In a presidential election year, it can sometimes feel as though local contests end up taking a back seat to big national races.
But in Los Angeles, one city council race that had already garnered much attention has only grown more contentious in the lead-up to Election Day. The Council District 14 race, between Councilmember Kevin de León and political newcomer Ysabel Jurado, features an incumbent who has weathered calls to step down for his role in a secretly recorded conversation filled with racist and derogatory comments. His opponent, Jurado, also found herself at the center of a controversy and drew criticism for recently saying “[expletive] the police” after a student asked her position on police spending. Jurado later issued a statement saying she was quoting a lyric from a song.
Beyond that race, there are two other L.A. City Council races and a half-dozen city measures on the Nov. 5 ballot for Angelenos to take note of. Many of the measures are aimed at improving government transparency and ethics oversight following a series of political scandals at L.A. City Hall.
Read more about these and other L.A.-area city council and school board races on Nov. 5, below.
But first, we’ll start with a rundown of key Congressional and state legislative races.
You can also check out our L.A. County Voter Guide at dailynews.com/voter-guide for more information about races, candidates’ responses to our questionnaires, and links to stories explaining ballot measures.
House of Representatives
California’s 27th Congressional District race between Republican incumbent Rep. Mike Garcia and Democratic challenger George Whitesides is a key battleground race that could help determine which party controls the lower house of Congress. The 27th District represents parts of northern Los Angeles County, including the high desert communities of Lancaster, Palmdale and Santa Clarita.
Another battleground House race in District 45 has Republican incumbent Rep. Michelle Steel…
Read the full article here
