longevity increases in countries with the longest-living populations.

“We have to recognize there’s a limit” and perhaps reassess assumptions about when people should retire and how much money they’ll need to live out their lives, said S. Jay Olshansky, a University of Illinois-Chicago researcher who was lead author of the study published Monday by the journal Nature Aging.

Mark Hayward, a University of Texas researcher not involved in the study, called it “a valuable addition to the mortality literature.”

“We are reaching a plateau” in life expectancy, he agreed. It’s always possible some breakthrough could push survival to

greater heights, “but we don’t have that now,” Hayward said.

What is life expectancy?

Life expectancy is an estimate of the average number of years a baby born in a given year might expect to live, assuming death rates at that time hold constant. It is one of the world’s most important health measures, but it is also imperfect: It is a snapshot estimate that cannot account for deadly pandemics, miracle cures or other unforeseen developments that might kill or save millions of people.

In the new research, Olshansky and his research partners tracked life expectancy estimates for the years 1990 to 2019, drawn from a database administered by the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research. The researchers focused on eight of

the places in the world where people live the longest — Australia, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain and Switzerland.

The U.S. doesn’t even rank in the top 40. But is also was included “because we live here” and because of past, bold estimates that life expectancy in the U.S. might surge dramatically in this century, Olshansky said.

Who lives the longest?

Women continue to live longer than men and life expectancy improvements are still occurring — but at a slowing pace, the researchers found. In 1990, the average amount of improvement was about 2 1/2 years per decade. In the 2010s, it was 1 1/2 years — and almost zero in the U.S.

Walk the Loop

Join LMH Health and our community partners for a walk on various points of the Lawrence Loop! Walk at your own pace and explore new portions of the Lawrence Loop!

5:30 – 6:30 p.m.

Thursdays, October 3 – 24, 2024 Lawrence Loop

Contributed Photos SOPHIE DAWE IS THE STARTING GOALIE THIS SEASON for the Kansas women’s soccer team.

> GOALIE, 4A

AP File Photo

EMMA MORANO HOLDS A CAKE WITH CANDLES MARKING HER 117TH BIRTHDAY in Verbania, Italy, in this Nov. 29, 2016, file photo.

A new way of seeing how the brain clears out waste

By Lauran Neergaard Associated Press

Washington — A unique peek inside the human brain may help explain how it clears away waste like the kind that can build up and lead to Alzheimer’s disease.

Brain cells use a lot of nutrients, which means they make a lot of waste. Scientists have long thought the brain has special plumbing to flush out cellular trash, especially during sleep — they could see it happening in mice. But there was only circumstantial evidence of a similar system in people.

Now researchers have finally spotted that network of tiny waste-clearing channels in the brains of living people, thanks to a special kind of imaging.

“I was skeptical,” said Dr. Juan Piantino of Oregon Health & Science University, whose team reported the findings Monday. “We needed this piece to say this happens in humans, too.”

The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“glymphatic system.” Cerebrospinal fluid uses channels surrounding blood vessels to get deep into tissue and move waste until it exits the brain. When mice were injected with a chief Alzheimer’s culprit named beta-amyloid, it cleared away faster when the animals were sleeping.

It’s not clear exactly how that network works although some research has shown the pulsing of the blood vessels helps move the waste-clearing fluid where it needs go. But it’s been hard to find that system in people. Regular MRI scans can spot some of those fluid-filled channels but don’t show their function, Piantino said.

It’s a small but potentially important study that Rochester’s Dr. Maiken Nedergaard predicted will increase interest in how brain waste clearance connects to people’s health.

But to test if better sleep or other treatments might really spur waste clearance and improve health, “I have to be able to measure glymphatic function in people,” added Dr. Jeff Iliff of the University of Washington, who helped pioneer waste-clearance research. The question is whether the new study might point to ways of measuring.

The U.S. is more problematic because it is harder hit by a range of issues that kill people even before they hit old age, including drug overdoses, shootings, obesity and inequities that make it hard for some people to get sufficient medical care.

But in one calculation, the researchers estimated what would happen in all nine places if all deaths before age 50 were eliminated. The increase at best was still only 1 1/2 years, Olshansky said.

Why life expectancy may not be able to rise forever

The study suggests that there’s a limit to how long most people live, and we’ve about hit it, Olshansky said.

“We’re squeezing less and less life out of these life-extending technologies. And the reason is, aging gets in the way,” he said.

It may seem common to hear of a person living to 100 — former U.S. President Jimmy Carter hit that milestone last week. In 2019, a little over 2% of Americans made it to 100, compared with about 5% in Japan and 9% in Hong Kong, Olshansky said.

It’s likely that the ranks of centenarians will grow in the decades ahead, experts say, but that’s because of population growth. The percentage of people hitting 100 will remain limited, likely with fewer than 15% of women and 5% of men making it that long in most countries, Olshansky said.

The brain is remarkably active during sleep. One reason seems to be that’s the time it does a deep clean. And that’s gotten attention because while losing a good night’s sleep muddles people’s thinking, chronic sleep deprivation also

Goalie

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3A

“I had severe headaches, dizziness and pressure in my head,” Dawe said. “The symptoms limited the amount of time I could use a computer. I had to get extensions on my schoolwork and also wasn’t able to train all summer.”

Dawe worked with team doctors at KU and made improvements, but her symptoms persisted. She wasn’t able to do any aerobic or strength activities without them becoming worse.

is considered a risk factor for dementia.

So how does the brain cleanse itself?

Over a decade ago, scientists at the University of Rochester first reported finding a network they dubbed the

Dr. Luis Salazar, a sports medicine physician at OrthoKansas who works with Kansas Team Health, recommended that Dawe turn to LMH Health Therapy Services for vestibular therapy to help manage her symptoms.

Haley Gragert is a physical therapist and athletic trainer who specializes in treating patients with dizziness and balance issues. She began working with Dawe in mid-June.

“The athletic trainer at KU did a great job of starting the process with vestibular and oculomotor (eye) training to work on improving the

So his team in Oregon injected a tracer into five patients who were undergoing brain surgery and needed a more advanced form of MRI. The tracer “lit up” under those scans and sure enough, 24 to 48 hours later, it wasn’t moving randomly through the brain but via those channels just like prior research had found in mice.

coordination of Sophie’s eyes with her brain,” Gragert said. “The start of training for the upcoming soccer season was at the end of July, so it was important for us to resolve her symptoms.”

Dawe wasn’t sure what to expect during their first meeting.

“I’d never had rehab for a head injury and didn’t really know what would happen,” she said. “We went through testing that first day to establish my baseline and determine where to go from there.”

Gragert took a deeper dive into Dawe’s symptoms and identified part of the problem as

Sleep isn’t the only question. For example, animal studies show an old blood pressure drug now used to treat PTSD may improve glymphatic function, and Iliff and colleague Dr. Elaine Peskind are about to study it in certain patients.

Additional larger studies in healthy people are needed and Piantino, whose lab focuses on sleep health, wants to find an easier, more noninvasive test.

“We cannot study all these questions by injecting people,” he said.

benign paroxysmal positional vertigo or BPPV. This common inner ear disorder leads to sudden vertigo — a feeling that the room is spinning — with changes in your head position.

“Through physical therapy, we got to the point where Sophie was able to change position, turn her head, run, jump and do sportspecific drills without symptoms,” Gragert explained.

After working with Gragert for about five weeks, Dawe’s symptoms have totally resolved. She’s back on the pitch as the starting goalie for Kansas.

“Haley gave me eye exercises to help with my coordination and those have made me a better goalie. I feel better than I ever did before my injury,” Dawe said. “I definitely recommend working with Haley and the team at LMH Health. I was nervous going in because I felt like getting physical therapy for dizziness wasn’t the norm, but I’m so glad that I did.”

— Autumn Bishop is the marketing manager and content strategist at LMH Health, which is a sponsor of the Lawrence Journal-World health section.

•

Christine Torres Hicks/OHSU via AP

THIS UNDATED PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY shows Drs. Erin Yamamoto, left, and Juan Piantino, who used special imaging to spot a long-suspected pathway the human brain uses to clear waste.

VOTER GUIDE 2024: Douglas County District Attorney

By Kim Callahan l l l kcallahan@ljworld.com

The two men competing to be the next district attorney for Douglas County have both been highly critical of the outgoing one-term DA, citing high turnover in the office, poor outcomes in the courtroom and damaged relationships with police and judges, among other issues. Each candidate has downplayed the role of partisan politics in his own campaign and has characterized his run as an attempt — a calling, almost — to right a ship that has gone badly off course. With all of that in common, each has also tried to make the case that his type of experience is the best type to lead the DA’s Office into the future.

