(UPDATED April 9, 2014, 6:10 a.m.) -- Massive amounts of money spent begat a very low election turnout -- 14.2% of registered voters -- sending Vice Mayor Robert Garcia and real estate investor Damon Dunn into June 3 runoff. LBREPORT.com has on-demand video (carried LIVE on LBREPORT.com) of Garcia's statement to supporters at his election night party at the Hotel Maya. To view the video (streamed LIVE by Community Correspondent Joe Mello), click video icon below.
Just 14.2% of registered voters (285,029) cast ballots. 52% of those who voted did so via vote-by-mail ballots (as opposed to precinct-cast ballots.) Numerical details are on the scrolling page below.
[UPDATE] See breakdown by vote by mail vs. precincts for candidates: Long Beach CA Election Results, April 8, 2014 Garcia held the lead from the first tally of vote-by-mail ballots. He was introduced by downtown Councilmember/Assembly candidate Suja Lowenthal. She will be on the June runoff ballot facing 4th district Councilmember Patrick O'Donnell in the race for the LB-area Assembly seat being vacated under term limits by Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal, who finished third in the Mayoral race. Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske finished fourth. LBCC Trustee Doug Otto finished fifth. Also headed to a high visibility citywide June runoff are City Attorney Charles Parkin and Councilman James Johnson. Two of five Council races are effectively decided: Suzie Price (3rd district) and Rex Richardson (9th district) garnered over 50%+1 of votes cast, avoiding a runoff; they'll take office in mid-July. In the 7th district, LBREPORT.com believes the race remains too close to call with LBCC Trustee Roberto Uranga with 50.2% in ballots tallied thus far...with a currently unknown number of provisional and late-received vote by mail ballots (turned in at polling places and received by mail on Tuesday) still to be counted. If Mr. Uranga continues to hold a lead of at least 50%+1, there'll be no June runoff with Joan Greenwood. Definitely headed to a June runoff in the 1st Council district are Lena Gonzalez vs. Misi Tagaloa, and in the 5th district Stacy Mungo vs. Carl Kemp. (In photo below, Ms. Mungo celebrates with her supporters at Tracy's.) Photo by Diana Lejins Garcia and Price were both endorsed by Mayor Bob Foster, with Foster taking a high visibility role in seeking to elect Garcia as LB's next Mayor. In addition to the Garcia campaign collecting over $200,000, a separate "independent expenditure committee" (with contributions not limited by LB's voter enacted campaign reform law) surfaced in which Foster told reporters "you don't see my name on it." It collected (to date) $101,000 in less than two months to support Garcia. Mayoral candidates Dunn and Otto both contributed six figure amounts of their own money on their campaigns. In a statement on Facebook, Councilwoman Schipske said in pertinent part: ...Only 13% [ended up 14.2%] of the voters voted. I came in 4th out of 10 running. $1.5 million was spent by my opponents. I spent $90,000. Interesting how money can buy an election. Independent expenditure committees also surfaced supporting Mayoral candidate Otto and Council candidate Rosenberg. A LB Chamber PAC supported Dunn. A last minute independent expenditure from a Sacto-HQ'd group funded a hit-piece mailer opposing 5th dist. candidate Carl Kemp. The LB Police Officers Ass'n PAC spent over $130,000 supporting City Attorney candidate Parkin and blasting City Attorney candidate Johnson. City Prosecutor Doug Haubert was handily reelected to a second term. LBCC Trustee Jeff Kellogg and Virginia Baxter (both administration supportive) were elected while administration challenging Sunny Zia was also elected. For LBUSD School Board, administration supportive Megan Kerr and incumbent Boardmember John McGinnis were elected. Appointed incumbent Diana Craighead won a full term without a ballot opponent. A tax on medical marijuana (measure put on the ballot by the Council) passed handily but its implementation depends on whether a Council majority approves the resumption of operations by some medpot outlets (locations and numbers to be determined.) blog comments powered by Disqus
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