As the final ballots are counted in the Los Angeles City Council District 6 Special Election, community organizer Imelda Padilla and City Hall staff member Marisa Alcaraz are poised to go head-to-head in a June 27 runoff to determine who takes Nury Martinez’s former seat.
Padilla led the race with 25.66% followed by Alcaraz with 21.13%, according to a Tuesday afternoon update from the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s Office that included only 23 additional ballots that were not counted in the April 7 voting update.
There are just 88 ballots left to be processed, all of which either have missing signatures or signatures that don’t match the voter, according to the Registrar-Recorder. These voters have been given instructions on how to fix their ballots, and the election is scheduled to be officially certified on April 14.
Marco Santana, in third place with 18.91%, conceded his defeat after learning on Tuesday that only 24 additional ballots were released. He said in a written statement, “I am proud of our campaign and its focus on uniting our communities and making Los Angeles a better place to live and work, and highlighting that new voices can have an impact in the Valley.”
Alcaraz declared victory over Santana in a written statement Tuesday, saying, “With only 88 ballots pending … and no other ballots outstanding, I am assured a spot in the June 27 election.” She added, “My campaign has resonated with families in the San Fernando Valley and they deserve a leader with a proven track record and experience who can generate real solutions.”
Padilla led with 3,424 votes, followed by Alcaraz with 2,819 and Santana with 2,523, according to the Registrar-Recorder’s office. With only 88 ballots uncounted, Santana could not make up the roughly 300 votes Alcaraz held over him.
On April 7, Padilla declared victory in the primary election, and her volunteer senior advisor Michael Trujillo said on Tuesday that he felt good about her chances…
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