The career prosecutor Republican Mike Warner — in multiple forums, interviews and campaign materials — has argued that his nearly 40 years of legal experience, 30 as a prosecutor, have ideally suited him to take the reins from outgoing DA Suzanne Valdez.

At 71, he says that he has the courtroom know-how to prosecute “every type of crime,” and he also claims to have experience training attorneys and fixing prosecutor offices that have become “dysfunctional” through over-politicization, underperformance and other ills.

Warner, who has a wife, two adult children, three stepchildren, an 8-year-old grandson and “three very domineering older pets,” says he had decided to retire but was “drafted” to run by law enforcement personnel who desperately wanted a change in the DA’s Office, which had developed a contentious relationship with police and judges, culminating in a disciplinary procedure against Valdez in which a state panel has recommended censure.

The biggest change that Warner would immediately bring to the DA’s Office, he says, is a competence rooted in hands-on experience, citing his 15 years as a state prosecutor in various Kansas counties and 15 years as a federal prosecutor in the Western District of Missouri and the District of Kansas.

Warner has described Valdez, a former University of Kansas law professor, as an academic who, despite good intentions, was ill-prepared for the real-life courtroom.

That’s not a knock on academia, a profession that Warner at one time pursued.

“I had intended to be a college professor,” he told the JournalWorld. “I got a master’s degree and was working on a doctorate, and I actually taught (economics) at some small liberal arts colleges for a few years” before the prospect of being in a PhD program for years on end became unappetizing and the “real world” beckoned.

That’s when Warner, who was raised in Kansas City, Missouri, and attended UMKC, applied to Washburn University’s law school and acquired a taste for the trenches of trial practice.

After incumbent’s ouster, Democrat Dakota Loomis and Republican Mike Warner are vying for control

Photo

her toughness — she does pullups and pushups with chains on her back.

It’s always good for your character when your nearly 80-year-old mother is “stronger than you,” he says of the woman he calls his biggest fan and also his biggest critic.

Loomis attended Carleton College in Minnesota and law school at New York University before returning to his hometown, where he lives with his wife and two young daughters. He has been practicing law for 15 years, primarily as a defense attorney, but also briefly as the deputy chief of staff in the Shawnee County DA’s Office, where he charged domestic violence cases, prosecuted cases and developed office policies and procedures, he says.

He is also currently the prosecutor for Baldwin City and is the defense attorney for the Douglas County Drug Court.

He has described his experience as “local, relevant and recent,” in distinguishing it from Warner’s.

“I had no desire to be an office lawyer or a research attorney,” he said. His desire was for the courtroom — a desire he still has, as he has vowed that, if elected, he intends to personally be in front of juries and judges regularly and will take the lead in mentoring assistant DAs.

“Prosecutors want to work for a prosecutor,” he said at a recent forum, “not an administrator,” and definitely not a politician.

Warner is well aware that running as a Republican in Douglas County, where he has lived for 35 years, is challenging. A Republican hasn’t held the DA’s Office since Christine Kenney was defeated by Democrat Charles Branson 20 years ago. Warner has made a point of identifying as a moderate in the mold of Bob Dole and Dwight Eisenhower and distancing himself from highdrama “extremists” like Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach and former President Donald Trump.

“I like the old Republican values … where you worked with the other side, you were concerned with public safety, fiscal transparency, good government — not intrusive government — and that sort of stuff,” he says.

He sees the DA’s position not as a political occupation, though, but as a “law enforcement job” that is primarily about keeping the community safe.

“I’m not just a law-and-order guy,” he says, noting that he has also worked many years as a defense attorney. “I also believe in alternative dispositions

and reformation-oriented alternatives (like the specialty drug and mental health courts — and some others that he would like to see added, such as domestic violence and veterans courts). “But we’re just going to have to start with the basics.”

The turnover among assistant DAs (cited in disciplinary procedures against Valdez) and a consequent lack of training and experience have harmed the community, Warner says.

“The defense bar is feasting off the fire sale that’s going on right now down there,” he says of what he regards as troubling plea deals, dismissals, inappropriately charged cases and guns that “magically disappear,” referring to plea agreements to ignore that a crime was committed with a firearm. “We’ve got to turn that around.”

Warner has said that his opponent, Dakota Loomis, whom he has repeatedly bashed for wanting to lead the office while never having prosecuted a felony case, is the preferred choice of local defense attorneys because “they want one of their own in office.”

“The last thing defense attorneys want is an experienced, independent DA,” he says.

One of Warner’s other main goals is to give voters a real choice. Valdez, he has noted, was elected in 2020 with only 7,500 votes in the Democratic primary. Because no Republican ran that year, the race was finished three months before the general election even occurred, with no one except a fraction of Democrats having had a say.

“I believe county voters are tired of arrogant single-party control,” he says.

Longtime local expertise

Since he filed to run for DA last spring, Democrat Dakota Loomis has been arguing that a big change is needed in the county’s top law enforcement office, which he said had lost its reputation for professionalism in the last four years and, hence, the public’s trust.

Loomis, 44, set that big change vividly in motion two months ago when he unseated fellow Democrat Valdez in a landslide primary election that may also have set a campaignfinance record as he amassed over $70,000 in contributions. Now he’s facing Warner in the general election in November, in a race where the two have offered many of the same diagnoses of the DA’s Office but a different cure.

Like Warner, he has painted himself as a reluctant candidate with no higher political aspirations — someone who has been “recruited” by cops, community partners and his own conscience to steer a new course for the embattled office.

For Loomis, the cure is using his longtime familiarity with the local justice system to “stabilize” the office and help the community be more like the safer environment he knew as a kid.

Loomis grew up in Lawrence, the only child of Burdett and Michel Loomis. Burdett, who died in 2021, was a KU political science professor and a big name in state Democratic circles. Michel was Dakota’s gym and English teacher at Central Junior High.

“She would yell at me to sprint faster while getting past participles correct,” he says, and now — further evidence of

“There has been lots of noise about experience during this election and rightfully so,” he told the Journal-World. “The choice for voters is between my Republican opponent and his decades-old experience in Missouri, the federal system, and Johnson County versus my current, extensive criminal litigation experience here in Douglas County.”

Loomis has said that while it’s true that he has not worked a felony case from the prosecutor’s side, he has handled around 500 felony cases as a defense attorney and is in the local courthouse daily. He sees his “intimate familiarity” with the court, the DA’s Office, law enforcement and community partners as giving him a distinct edge.

Loomis has also said that the DA’s Office is not going to be stabilized overnight, or even in a couple of years. It’s clear that community relationships need to be rebuilt and strong prosecutors need to be recruited and retained, he says, but seeing where exactly “all the fissures are” in the office is going to take time and careful administration.

Though Warner has said he would serve more than one term “if needed,” Loomis has criticized him as “treating this position as a short-term retirement hobby.”

“I am committed to working as long as it takes to repair the District Attorney’s Office,” Loomis says, predicting that that could take a decade or longer.

The first step in stabilizing the office, he says, will be making sure that cases are being prosecuted correctly “and making sure we’re getting back on track to hold folks accountable who need to be and get folks help who need to get help.”

Kim Callahan/Journal-World

VOTER GUIDE 2024: Douglas County Commission

Profiles by Josie Heimsoth l jheimsoth@ljworld.com

DISTRICT 2

Democrat Shannon Reid & Independent Brad Chun

An incumbent and an independent candidate are competing for a seat on the Douglas County Commission for District 2. The two candidates for Douglas County District 2 are incumbent Commissioner Shannon Reid, who was elected in 2020, and independent candidate Brad Chun. The winner will serve the district, which includes North Lawrence, the eastern area around downtown, Grant Township, and the portion of Wakarusa Township north of Lawrence.

Shannon Reid Reid, a Democrat, works as a court advocate for victims of domestic violence at The Willow Domestic Violence Center. She told the Journal-World that she has provided direct advocacy for victims of domestic and sexual violence in Lawrence since 2010.

When it comes to prioritizing funding for different programs, Reid told the JournalWorld that as a commissioner, she focuses on the totality of circumstances brought to the commission in the proposed

budget. However, broadly speaking, she prioritizes programs and services that directly support more public safety and better access to services vital to Douglas County residents’ well-being. For significant county projects — like the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center and the Public Safety building — Reid said the commission has a duty to make necessary investments in long-term infrastructure needs and prioritizing public safety. She said she is in support of the need to move some operations out of the downtown JLEC building and into a new public safety building.

