[img]1969|right|Holly Mitchell||no_popup[/img]With 96 percent of voters yawning and taking a pass, state Assemblyperson Holly Mitchell (D-Culver City), as predicted, defeated her weak opponent, 81 percent to 19 percent, yesterday in a special election to fill out the final 14 months of Curren Price’s term in the state Senate.
After serving his apprenticeship in both chambers in Sacramento, Mr. Price was voted onto the Los Angeles City Council four months ago, and he took office on July 1.
In yesterday’s other race, Matt Dababneh, aide to U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks), qualified for a runoff with Republican Susan Shelley for the Valley state Assembly seat vacated four months ago when Bob Blumenfield was elected to the Los Angeles City Council.
Overcoming a field of 11 officeseekers, Mr. Dababneh gained 25 percent of the vote and Ms. Shelley 21 percent. The race drew 7 percent of the electorate.
As for Ms. Mitchell’s graduation to the upper chamber, she will serve out the last 14 months of former Sen. Price’s term before facing voters again a year from November.
With the unneeded help of recorded telephone calls to voters on her behalf from Gov. Brown, Ms. Mitchell drew 17,121 votes to 4,109 for her token opponent, Democrat Mervin Evans.
Later this year, Sebastian Ridley-Thomas is just as heavily favored as Ms. Mitchell was to win her chair in the Assembly.
The date has not been called by the governor, but is expected to be between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
