[img]1742|left|Mr. Eric Garcetti||no_popup[/img]Rigidly formful, the outcome of yesterday’s Los Angeles mayoralty race – dull, risk-averse City Councilman Eric Garcetti vs. risk-averse, dull City Controller Wendy Greuel in the May 21 runoff – may explain why an embarrassing 84 percent of registered voters visited Aunt Fanny’s grave, or did anything but go polling.
Castigated as insiders, both have been in office since the turn of the century, and were prominent witnesses as City Hall began to teeter at the cliff’s edge of bankruptcy. Both said they were blameless. Neither suggested solutions or said anything disputable.
Both campaigns spent $4 million on the race, far more than their rivals, and were heavily union-backed, especially Ms. Greuel.
Whomever voters choose, when Mayor Villaraigosa is termed out on June 30, his successor will be a record-setter:
Eric Michael Garcetti, who may not longer be known as the son of the former District Attorney Gil Garcetti, Turned 42 a month ago, and will be one of the youngest mayors in the land.
[img]1670|left|Ms. Wendy Gruel||no_popup[/img]Or, Ms. Greuel’s fondest wish could be granted. Throughout the year-plus campaign, she argued that all feminine (or perhaps the term should be “women”) voters should choose her mainly because she is a female – qualifications, questionable or otherwise, aside.
The twosome finished far ahead of the field – Mr. Garcetti at 32.93 percent, 93, 978 votes to Ms. Greuel’s 29.29 percent, 83,308.
Newcomer Republican Kevin James finished third at 16.4 percent, a day after saying 95,000 votes were needed to make the runoff. He was right. But he drew 46,684 in one of America’s most liberal and least interested communities where Republicans hardy ever are news.
At that, he finished in front of the third City Hall insider, Jan Perry, who ran a quiet, barely noticed race, drawing 45,480 votes, 15.93 percent. Future potential powerhouse candidate Emanuel Pleitez, a mere 30 years old, gained 11,716 votes, 4.10 percent.
Prop. A, the City Hall-backed permanent half-cent sales tax increase, lost handily, 55.17 percent to 44.82 percent. Charter Amendment B, the police and fire pension plans, won easily with 58.03 percent.
As expected, former state Assemblyman Mike Feuer, making his second bid for the City Attorney’s office, is away to a strong start, but still must face the incumbent, Carmen Trutanich, in the May finals.
Mr. Feuer, who led the four-way field in fundraising and endorsements, finished at 43.76 percent, 116,883 votes to Mr. Trutanich’s 80,587, for 30.17 percent.
Greg Smith was third (17.43 percent) and Noel Weiss (8.62 percent) was last.
In one of the most closely watched City Council races, state Sen. Curren Price (D-Culver City), with the widest and most significance backing in the seven-candidate field, in the now dominantly Hispanic 9th District, just south of downtown, faces a runoff.
With a modest 2,452 votes, Mr. Price had a 27.22 percent slice, ahead of the 23.96 percent (2,158) by Ana Cubas, aide to Councilman Jose Huizar, who found himself in trouble after a murky auto accident last year.
Curiously, David Roberts, whom the Los Angeles Times endorsed, failed to break a 1,000 with a soft 954 votes.
Retiring/ailing Bill Rosendahl’s chief deputy in the 11th District, Mike Bonin, scored a onesided victory, 61 percent.
The closest race of the night was for City Controller. Attorney Ron Galperin edged the better-known City Councilman Dennis Zine, 95,507 votes to 95,268, a difference of 239 – 37.12 percent to 37.03 percent.
Finally, in the three Community College District Board races, only one surprise – David Vela finished first with 91,549 votes, forcing Nancy Pearlman (74,801) into a runoff. Mike Eng and Ernest Moreno landed the other two seats.