Reid said that for other projects aimed at increasing renewable energy in the county,

DISTRICT 3

it’s difficult to determine a specific number of operations that should be in place. While some projects may not be a good fit, others will be. Reid said she will continue to value leading fair and open processes that will allow the public to weigh the potential harms and benefits each time a project is proposed. Reid voted for the conditional use permit for the proposed Kansas Sky Energy Center industrial solar project in northern Douglas County.

Additionally, Reid said the county government should strategize on solutions to the issues of affordable housing and homelessness.

“Housing affordability is a crisis across our nation, and it is applying pressure that

escalates homelessness rates in all sorts of local communities,” Reid told the Journal-World. “We have no choice but to directly face reality and orient ourselves toward how to better collaborate among public, private and social sectors.”

Brad Chun Chun has owned a local business, Kaw Valley Glass at 313 E. Eighth St., for the last nine years and has been a glassblower for 27 years. He has lived in Lawrence since 1992 and moved to North Lawrence in 2005. He has experience in cabinet shops and construction, installation, drawing plans in computer-aided design software and bidding.

Democrat Karen Willey & Republican Pam McDermott

The current Douglas County Commission chair and a Republican candidate will compete for the District 3 seat on the commission in the November election, representing the largest Douglas County Commission district by geographic area.

Incumbent Karen Willey, a Democrat who has been on the commission since 2022, will face off against Republican candidate Pam McDermott, who previously ran for County Commission in 2020, for the District 3 seat. District 3 includes the western portion of Lawrence, the city of Lecompton and the entirety of five townships: Willow Springs, Marion, Clinton, Kanwaka and Lecompton.

Karen Willey Willey moved to Lawrence in 1993 and received her bachelor’s in environmental studies and PhD in geography from the University of Kansas with a focus on soils. She currently leads an engineering and manufacturing business, Bluestem Machine Works Inc., with her husband, Scott Eudaly. Additionally, for the last 31 years, she

has served as a volunteer on a dozen community boards, including the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission.

While Willey said she would save her final vote for a public meeting, she said her priorities for the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center and public safety building project are to move 911 emergency communications and emergency management to a secure location, address current safety concerns for the public and consolidate departments for efficiency, among other goals. However, some of her concerns are the overall cost of the project and balancing priorities.

“I have held the line that I am not comfortable raising taxes to support this project,” Willey told

DISTRICT 4

the Journal-World. “It will need to fit within the down payment that the county has saved for this purpose and the fund to service debt on the rest.”

Currently, the city and county are partnering to address homelessness in Douglas County, Willey said. She said this collaboration needs to focus on prioritizing local funding for local residents and on both subsidized and market rate housing, and that the county needs to establish infill and greenfield developments. Distributed solar — such as panels on rooftops or in parking lots — needs to be prioritized in city and county codes, Willey said. Willey voted for the conditional use permit for the proposed Kansas Sky Energy

Center industrial solar farm in northern Douglas County.

“As the coal plant continues to age past its anticipated life span, Douglas County will need to be mindful of our increasing needs for electricity,” Willey told the Journal-World. “What type and how much of Douglas County’s need should be generated here is a much-needed community conversation.”

Pam McDermott McDermott graduated from the University of Kansas in 1987. She started Morning Star Church alongside her husband in 1992, where she currently works fulltime directing the church’s community involvement.

Democrat Gene Dorsey, Libertarian Steve Jacob & Republican Tim Bruce

Three candidates — a Democrat, a Libertarian and the Republican vice mayor of Eudora — will be competing for the newly created Douglas County Commission seat for District 4.

Tim Bruce, a Republican candidate, was reelected to his seat on the Eudora City Commission last year, and his term expires in January 2028. He will be running against Democrat Gene Dorsey and Libertarian Steve Jacob for the District 4 County Commission seat. District 4 includes a small portion of southeastern Lawrence, Eudora and Eudora Township, and the small portion of Wakarusa Township located between Grant Township and the eastern edge of Lawrence.

Gene Dorsey Dorsey earned his degree in advertising from the University of Kansas and has built a career as a corporate auditor and manager of planning and financial analysis. He currently holds the positions of secretary and treasurer on the governing board of Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center.

If elected as a county commissioner, Dorsey said that when it comes to funding, he would first prioritize required funding mandated by state law, followed by funding for public safety services that benefit all of Douglas County. He added that roads, bridges and rural infrastructure were also important.

“As budget funds permit, we should fund community partners to enhance life in Douglas County,” Dorsey told the Journal-World.

“All funding assumes a watchdog attitude

DISTRICT 5

that ensures budgets are prepared to eliminate waste and truly reflect current year needs only.”

For the expansion of the Judicial Law Enforcement Center and public safety building project, Dorsey said this project is needed as the county grows. To get people to trial quicker and prevent jail overcrowding and lengthy incarceration, you need more courtrooms and more judges, Dorsey said. Also, relocating the Emergency Services Office to a building that is more hardened in critical times of emergencies makes sense.

In regards to addressing homelessness in the county, he said the county has some responsibility for housing those

with mental health conditions and those with intellectual or developmental disabilities. He said that the county is not responsible for providing affordable housing, but rather that this is a City of Lawrence issue. Dorsey added that there is currently a supply and demand imbalance that is inflating housing prices.

Dorsey expressed concerns about the recently approved solar project, noting that it seems to have overlooked the soil protection requirements outlined in Plan 2040. He also pointed out that several other plans, such as the North Lawrence drainage study, were disregarded.

Democrat Erica Anderson, Libertarian Kirsten Kuhn & Republican Rich Lorenzo

The newly established Douglas County District 5 will have three people competing for its seat in the general election.

The three candidates for District 5 are Democrat Erica Anderson, Libertarian Kirsten Kuhn and Republican Rich Lorenzo. District 5 includes a small portion of south Lawrence, southern Wakarusa Township, Baldwin City and Palmyra Township.

Erica Anderson Anderson holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration, a master’s degree in public affairs and a PhD in public health. Throughout her career, she has focused on policy development and bringing diverse perspectives

together to foster consensus. Anderson works within the Medicare and Medicaid sectors to enhance community health linkages and support Community Health Assessments and improvement planning.

To effectively meet the needs of the community, Anderson said it’s important to approach and prioritize funding for

various programs through data-driven and community-focused resources to allocate where they will have the greatest impact.

Anderson said that the safety and wellbeing of Douglas County residents should be paramount. The proposed Judicial and Law Enforcement and Public Safety building project represents a substantial investment in the county’s infrastructure and public safety, she said.

“This initiative is critical not only for prioritizing

public safety but also for equipping our law enforcement and judicial systems with the resources necessary for effective service delivery,” Anderson told the Journal-World. She said the county government is crucial in tackling affordable housing and homelessness in Douglas County by encouraging collaboration among various stakeholders, including local organizations, city and state agencies, and others. Anderson added that the county must engage with residents through actively listening to their needs and prioritizing services that matter most.

Anderson believes that the county must continue

exploring options for renewable energy projects. She added that addressing our aging electric grid is crucial to meeting future demands, especially as energy consumption increases. Additionally, she said it’s important to review building codes to encourage renewable energy without passing costs on to people in the community.

“I also advocate for utilizing blighted and commercial properties to promote green building practices, which can alleviate financial burdens on residents while advancing sustainability goals,” Anderson told the Journal-World.

Reid Chun

Willey McDermott

Dorsey Jacob

Anderson Kuhn

Bruce Lorenzo

The question on the ballot, which asks for a simple yes or no answer, reads: “Shall the City of Lawrence, Kansas, abandon the CommissionManager form of government and adopt a Modified Mayor-Council Manager form of government and become a city operating under a Modified Mayor-Council Manager form of government?”

What exactly is the ballot question asking, and how would it affect the way the city is governed?

What the city government looks like now Lawrence currently uses a commission-manager form of government with five elected city commissioners and an appointed city manager.

Commission elections happen every two years — the last one was in 2023 — and the commissioners are elected at large, meaning they can come from any geographic area of the city. Only three seats are up for election at a time. All seats are now four-year terms.

The mayor is not separate from the commission in this system. Instead, the commission chooses one

of its own members each year to serve as mayor; traditionally, this choice is based on the general election results. The mayor presides over City Commission meetings, but otherwise votes and participates in essentially the same way as any other member of the governing body.

What the proposed changes would look like

The proposed changes would grow the number of people on the commission from five to six. Four of them would represent specific geographic districts that would be drawn up by the city, and the other two would represent the city at large. All of the commissioners would serve four-year terms, though the elections would still be staggered so that no more than three seats would be up for election at the same time.

