»Elections 2020

By Mary O’KEEFE

On Friday, the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk office certified the election results for the March 3 Presidential Primary Election.

“A total of 2,122,468 ballots were processed and counted, with 38.50% of eligible voters casting ballots in Los Angeles County,” according to an LA County Registrar release.

Locally, the closest race was for the Glendale Community College Board of Trustees, Trustee Area No. 1. This race has been close from the beginning but in the final tally only 188 votes separated the lead vote-getter Desireé Rabinov from Harry Leon. This was the first district election for the GCC and Glendale Unified School District boards. In the past the election was “at large.”

There were three seats open for the Glendale City Council. Incumbent Paula Devine led the votes with 22.92%; newly elected councilmembers are Ardy Kassakhian 18.78% and Dan Brotman 18.67%.

In the race for Los Angeles County Supervisor – 5th District, Kathryn Barger will be keeping her seat after garnering 58.75% of the vote. Darrell Park received 20.68%.

In Glendale Unified School District – Trustee Area A, Jennifer Freemon, who was on the board previously, won the seat with 55.69% of the vote; challenger Joy McCreary received 39.13% and Jeremy Spurley received 5.38%.

GUSD – Trustee Area E sees a win by incumbent Nayiri Nahabedian with 66.80% of the vote over Neda Farid with 33.20% of the vote.

LA County voters may have approved State Measure 13, but it did not pass statewide. Measure 13, Bonds to Fund Public Education Facilities, received 53.1% no votes.

LA County Measure FD, Fire Protection Special Tax Measure, passed with 52.59% yes votes.

Measure R, Civilian Police Oversight Commission and Jail Plan Initiative, passed with 72.85% of the vote. This authorizes the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission to develop a plan designed to reduce jail population and incarceration and granting the Commission subpoena power to investigate complaints.

In the La Cañada Unified School District Special Election, Measure LC passed with 70.67% of the vote. The measure is a renewal of funding that was set to expire.

“Measure LC would renew existing locally-controlled funding that has been central to the LCUSD budget. If voters authorize a renewal, this funding would continue to maintain our high performing schools. In 2009, local voters approved an education parcel tax of $450/year by 75% to make up for inadequate state funding, and then renewed it in 2014. Over the past 10 years, Measure LC has provided stable and locally controlled funding to protect the most essential instructional programs for local students,” according to the LCUSD website.

The existing parcel tax rate is set at $450 per parcel per year. The new Measure LC would not change that rate; however, it would be annually adjusted for inflation.

After the March 3 Primary Election candidates who won the top two positions and will be running in November’s elections are: U.S. Representative District 28:

Congressman Adam Schiff (D) who received 59.57% of the vote and Eric Early who received 12.56% of the vote; in the State 43rd Assembly: Laura Friedman (D) received 75.64% of the vote and will run against Mike Graves (R) who received 20.72% of the vote.

How November 2020 elections will be conducted is still being discussed at the county and state levels. On April 14 there are Charter City elections, on May 12 there is an election for Congressional District 25 and on June 2 there are special elections in El Rancho and the City of Commerce. During the April and May elections there will have to be some type of public voting made available but the Registrar Office has not yet planned how that will take place. Every voter for those elections will be receiving Vote-by-Mail ballots.

  Mary Okeefe