STATUS QUO IN INYO
Published in the June 6, 2026 edition.
The results are nearly finalized for the June 2 primary election, with incumbents largely holding their ground in Inyo County while Mono County voters rejected a proposed parcel tax to support local schools.
In Inyo County, Judge Stephen Place and District Attorney Dana Crom emerged as winners in their respective races based on early results. Meanwhile, incumbent Supervisor Trina Orrill appears to have retained her seat on the Inyo County Board of Supervisors. The race for District 3 Supervisor looks to continue between Scott Marcellin and Steven Orihuela, who finished first and second in a three-candidate field.
In Mono County, voters narrowly backed Measure N, a $99 annual parcel tax intended to support local schools. However, because the measure required a two-thirds majority to pass, its roughly 52% support was not enough for approval.
All results cited in this article are based on the most recent semi-official election reports released Tuesday evening. Final certification is still weeks away.
Inyo County
In Inyo County, incumbents and candidates already serving in county leadership positions largely prevailed at the ballot box.
In the race for Superior Court Judge No. 1, District Attorney Dana Crom defeated challenger and defense attorney Taylor Fitzmaurice by a margin of 63% to 37%.
During the campaign, Fitzmaurice criticized what she described as inefficiencies within the local court system, arguing that lengthy case timelines and delayed rulings had become common. Crom, meanwhile, emphasized her experience working within the county’s justice system and presented herself as a steady hand with an understanding of local government operations.
In the race for Superior Court Judge No. 2, Stephen Place also won decisively, capturing nearly 75% of the vote compared with 25% for challenger Gerard Harvey.
Place, like Crom, campaigned largely on continuity and experience, arguing that stability on the bench would benefit the court as it navigates the upcoming transition in the adjacent seat.
The supervisor races were closer.
In District 3, Ted Carleton, Publisher of The Sheet, got his ass kicked by former tribal chairman Steven Orihuela (~37%) and Incumbent Scott Marcellin (~41%).
In his campaign, Carleton waged a Quixotic battle against fiscal profligacy and taxeaters at the trough. This was clearly a dumb strategy. Orihuela campaigned on improving communication with residents, strengthening tribal relations and expanding workforce housing.
Marcellin, meanwhile, defended the county’s current direction, highlighting ongoing work on housing, infrastructure, tribal partnerships and water issues.
In District 1, incumbent Trina Orrill, with 56% of the vote, appears to have defeated Carl Hoelscher.
The race was a rematch between the two candidates from 2022, with Orrill once again coming out ahead, according to early counts.
Governor’s Race
Both Inyo and Mono counties went red in the governor’s race.
Conservative commentator Steve Hilton led the field in both counties. He had 29% of the vote in Mono as of Thursday. Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra placed second in Mono County with approximately 24%.In Inyo, Hilton had 32% as of Thursday while Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco finished second in Inyo with about 20%.
Billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer also drew notable support in both counties, receiving roughly 15% of the vote in Inyo County and 19% in Mono County.
Statewide, Hilton and Becerra appear poised to advance to the November general election.
State Senator District 4
While Mono County voters backed Republican candidates in several statewide contests, they favored Democrat Jaron Brandon in the State Senate District 4 race. Brandon captured nearly 49% of the vote, outperforming Republicans Marie Alvarado-Gil and Alexandra Duarte, who received 29% and 22%, respectively.
Brandon also carried Inyo County with 41% of the vote, ahead of Alvarado-Gil at 35% and Duarte at 24%.
Brandon and Duarte are currently advancing to the November general election, while incumbent Marie Alvarado-Gil trails in third place despite entering the race as the sitting senator.