In addition, voters would also vote every four years for a mayor, who would be separate from the six commissioners. This mayor would still oversee commission meetings, but wouldn’t vote with the six-member commission except to break a tie.

Lawrence’s appointed, professional city manager position would stay the same under the proposed changes.

If voters were to approve the proposal, the first election that would reflect the new structure would be the November 2025 election. Where did this idea come from, and what are people saying about it?

The idea of modifying Lawrence’s government structure came about in 2021, when a task force was created to review the current government structure and suggest changes to it. The last time Lawrence changed its form of government was more than 70 years ago.

John Nalbandian, a former mayor of Lawrence and professor at the University of Kansas, chaired the task force that provided the recommendations. He said although it sounds like there would be major differences under the proposal, it is not “diametrically different” from the current system.

Nalbandian said that other mayor-council governments in the country often use what’s known as a “strong mayor” system, in which the mayor serves as the head of a separate executive branch and the council serves as a different governing body. But that wouldn’t be the case in Lawrence, even with the proposed changes. The mayor and commissioners under this proposal would

still serve as the same governing body.

“The proposed change does not alter the idea that there is going to be one governing body,” Nalbandian said.

One thing that some in Lawrence are hoping, however, is that directly electing the mayor would get more residents involved in their government. In a presentation to members of the chamber of commerce about the proposed changes, Chris Koliba, a distinguished professor of public administration, policy and governance at KU, said direct mayoral elections can help municipalities increase voter turnout. He also said studies suggest that having a mayoral race often puts more focus on policy issues during elections.

The task force’s recommendations differed slightly from the proposal that the City Commission put on the ballot for this year.

Nalbandian said the task force initially proposed that the mayor would be able to vote in all instances and recommended that all six commissioners be elected by geographic districts. He said the task force felt using six smaller districts could encourage more residents to become politically involved and also make it less expensive to run for the commission.

Although the commission eventually put

forward changes that differed from the task force’s recommendations, Nalbandian said he was still endorsing the proposal.

“I believe having a directly elected mayor will encourage an election more focused on issues than we have now and also on the future for the city,” Nalbandian said. Other residents have expressed concerns about the potential changes.

During the presentation to Chamber members on Oct. 1, some attendees were skeptical about whether the changes were even needed. They said they felt the government was working fine as is, and saw no need for change.

(The Chamber’s leader, Bonnie Lowe, said at the time the Chamber board had decided not to take a position on the issue yet.)

And Ted Boyle, the president of the North Lawrence Improvement Association, told the Journal-World that he would be voting no on the ballot question. He said that although he supported the idea of having a directly elected mayor, carving Lawrence into districts was not something he could support.

With Lawrence’s population being just under 100,000, it is likely that the districts would be split into portions of around 25,000 people each. Boyle said that means North

Lawrence, with a population of about 3,600, would have to be paired up with neighborhoods from across the river.

Boyle said he’s been able to talk with commissioners about once a month to discuss the issues specific to North Lawrence, which include the need for better stormwater management and infrastructure in the neighborhood. He thinks the government is working fine as it is right now, and that changes would leave them in worse shape for representation.

“There is not one neighborhood that has anything in common with North Lawrence,” Boyle said. “We’re going to be buried.”

One thing we don’t yet know about the proposal is where the district lines would be drawn. Sherri Riedemann, the city clerk, said the city was advised to hold off on creating any districts until after the election. But Nalbandian said that just based on Lawrence’s population distribution, the east-west division for Lawrence could be so far to the east that the districts might not reflect the neighborhood identity of some areas.

Voters will decide the issue as part of the Nov. 5 general election. Voters have until Oct. 15 to register to vote in the election. Advance voting begins on Oct. 16.

County 2

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6A

Chun said that it is clear that the first thing residents want their tax dollars to provide is the safety from a robust fire department, emergency

County 3

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6A

McDermott worked from home for many years while educating her five children and during that time had been an active volunteer at the now-closed Kennedy Elementary

County 4

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6A

Dorsey believes that solar installations should be placed on marginal lands, such as rooftops, parking lots, and existing structures, and he is opposed to the idea of wind turbines in the county.

“Conservation must play a large role in our conservation efforts,” Dorsey told the Journal-World.

Steve Jacob Jacob graduated from Lawrence High School in 1989 and has lived in the same area of Lawrence since 2001. He currently works for the City of Lawrence as a maintenance technician and has been an Uber driver since 2019. Prior to the

services and sheriff’s department, along with the infrastructure that allows for fast response times. He said that while the JLEC building has strategic safety problems and will cost a significant amount to maintain and repair, a project costing over $75 million should come before the people

School, a Leadership Lawrence participant and an Eisenhower Series graduate.

McDermott said that the county’s budget has grown considerably in recent years, along with residents’ property valuations. As a potential county commissioner, her first step would be to examine how funds have been allocated

changes to commission districts, Jacob in 2022 ran for election in District 1 against Patrick Kelly. He mentioned that during his time in the county, he has met with several people to discuss their experiences.

After reviewing the county’s budget from the past decade, he observed that the county has added a considerable number of staff, and he feels that some of these positions should be eliminated. If elected to the County Commission, Jacob stated that this would be a key area for budget cuts. Jacob said that the Judicial Law Enforcement Center and public safety building project was too costly for the county, with an estimated price tag of around $76 million. He believes this project is a waste of money and

rather than being decided solely by the county commissioners. While he is in favor of renewable energy projects, Chun said he disagrees with the site of the proposed 8 millionsquare-foot solar project — the Kansas Sky Energy Center — in northern Douglas County.

over the past few years.

“The property tax burden, the appraisals, and the spending are taxing some people out of their homes and denying others the ability to own a home,” McDermott told the Journal-World. “It affects renters and businesses. It’s unnecessary for that to be the reality here.”

The problems that the

offers little benefit to the community.

When it comes to addressing homelessness in the county, the county should be involved but not at the cost of adding more people to the unhoused population due to taxes, Jacob told the Journal-World. He said that giving vouchers to landlords would end in disaster and would result in rent control, which would take apartments off the market.

On the question of wind and solar projects in the county, Jacob said he was open to multiple forms of energy production. He noted that the nation is moving toward nuclear energy, particularly with the proposed reopening of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania to support A.I. technology and power Microsoft data centers.

“Not only will the solar field cover prime farmland, but it will exacerbate the flooding problems that North Lawrence currently deals with as the stormwater drainage system is not complete,” Chun told the Journal-World. He also added that he doesn’t think utility-scale wind

county currently faces with homelessness and affordable housing were created by the city and the county, McDermott said. She added that Douglas County is full of generous people, but there needs to be another solution other than taking amounts through property taxes, federal grants or subsidies.

“I don’t think our

“We need every possible way to power this county,” Jacob told the Journal-World. “So I am for anything that will add to the supply.”

Tim Bruce Bruce has 27 years of experience in the commercial construction industry and currently serves as a project manager at Murray Company, where he specializes in health care construction. In his role, he oversees multimillion-dollar projects that involve intricate schedules, budgets and contracts. Additionally, Bruce has been a city commissioner in Eudora for more than nine years.

“This has given me a unique perspective of what is involved in being a public official in my local community,” Bruce told the Journal-World. “I would like to use this

farm projects have a place in the county.

For making decisions on the budget each year, Chun said the county should focus on lowering property taxes and allow for more single-family homes to be built to help address the affordable housing issues in Douglas County.

current plan is the most cost-efficient or gets the best results,” McDermott told the Journal-World. “… (The government’s) role should be to make a community affordable for everyone and make public safety a priority. Where tax dollars are involved, there should be transparency and accountability.”

experience and skills to help guide Douglas County.”

Bruce said that he would prioritize funding for essential services in Douglas County, such as public safety and public works. For additional budget requests, he would assess their potential to benefit the community as a whole. When it comes to the JLEC building and the public safety building project, he said he would use his years of construction and development experience to provide support for or against what makes the most sense for the county.

Bruce emphasized that affordable housing and homelessness should be primarily addressed at the city level rather than by the county. He suggested that if cities within Douglas County

“We have a duty to protect and support our own citizens who are unsheltered and in need of assistance to the best of our abilities with our finite resources (and) without making life more difficult for those with shelter but living check to check,” Chun told the Journal-World.

McDermott said Douglas County has a beautiful landscape and rich soils, and she wants to protect them from utility-scale renewable energy projects. McDermott said a majority of people in District 3 have told her that they are in favor of solar in just about any place except on these soils.

require assistance, they should present a detailed plan to the county outlining their needs.

