important

Your ballot is overflowing with decisions you need to make. Some you’ve probably heard about — Karen Bass vs. Nithya Raman for L.A. mayor, Xavier Becerra vs. Steve Hilton for California governor, the controversial billionaire tax.

But there are also some more obscure races on the L.A. County ballot that are important as well. Here are seven to keep an eye out for.

Los Angeles County sheriff

This is a rematch between rivals for the job of running the Sheriff’s Department, which also oversees county jails.

• Robert Luna is the sitting sheriff. The former Long Beach police chief, Luna came out of retirement to run for sheriff in 2022, arguing that incumbent Alex Villanueva had taken the department in the wrong direction. Luna points out that violent crime has fallen every year since he took office. Between 2023, his first full year in office, and 2025, homicides fell by more than 25%.
• Alex Villanueva was elected sheriff in 2018 in an upset victory. His tenure was marked by controversy and scandal, and he became a fixture on Fox News, where he appeared repeatedly to vilify “woke” culture and criticize Democrats. He faults Luna, claiming the department has issues with recruitment and retention. He also says the department does not have the resources it needs.

L.A. County Charter Amendment A

This measure deals with labor negotiations for key public safety personnel in L.A. County.

Basics

Measure A is a charter amendment that would require binding arbitration between county government and negotiators representing sheriff’s deputies, firefighters, lifeguards and other public safety workers if contract talks reach an impasse and no compromise can be reached. It would alter the current last step, in which county supervisors can impose a final offer that these employees must accept — by law, public safety personnel cannot strike.

Impact

The initial phase of contract talks still would have union and county representatives seeking to hammer out a mutually beneficial deal, with a presumption that both sides would negotiate in good faith. But if a gap remains and an impasse ultimately is declared, the supervisors no longer would dictate the final offer. Instead, a three-member arbitration panel would be formed. The county and union each would select one member, with the sides together choosing the third person, who would serve as chair. If they can’t agree on the final panelist, a state entity could provide a list of qualified arbitrators to choose from. The arbitrators would focus on key employment elements such as wages and hours and would hold hearings and receive evidence from the parties. At the end of the process, a binding result would be issued and made public.

Read more:

L.A. County Charter Amendment E

This is a highly complicated measure that involves jail financing and seeks to clean up some bureaucratic muddles.

Basics

Jails: In 2020, 57% of county voters approved Measure J. This mandated that at least 10% of locally generated, unrestricted revenue be allocated to incarceration alternatives. The problem? Voters later approved the county reform effort Measure G, which had the unintended effect of repealing Measure J. Measure E would ensure that Measure J remains in effect.

Governance: Measure G also created, among other things, a county ethics commission and an ethics compliance office. Officials determined that for true independence, the commission and the compliance office must be permanently enshrined in the county charter.

Impact

Backers say Measure E would clean up those messy governmental issues.

L.A. County Superior Court judges

Voters will decide runoffs for four open judge seats:

• Maria Ghobadi and Rhonda Haymon are competing for the Superior Court Judge Office 64 seat.
• Justin Allen Clayton and Anna Slotky Reitano are competing for the Superior Court Judge Office 65 seat.
• Anthony “A.J.” Bayne and David DeJute are competing for the Superior Court Judge Office 87 seat.
• Donna Tryfman and David Ross are competing for the Superior Court Judge Office 131 seat.

This method could reduce the cost of your Ryanair flight

Those planning holidays in the coming months may be looking for ways to keep costs down, with opting for a budget airline being a popular choice for this. But even cheaper airlines including Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air can quickly add up when booking flights, choosing seats, and checking luggage.

However, there are ways to keep costs down, and Martin Lewis‘s moneysavingexpert.com has shared a number of tips and tricks for Ryanair customers, including one that involves booking your outbound and return flights separately. Start by searching for your outbound flight as a one-way ticket, and then in a second browser search for your return flight.

When searched this way, the return flight will appear in the currency of the country you are flying from, and will often be cheaper than it is in pounds – although it’s definitely worth double-checking before booking.

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The experts also warn that this likely won’t be cheaper if your bank has a foreign transaction charge, so you’ll need to check this before booking, or you may end up actually paying more for your flights.

You’ll also need to opt out of Ryanair’s guaranteed exchange rate, or you’ll still end up paying in pounds rather than euros or other foreign currencies.

While this method often leads to savings when jetting around Europe, the experts have noted that it can sometimes end up more expensive when purchasing with non-Euro currencies.

To avoid extra charges when at the airport, ensure that your cabin bag and checked luggage fit the airline’s rules, especially when flying on a budget airline, as they are typically stricter when it comes to these rules.

You’ll also need to check-in and download ahead of time when flying with Ryanair, otherwise you may end up having to pay up £40 per person, per flight – setting you back £220 for a family of four before you’ve even boarded your plane.

Matthew Stafford does not typically stray much from comments about sticking with his process.

But in the wake of a rash of injuries suffered by several of the Rams’ key players, the veteran quarterback and reigning NFL most valuable player on Wednesday sounded as if he intended to be a calming presence.

“Been a part of these times before,” said Stafford, an 18th-year pro. “That’s when my role becomes even more important as a leader, as somebody that can try and help steady the ship for us and make sure that I’m doing my part to do everything I can to help us win football games becomes even more important.”

Stafford has passed for 11 touchdowns with six interceptions for a team that has lost two games in a row to fall to 2-4.

The Rams play the Raiders on Sunday in Las Vegas.

For that game — and more — they will be without star receiver Davante Adams and defensive linemen Kobie Turner and Poona Ford, all of who suffered injuries Sunday in an 18-16 defeat by the Arizona Cardinals.

Coach Sean McVay has said Adams would be out six to 10 weeks because of a hamstring injury. The Rams on Wednesday placed Turner on injured reserve because of a groin strain, and Ford is out for the season because of a ruptured triceps.

On Monday, McVay said linebacker Nate Landman was in concussion protocol. And All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, who sat out against the Cardinals because of a groin injury, did not practice Wednesday.

Edge rusher Myles Garrett and tight end Terrance Ferguson remain on injured reserve.

“Everybody sees these and they’re on their fantasy team or whatever and they’re like, ‘Aww. I’ve got to trade a guy in and out now,’” Stafford said. “And we’re like, well that guy’s worked … for the last eight months to get this opportunity and it’s unfortunate he doesn’t get to do what he loves to do. … I know the work that they put into it to be out here doing what they love.

“I just feel even more responsibility to try and be as good as I can be.”

The Rams have four more games — against the Raiders, Chargers, Washington Commanders and the Cardinals — before a bye.

Stafford indicated he would lead by example — and more.

“I’m not going to go outside of the framework of what I feel comfortable with when it comes to leadership,” Stafford said, “but at the same time, just how steady can I be? How good can I be?

“Sometimes that’s having a conversation with a guy. Other times that’s checking the ball down and not forcing one…

“I just want to lead the way for those guys and let them know that, ‘Listen, I’ve been in instances like this before and I’ve been on teams that have turned things around in that regard.’ So hopefully they can look to me and feel comfortable that I’m leading the way and doing what I can to help us be where we want to be.”