[img]2347|left|Holly Mitchell||no_popup[/img]From a Culver City perspective, last night’s election results were as titillating as a birthday party where every guest sent his regrets. As dramatic and tense as all of the closed storefronts along Sepulveda Boulevard at 2:15 this morning.
Yawning before, during and after breakfast, Culver City’s three reps staged fewer campaign events the last moth than there are ayatollahs at the Vatican.
[img]1987|right|Sebastian Ridley-Thomas||no_popup[/img]State Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas (D-Culver City/Crenshaw), state Sen. Holly J. Mitchell (D-Culver City/Crenshaw) and U.S. Rep. Karen Bass (D-Culver City/Los Angeles) were elected to serve for as long as they want. Just turn the lights out when they leave.
All three could have sent the family pet as a proxy to pound the non-existent campaign trail.
Unexcited, unchallenged voters rubbed their eyes, staggered to the polls in in numbers that left thimbles mostly empty.
They produced these years-in-advance predictable results:
• Mr. Ridley-Thomas, seeking his first full Assembly term, defeated Glen Ratcliff, 78 percent to 22 percent, 48,134 votes to 13,108. Turnout: About 25 percent.
• Ms. Mitchell, pursuing her first full term in the state Senate, defeated Isidro Armenta, 69 percent to 31 percent, 57, 753 votes to 26,346. Turnout: About 18 percent.
• Ms. Bass, winning her third two-year term in Congress, defeated one Adam King, 84 percent to 16 percent, 70,900 votes to 13.660. Turnout: About 22 percent.
[img]1857|right|Karen Bass||no_popup[/img]Nothing unique about the attitude of Westside voters – set it and forget it. Stay as long as you wish.
In other state Legislative races of interest:
• In the South Bay where the Condom Girl was hoping to capitalize on her unusually acquired fame against a fellow Democrat, Sandra Fluke lost one-sidedly to Ben Allen, a Santa Monica School Board member, 61 percent to 39 percent, 92,391 to 59,627.
• Former Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom, as expected, handily won a second term in the Assembly, defeating Bradly Torgan, 71 percent to 29 percent.
The new sheriff of Los Angeles County, again as expected, is Long Beach Police Chief Jim McDonnell. With his opponent, ex-sheriff’s deputy Paul Tanaka battling criminal shadows, Mr. McDonnell won 75 percent to 25 percent.
Two other familiar names are returning to Congress.
U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), who owns the seat, won over the little known, and now lesser known, John Wood Jr., 70 percent to 30 percent.
U.S. Rep. Janice Hahn (D-Long Beach/San Pedro), the only automatic politician in the Hahn family, may have been the biggest winner of the night. Adam Shbeita assured his follower that he would not demand a recount after losing 87 percent to 13 percent.