“The county government should have a role in assisting with affordable housing and homelessness, but unless a project is outside the city limits, the city governments should be addressing these issues,” Bruce told the Journal-World. He also expressed his opposition to wind and solar farms in Douglas County, advocating that the land should remain dedicated to traditional farming. Bruce noted that the county has invested significant time and effort in preserving the rural character of Douglas County and preventing excessive urbanization. He believes that introducing renewable energy sources would not be beneficial to the residents.

Kirsten Kuhn Kuhn received her bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Kansas. She has been active in Justice Matters, where she served as the co-chair for the Jail Alternatives Committee, was a team leader for the Neighborhood Network for five years and assisted in the Mental Health Committee’s monitoring efforts. She is also on her second term as the consumer representative on Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center’s governing board.

Kuhn said that while the county government has a role in taxing citizens to fund services, this should be restricted to essential infrastructure like roads and bridges, health needs such as clean drinking water and public safety services like fire and medical response. As the president and founder of the Douglas County Community Bail Fund, she noted that there are many deserving nonprofits and organizations, but that funding should come directly from their supporters.

While public safety and the courts are core government functions, Kuhn said she has concerns with the JLEC expansion and public safety building project because of its high costs. The rate of homelessness in Douglas County is regrettable, as is the lack of affordable housing, Kuhn said. However, she said these conditions are a result of the policies that are in place.

“This prices people out of the market,” Kuhn told the JournalWorld. “We need to allow builders to offer housing at various levels so that they can quickly respond to market demands.”

Kuhn said that because of the controversial nature of the solar project that was recently passed, the current commission should have waited to vote on moving forward with the project until after the new commission was seated. For solar farms, Kuhn said she would like to have more details regarding revegetation and further ways to utilize native planting. And wind farms do not seem as environmentally friendly as initially proposed, she said.

Rich Lorenzo Lorenzo has lived in Douglas County for almost 30 years. His professional experience includes work as a lawyer, business owner and community leader. He attended the University of Kansas where he received a law degree and a master’s of business administration. Ten years ago, Lorenzo left the corporate world to serve as president of a local nonprofit organization, Called to Greatness.

He said that the role of local government is to provide basic services to our community, such as supporting the fire department, emergency medical services, the sheriff’s department, the judicial system and infrastructure. In addition, the county should provide services to assist residents going

Karen WILLEY

Dave Ambler

Ric Averill

Herb and Judy Baker

Andrea Baloga

Smitty Belcher

Zak Bolick

Laurie Bottenfield

Nancy Boyda

Lee A. Broyles

Charlie Bryan

Dawn Buehler

Elizabeth Burger

Greg Burger

Karl Capps

Jim Carpenter

Jennifer Carttar

Hans Carttar

Rosalea Carttar

Peter Carttar

Stephen Carttar

David Carttar

Cindy H. Carttar

Jim Carttar

Brooke

Lene Carttar Brooke

Carladyne Knot

Conyers

Paul Davis

James Denny

Dale P. Denning

Kristen Denning

Lakshmi Duvvur

Chris Edmonds

Steve Edmonds

Mary F. Ellis

Scott Eudaly

Debbie Filkens

Ron Gaches

Colette Gaches

Kathleen Gordon-Ross

Nancy Hamilton

Terry Henry

Ann Frame Hertzog

Steven Hertzog

Charles Higginson

Colleen Himmelberg

Thad Holcombe

Jody Huxman

Sheila Immel

Rick Ingram

Henry Johns

Jerry Jost

Bill Kastner

Joan Kastner

Mike Kehoe

Kurt and Jerri Kemble

Margaret Kramar

Tad Kramar

Irving Kuo

Derek Kwan

Amy Lee

Cheryl Lemon

Matt Llewellyn

Michel Loomis

Steve Lopes

Courtney Masterson

Cindy Maude

Laurie McClaneHigginson

Eric McHenery

Lori McSorley

James Montgomery

Scott Morgan

Adina Morse

Linda Morton

through a mental health crisis or addiction, he said.

“Everything else in the budget needs to be reviewed,” Lorenzo told the Journal-World. “… We must remember that we are to serve the people of Douglas County.”

For decisions such as the expansion of the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center and construction of the public safety building, Lorenzo said it shouldn’t be up to him as a commissioner. He said the public should have a voice in determining how their money is spent and for these projects.

As it relates to affordable housing, Lorenzo said we need to increase the supply of new homes and while there should be compassion for those experiencing homelessness, it needs

to be balanced with a level of accountability.

“The residents of District 5 want results for the resources that have been committed,” Lorenzo told the JournalWorld. “As a commissioner, I plan on listening to the people I serve and finding solutions with them, not for them.” Lorenzo said he would support a total ban on all industrial wind and solar projects in the county. After listening to voices of those potentially affected by these developments, he said it seemed clear that there was not enough support to move forward.

Jerry E. Morton

Sheldon Moss

Lois Orth-Lopes

Jacob Paquette

Becca Paquette

Bobby Patton

Eleanor Patton

Sandy Praeger

Mark Praeger

Gary Price

Ann Reed

Tom Rupp

Bill Sampson

Patrick Schmitz

Kathleen Sebelius

Susan Shanklin

Gregory Shanklin

Jean Shepherd

Courtney Shipley

Ken and Mary Spade

Norine Spears

Annie and Paul

Stevens

Ken and Ruth Stoner

Susan Tate

Brad Tate

Mike Treanor

Kelly and Brad Wall

Beth Warner

Chuck and Karen

Warner

Dan Watkins

Pat Watkins

Linda Watts

G. Craig Weinaug

Wayne White

Roz and Glenn Willey

Carol Williamson

Katie Winter

VOTER GUIDE 2024: Kansas legislative races

Profiles by Chad Lawhorn l clawhorn@ljworld.com

SENATE DISTRICT 2

Democrat Marci Francisco & Republican David Miller

Neither candidate in the race for Kansas Senate District No. 2 will need directions to the Statehouse.

Both have served there, although on different sides of the aisle and in different decades.

Democrat Marci Francisco and Republican David Miller are vying for the seat in Senate District 2, which covers nearly all of Lawrence, except for portions of far west Lawrence and portions of northwest Lawrence.

Francisco is the incumbent, and she’s held the seat since 2005, while challenger Miller won five terms in the Kansas House of Representatives in the 1980s, and went on to become the chair of the state’s Republican Party in the 1990s.

Here’s a look at each of the two candidates:

Marci Francisco

Francisco knows all about winning elections in Lawrence. She began her elected career in 1979 by winning a seat on the Lawrence City Commission, and went on to serve as mayor from 1981 to 1983.

A desire to improve Lawrence neighborhoods was a

driving force in those campaigns, and it fit well with her professional background, she said. She has degrees from KU in environmental design and in architecture. She ended up working for the university for 35 years in offices related to facilities planning and sustainability.

Now retired, Francisco and her husband, Joe Bickford, have renovated multiple houses in the East Lawrence and Oread neighborhoods to either sell or rent. Francisco is a founding board member of the Oread Neighborhood Association and the Lawrence Preservation Alliance, in addition to having served on several city-appointed boards.

In response to a questionnaire from the Journal-World,

Francisco stated her position on the following topics: l Medicaid expansion. Francisco said she “strongly supports,” the expansion of the health insurance program for people in financial need.

“Kansas, by remaining one of 10 states still to yet enact expansion and not make use of the almost $6 billion in federal funds available, has limited opportunities for care and has increased the cost of health insurance costs for many,” Francisco told the Journal-World “It is especially concerning for those caught in the gap – making too much to qualify for regular Medicaid, not enough to qualify for insurance on the exchange, and work for small businesses who are not

SENATE DISTRICT 3

Republican Rick Kloos & Democrat Dena Sattler

Large parts of far west Lawrence are in a new, wide-ranging Kansas Senate district, and voters are being asked to choose between two Shawnee County residents with wideranging backgrounds.

Republican Rick Kloos is facing Democrat Dena Sattler in the race for Kansas Senate District No. 3. Kloos has been in the Kansas Senate since 2020, and represents part of the district currently. However, due to the once-per-decade process of redistricting, the boundaries of Kansas Senate District No. 3 are far different than Kloos’ current Kansas Senate District No. 19. While Kloos has represented parts of rural, western Douglas County, the new district

now includes large portions of the Lawrence city limits west of Wakarusa Drive. It also includes neighborhoods east of Wakarusa Drive between Bob Billings Parkway and Clinton Parkway and west of Quail Creek Drive. The district also includes all of Osage County, parts of northern Franklin County, and southeast Shawnee County.

Kloos is self-described as bi-

vocational with backgrounds both in ministry and the real estate industry, he said. Sattler is a former Kansas newspaper publisher, veteran of the U.S. Army, and former staff member of Gov. Laura Kelly and Lt. Gov. David Toland. Here’s a look at both candidates.

Rick Kloos

Kloos and his wife, Penny Boyer-Kloos, who currently is running for a seat in the Kansas House of Representatives, are residents of Berryton in Shawnee County. After a career of buying and reselling homes in the area, the couple founded God’s Storehouse — a Topeka church that operates a

thrift store and coffee shop — in 2009. God’s Storehouse has been in the news during the last year, as there have been court battles over what financial documents the Internal Revenue Service can obtain as it works to determine the enterprise’s tax status, among other issues.

Kloos has risen up the ranks of the Republican Party after his 2020 election, where he defeated the longest-serving Democrat in the Kansas Legislature. He currently serves as the majority whip in the Senate. In response to a questionnaire from the Journal-World, Kloos stated his position on the following topics: l Kloos has supported legislation that raised Medicaid

SENATE DISTRICT 19

required to provide employersponsored health insurance.”

Francisco said passage of Medicaid expansion also would greatly help the finances of many Kansas hospitals that currently are seeing high numbers of uninsured patients. Francisco contends Democrats have done much to meet the demands of the Republicancontrolled Legislature on the issue, including agreeing to some work requirements in order for people to be eligible for Medicaid.

“Republican leadership should respond to the concerns of the majority of Kansans who support expansion, rather than work against them,” Francisco said.

reimbursement rates, but has not committed to support expansion of Medicaid, the health insurance program for individuals in financial need. When asked whether he would support Medicaid expansion, he focused on the idea of increasing existing reimbursement rates instead. “This kind of legislation not only improves access for Medicaid beneficiaries but also enhances care quality at reduced costs for everyone,” he said. “Moreover, it supports the growth of the healthcare provider workforce, ensuring that healthcare facilities can sustain their vital services to communities into the future.”

> SENATE 3, 11A

Democrat Patrick Schmidt & Republican Tyler Wible

A new Kansas Senate district that pairs northwest Lawrence with east Topeka is set to produce a winner who will be new to elected office. Democrat Patrick Schmidt and Republican Tyler Wible are vying to represent Senate District 19, which basically was created from scratch as part of the state’s once-per-decade redistricting process. In Lawrence, the district covers the area north of Sixth Street, between Queens Road and Kasold Drive. It also includes the city limits of Lecompton and the rural area surrounding it. A significant amount of the population in the district, though, is in eastern Topeka. Both Schmidt and Wible are Topeka residents. Both are

trying to become first-time elected officials, although Schmidt was the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives in District 2 in 2022, losing to Republican Jake LaTurner.

Schmidt got his biggest win to date in this year’s primary election, when he beat longtime Topeka lawmaker Vic Miller, who was trying to make a move from the Kansas House to the Kansas Senate. Schmidt racked up contributions from about 400 donors from across the state and outspent his

opponents in the primary election by more than $100,000, which is a huge sum in a Kansas Senate election. Wible also had to win a primary race to get to this point. He also beat a more experienced candidate, Lawrence Republican Cynthia Smith, who is a past candidate for the Kansas Statehouse. Here’s a look at the two candidates.

Patrick Schmidt For Schmidt, the events of Jan. 6, when rioters stormed

OTHER LEGISLATIVE RACES

Contested races outside the Lawrence city limits

There are several contested legislative races in districts just outside the Lawrence city limits. Here’s a brief look at those races:

Senate District No. 9

Republican incumbent Beverly Gossage is being challenged by Democrat Norman Mallicoat in the district that includes all of the Baldwin City, Eudora and Tonganoxie city limits, and also includes De Soto and a heavily populated portion of Johnson County along Kansas Highway 7 between Olathe and Lenexa.

Mallicoat is an Olathe resident, a former telecommunications engineer, and a former U.S. Army captain. In answering a Journal-World questionnaire, he said he supports the expansion of Medicaid in Kansas; believes the Legislature should “let women and their medical professionals make decisions” about abortion and reproductive rights; and said that key differences with his opponent include her steadfast opposition to Medicaid expansion

and her past support of a flat tax system that would mainly benefit the upper 3% of taxpayers.

Gossage lives in rural Johnson County between Eudora and De Soto. Since 2002, she’s owned a private company — HSA Benefits Consulting — that helps businesses with their employee benefits. She’s also worked as a teacher at Lawrence’s Deerfield Elementary School, and later served as the director of Lawrence’s Sylvan Learning Center. Gossage did not respond to multiple requests for her participation in a Journal-World questionnaire. Gossage has campaigned as a conservative and was among a group of Kansas Senate candidates to receive an endorsement from the right-leaning Americans for Prosperity-Kansas organization.

House District No. 5

Incumbent Republican Carrie Barth is being challenged by Democrat Henry Johns in the district that includes Baldwin City, Wellsville,

parts of rural Douglas County and parts of Miami County to the east. Johns, who lives near the community of Lone Star in rural Douglas County, worked 48 years as a respiratory specialist in the health care field, including serving in roles of health care management. In answering a Journal-World questionnaire, he said he supports Medicaid expansion; believes “women have the right to control their own bodies”; and said he would listen to all sides of an issue and would not be a “rubber stamp for a political party or for out-of-state interests.”

Barth, a mother of two who grew up in the Baldwin, Wellsville and Paola areas, did not respond to multiple requests for her participation in a Journal-World questionnaire. During her campaign she has touted a bill she wrote to toughen human smuggling laws in the state, and has said “government has threatened our constitutional rights over and over again.”

> CONTESTED, 11A

the U.S. Capitol, played a big role in his decision to get into politics. He already had experience as a public servant. He served in the U.S. Navy as an intelligence officer, and currently serves in the U.S. Naval Reserve. But he didn’t think politics was in his future, but then decided he needed to become more involved to “protect our way of life from those who seek to destroy it,” Schmidt told the JournalWorld earlier this year.

> SENATE 19, 11A

Several Democrats in Lawrence are running unopposed

Nearly all Kansas House races in Lawrence-based districts feature candidates who are running unopposed. The August primary election included several races among Democrats, but most of the Lawrence-based districts drew no Republican challengers. Here’s a list of Lawrence House districts and candidates who are not facing a challenger on the ballot.

l House District 10: Suzanne Wikle, D-Lawrence

l House District 44: Barbara Ballard, D-Lawrence

l House District 45: Mike Amyx, D-Lawrence

l House District 46: Brooklynne Mosley, D-Lawrence

Francisco Miller

Kloos Sattler

Schmidt Wible

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l On the issue of abor-

tion and what role the state should play in regulating it, Francisco said she has a 100% voting record in protecting the rights and access to abortion care in the state. She said voters sent a strong message in the August 2022 elections by overwhelmingly approving a ballot question that affirmed a state constitutional right to abortion and “bodily autonomy.”

Francisco, though, said that ballot issue didn’t remove the state’s role in the issue.

“The state has responsibility to regulate healthcare clinics and providers to ensure safe, clean facilities and educated providers but should not inject ideology or politics into that process,” Francisco said.

If reelected, Francisco said she would again introduce legislation that addresses concerns of unequal treatment for insurance coverage and tax benefits related to abortion care.

l Francisco said she and her opponent have key differences. Among the largest is Miller’s past

efforts to place restrictions on a woman’s right to abortion, she said. “I have always supported reproductive health care,” Francisco said. “In contrast, my opponent is a former Director of the Kansans for Life Political Action Committee, during the time of the Wichita Protests for the Summer of Mercy.”

Francisco also noted that Miller ran unsuccessfully for the GOP nomination for governor in 1998 — losing to Bill Graves — and campaigned heavily on issues related to restricting abortion. His run for governor came after he led grassroots movements — often successfully — to elect more conservative members to key GOP positions.

“He was also a key player in the campaigns to oust moderate Republican legislators, backing ultra conservatives who follow leadership dictates rather than acting on behalf of constituents in their districts,” Francisco said.

Francisco also argued that it is important for a Democrat to win this election in order to help prevent the Republicans from gaining a supermajority in the Legislature, which would allow the House and Senate to override vetoes from Gov.

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l Kloos said he respected the statewide vote in 2022 that affirmed a constitutional right to abortion in the state, and focused his answer of what role the government should play in abortion to several specific medical cases. “I am committed to ensuring women receive authentic care for unexpected pregnancies and necessary emergency care for complications like ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages,” he said.

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Schmidt has an undergraduate degree in international relations from Tufts University. He served more than five years of active duty in the U.S. Navy, and currently is a lieutenant in the Naval Reserve.

In response to a questionnaire from the Journal-World, Schmidt stated his position on the following topics: l He supports expansion of Medicaid in Kansas, a health insurance program available to people in financial need. “It’s time to help hard-working

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House District No. 42

Incumbent Republican Lance Neelly is being challenged by Democrat Eddy Martinez in the district that district represents small sections of Lawrence, primarily east of O’Connell Road, and a smaller section east of Harper Street. The district includes most of the rural area in northeast Douglas County, including the northern part of the Eudora city limits. The district also stretches deep into Leavenworth County, including Tonganoxie.

Neelly has served in the Kansas Legislature since 2021. He lists his professional background as

Laura Kelly, a Democrat.

“Being a Democrat, I am the one who could help eliminate the current supermajority in the Senate,” she said.

David Miller Miller, now a Lawrence resident, was a longtime member of the Eudora community and built an insurance business there. For more than 30 years, he operated the Miller Agency, selling property, health and life insurance to area residents and businesses.

But as a political science graduate from the University of Kansas, politics was never very far from his mind. He was first elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 1980 and won reelection in 1982, 1984, 1986, and 1988. While in the Legislature, he was a champion of several fiscally conservative causes, including authoring legislation that required the governor’s budget plan be balanced, meaning expenditures couldn’t exceed expected revenues.

His political career remained consequential after leaving the Kansas Statehouse. He held multiple positions on the executive committee for the Kansas Republican Party, and won two terms as chairman in 1995 and

1997, and also served on the Republican National Committee during that time.

In response to a questionnaire from the Journal-World, Miller stated his position on the following topics:

l Miller said he’s “willing” to support the expansion of Medicaid in Kansas, which he said is an exception to his general belief in limited government. Miller, who continues to sell health insurance, is critical of the Affordable Care Act passed during the Obama administration. But he said that program, though he thinks it is ill-guided, has made Medicaid expansion more necessary.

“It is clear to me now the ACA had one important objective: Make more people more dependent on more government,” Miller said. “Thousands need government financial assistance if they have any chance to have coverage. The result is limited market and exorbitant premiums. This clearly incentives people to politically support the government so they will get the help they need to pay premiums. While I strongly disagree with this result, I know many Kansans are still unable

to afford coverage. So, I have concluded such legislation should be enacted.”

Miller said his support of Medicaid expansion is conditioned on a requirement that able-bodied people must be working in order to qualify for the Medicaid program.

l When Miller was chairman of the Kansas Republican Party, he was a champion for laws and candidates who favored restrictions on abortions in the state. Today, Miller said his position on abortion is largely irrelevant in this Senate race. That’s because, he said, the Kansas Supreme Court has “commandeered” the issue through a pair of rulings that have affirmed the right to abortion in the state.

Miller, though, makes it clear that he doesn’t like the result of those rulings. He contends Kansas has become “the late-term abortion destination for this part of the country,” and has criticized state officials for not doing more to report current abortion totals in Kansas.

“I find it curious to see politicians campaigning now as if they can materially affect the issue,” Miller said. “Obviously, the national Democrats want to use the issue to fire up their base. I get

that. And frankly pro-life Republicans want to fire up their base. But the simple truth is that in Kansas our Supreme Court has ruled. Under our system that is the final word on laws. So, it is settled. We are the late-term abortion destination.”

l On the issue of differences between the two candidates, Miller said Francisco is much more tightly tied to special interest groups and political action committees. Miller said he is not taking any donations from such groups, and he has criticized Francisco for taking political contributions from out-of-state entities.

Miller also was critical of Francisco’s legislative record. He said that it is lacking in substantive bills that she has authored, and he contends that Francisco’s committee assignments in the Legislature are lacking, considering that she’s such a long-tenured Democratic member of the Senate.

“Why is she not the top Democrat on the powerful budget writing Ways and Means Committee?” Miller asked. “Such a post would be super helpful to KU. We need legislators on the top budget committee to help KU.”

l On the issue of how he differs from his opponent, Kloos said he has a deep understanding of those in need, and also has a strong understanding of the needs of small businesses through his work with God’s Storehouse. “I’ve made this community my home, demonstrating a deep and enduring commitment to this region,” he said. “I founded a nonprofit organization dedicated to aiding those in need, giving me firsthand insight into the challenges faced by the underprivileged.”

Sattler also served in the U.S Army and is touting that she would be the first woman with military service to serve in the Kansas Senate, if elected.

In response to a questionnaire from the Journal-World, Sattler

Dena Sattler Sattler was the longtime editor and publisher of the Garden City Telegram and also served as a regional publisher for multiple newspapers in the southwest portion of the state. After leaving the newspaper industry, she served as director of public affairs for Gov. Kelly and senior director of public affairs for the Kansas Department of Commerce.

Kansans who slip through the cracks of our healthcare system,” Schmidt said. “They deserve good medical care and it will help build healthy Kansas families and will bolster our economy by having a healthier workforce.”

l Decisions about abortion should be made by individuals, not the government, he said, referencing a 2022 statewide election where the right to abortion was affirmed by voters. “We should listen to the voters who told us they wanted the government out of women’s health care decisions,” Schmidt said. “I will vigorously oppose any effort to ban abortion or erode women’s rights.”

l In describing his largest differences from his opponent, Schmidt highlighted his military service. “I believe my experience in the U.S. Navy helps me understand my role as a state senator and a leader to help guide the state forward,” he said.

Tyler Wible

Wible owns his own construction and development company that specializes in the rehabilitation of historic commercial buildings in Topeka and the surrounding area. He deals with a heavy dose of regulations at the state and local levels, which he said gives him a sense of matters that need to be fixed at the Statehouse.

stated her position on the following topics:

l She said she strongly supports the expansion of Medicaid in Kansas, and said many of the Republican opponents of the expansion are acting irresponsibly. “Republican legislators who oppose Medicaid expansion enjoy generous healthcare benefits paid for by Kansas taxpayers, yet won’t help those less fortunate,” Sattler said. “That’s immoral and also irresponsible.” She said Medicaid expansion would not only help families, but also would help struggling hospitals and make it more feasible for health

Wible also told the Journal-World earlier this year that being a younger candidate — he’s a 2016 graduate of Topeka High — he will bring a valuable voice to the Legislature because his “experience is based in today’s problems.”

In response to a questionnaire from the Journal-World, Wible stated his position on the following topics: l He opposes expansion of Medicaid. “Medicaid is a failing system,” he said. “I believe in Medicaid reconstruction not expansion.” He said the program is too expensive for the insurance it provides. He said he would like for government to have less of a

care providers to expand into underserved areas of the state.

l Sattler said Kansas voters spoke “loud and clear” that abortion is a constitutional right in Kansas, and that she would “always fight to protect women’s reproductive rights.” She criticized Republicans, including Kloos, for taking votes since the 2022 statewide election that “oppose women’s rights to make their own healthcare decisions.”

“It does not make sense when Republican extremists call for ‘smaller government,’ then meddle in women’s personal reproductive rights and other

role in health insurance. “We need to get government out of Healthcare and ensure an actual free market system where insurance companies have to bring costs down to win your business,” Wible said. “Make insurance actually affordable again and stop lining these company pockets.”

l Wible said he supports the right to an abortion in a few instances. “The Republican party has a lot of trust to earn back on this subject,” he said. “I believe abortion is necessary under protection of the mother, rape cases, and incest cases. All Republicans that I know in the Legislature personally believe this. You will

freedoms we are entitled to in our personal lives,” Sattler said. “That’s not small government, it’s government overreach.”

l On the issue of how she differs from her opponent, Sattler highlighted the skills she learned in the military to work with people of different backgrounds and beliefs, and cited the business skills she used while in newspaper management. But she said political philosophy is a key difference in the race. “Most importantly, I will truly serve the people and not blindly follow an extreme partisan agenda,” she said.

not see legislation that will take away abortion for those three reasons.” l In describing his largest differences from his opponent, Wible highlighted his connection to the community. “I’ve been here my whole life, I’m active in the community, and I’m the candidate that actually cares,” he said. “My sole reason for running is to protect and give accurate representation for my friends, family, and neighbors. My district is full of people I’ve been lucky enough to be around my whole life. I love and care for my people. You won’t see the same passion I bring into this by my opponent.”

having included jobs in the corrections industry and as a security supervisor. He served as the vice-chair of the House Transportation Committee during the most recent legislative session. Neelly did not respond to multiple requests for his participation in a Journal-World questionnaire. Neelly has campaigned as a conservative and was among the group of House members who received the endorsement of Americans for Prosperity-Kansas. Martinez lives in eastern Lawrence, and has done little campaigning for the seat. Martinez did not respond to multiple requests for his participation in a Journal-World questionnaire.

House District No. 117 Incumbent Republican

Adam Turk is facing a challenge from Democrat Bill Hammond in the district that includes the southern city limits of Eudora and parts of rural Douglas County southeast of Lawrence. The district also includes parts of De Soto and parts of Johnson County along the Kansas Highway 7 corridor. Hammond, who lives in rural Douglas County south of Lawrence, previously worked as a business officer for community colleges and public school districts. He’s also has been ordained in the United Methodist Church as a deacon and elder. In answering a Journal-World questionnaire, he said he supports Medicaid expansion, having seen the need first-hand while serving on the board of a federally qualified health center in

the state; he supports a woman’s right “to bodily autonomy and to make their own healthcare decisions;” and said he has a strong belief in funding for public schools, which he said is a difference with his opponent. Turk lives in Shawnee in Johnson County. His campaign website said he grew up in rural Douglas County, is a 20-year veteran serving in the Kansas Air National Guard and has degrees in criminal justice administration and law enforcement. Turk did not respond to multiple requests for his participation in a JournalWorld questionnaire. His campaign website highlights issues ranging from tax relief to safeguarding farmland and military bases from adversaries such as China.

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The latter not only includes working with community partners, like mental health and addiction agencies, to combat recidivism, but to also help young people get the resources that might deter them from crime in the first place.

Like Warner, Loomis wants to put resources toward the most serious offenses, like gun violence and sexual assault, and to center victims of violent crimes and give them a stronger voice.

Though no result in the legal system is ever going to make everyone happy, he says, it’s important that all parties understand how a decision came about and to feel as if they were listened to.

“I think a lot of this just comes down to procedural fairness,” he says.

If you’d like more information about the DA’s race, visit LJWorld.com to read about candidate forums covered by the Journal-World on Sept. 24, Sept. 30 and Oct. 6.

Trump campaigns in California, a state he’s

By Michael R. Blood and Meg Kinnard Associated Press

CoaChella, Calif — With the presidency on the line in battlegrounds like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, why would Donald Trump venture into California, one of the most solidly Democratic states, just weeks before Election Day?

Trump is almost certain to lose California, and that won’t change after his Saturday stop in Coachella, a desert city east of Los Angeles best known for the annual music festival bearing its name. Still, there are practical reasons for him to visit, despite the Republican nominee’s prospects Nov. 5 in the most populous state.

The former president lost California in a landslide in 2020. He did get 6 million-plus votes, more than any GOP presidential candidate before, and his margins topped 70% in some rural counties that typically favor conservatives on the ballot.

That’s an enormous pool of potential volunteers to work on state races and participate in phone banks into the most contested states. And Trump was likely to draw extensive media coverage in the Los Angeles market, the second-largest in the country.

Trump’s visit to Coachella comes in between stops in Nevada, at a roundtable in Las Vegas for Latinos earlier Saturday — where he praised Hispanics as having “such energy” — and

Arizona, for a rally today in Prescott Valley. He narrowly lost those two swing states to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020.

Attendees waiting in broiling temperatures that approached 100 degrees Saturday said they didn’t expect Trump to win their state but were thrilled to see him.

“It’s like a convention of likeminded people,” Tom Gibbons of Palm Desert, who’s backed Trump since 2016 but been unable to see him in person until Saturday, said as he stood in line at a food truck on the polo fields at the Coachella event. “Everybody understands the heartbeat of America, the plight of the working man. ... It’s reassuring.”

Going to California gives Trump the “ability to swoop in and leverage this big population of Trump supporters,” said Tim Lineberger, who was communications director for Trump’s 2016 campaign in Michigan and also worked in the former president’s administration. He’s “coming here and activating that.”

Lineberger recalled Californians making calls to Michigan voters in 2016 on Trump’s behalf and said the campaign’s decision to go into safe, Democratic turf at this point was “an aggressive, offensive play.”

California is also a fountain of campaign cash for both parties, and Trump planned to be fundraising. Photos with the former president in Coachella were

BRIEFLY

priced at $25,000, which comes with special seating for two. A “VIP Experience” was priced at $5,000.

With congressional races in California in play that could determine which party controls the House, the Coachella rally “is a get-out-the-vote type of thing that motivates and energizes Republicans in California, when they are not as close to what is going on in the national campaign,” Republican consultant Tim Rosales said.

Rosales also said to look for Trump to continue his long-running spat with Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.

For Republicans, “It’s motivating when you can pick at California a little bit and the governor … will take the bait,” Rosales said.

Newsom on Wednesday predicted Trump would be denigrating the state at the rally, overlooking its strengths as the world’s fifth-largest economy.

The governor said that for the first time in a decade, California has more Fortune 500 companies than any other state.

“You know, that’s not what Trump is going to say,” he predicted.

Jim Brulte, a former chairman of the California Republican Party, said he thinks Trump is angling for something that has eluded him in previous campaigns: winning more total votes than his Democratic opponent.

“I believe Donald Trump is coming to California because he wants to win not only in the

Electoral College, but he wants to win the popular vote. There are more registered voters in California than there are residents in 46 of the other 49 states,” Brulte said. The Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles sits on the Pacific Coast, south of the city. But Trump has long had a conflicted relationship with California, where a Republican has not carried the state since 1988 and Democrats outnumber registered Republicans by about 2 to 1.

California was home to the so-called Trump resistance during his time in office, and Trump often depicts California as representing all he sees wrong in America. As president, he called the homeless crises in Los Angeles and San Francisco disgraceful and threatened to intervene.

His campaign issued a statement alleging that under Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, a San Francisco Bay Area native who was California’s attorney general and represented the state in the Senate, “the notorious ‘California Dream’ has turned into a nightmare for everyday Americans.”

Jessica Millan Patterson, chairwoman of the state GOP, said she looked forward to hearing Trump contrast his agenda with a Democratic White House that “has left Californians less safe and with less money in their pockets.” Republicans, she promised, “will do our part to secure a House majority.”

Heavy Israeli bombardment reported in northern Gaza

Beirut (ap) — Palestinians in northern Gaza described heavy Israeli bombardment Saturday in the hours after airstrikes killed at least 22 people, as Israel warned people there and in southern Lebanon to get out of the way of offensives against the Hamas and Hezbollah militant groups.

In Lebanon, the U.N. peacekeeping force said its headquarters in Naqoura

was hit again, with a peacekeeper struck by gunfire late Friday and in stable condition. It wasn’t clear who fired. It occurred a day after Israel’s military fired on the headquarters for a second straight day. Israel, which has warned peacekeepers to leave their positions, didn’t immediately respond to questions.

Hunger warnings emerged again in northern Gaza as residents said they hadn’t received aid since the beginning of the month. The U.N. World Food Program said no food aid had entered the north since Oct. 1. An

estimated 400,000 people remain there.

Fuel shortage grips Florida after hurricane Cortez, fla. (ap) — Floridians recovering from Hurricane Milton, many of whom were journeying home after fleeing hundreds of miles to escape the storm, spent much of Saturday searching for gas as a fuel shortage gripped the state.

In St. Petersburg, scores of people lined up at a station that had no gas, hoping

it would arrive soon. Among them was Daniel Thornton and his 9-year-old daughter Magnolia, who arrived at the station at 7 a.m. and were still waiting four hours later.

“They told me they have gas coming but they don’t know when it’s going to be here,” he said. “I have no choice. I have to sit here all day with her until I get gas.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters Saturday morning that the state opened three fuel distribution sites and planned to open several more. Residents can get 10 gallons each, free of charge, he said.

Spacecraft ready to head to Jupiter and Europa

Cape Canaveral, fla. (ap) — A NASA spacecraft is ready to set sail for Jupiter and its moon Europa, one of the best bets for finding life beyond Earth.

Europa Clipper will peer beneath the moon’s icy crust where an ocean is thought to be sloshing fairly close to the surface. It won’t search for life, but rather determine whether conditions there could support it. Another mission would be

needed to flush out any microorganisms lurking there. “It’s a chance for us to explore not a world that might have been habitable billions of years ago, but a world that might be habitable today — right now,” said program scientist Curt Niebur. Its massive solar panels make Clipper the biggest craft built by NASA to investigate another planet. It will take 5 1/2 years to reach Jupiter and will sneak within 16 miles of Europa’s surface — considerably closer than any other spacecraft. Liftoff is targeted for this month.

Jae C. Hong/AP Photo

FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP speaks at a campaign rally at Grand Sierra Resort and Casino on Friday in Reno, Nev.