This is story has been updated to include Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell’s concession.Â
Late Tuesday afternoon, Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell conceded the election to his opponent Hugo Soto-Martinez.
“Though these results were not what we hoped for, I am proud of the campaign we ran, and I am proud of my team. We will serve the constituents of the 13th District until my last day in office and ensure a smooth transition to the new Councilmember so residents can continue to receive constituent services without interruption,” wrote O’Farrell in a statement released this afternoon.
In the fourth update issued by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (RR/CC) since the election a week ago, updated election results released late Monday (November 14) show the most recently leading candidates generally continuing those trends…which has led to a decision in at least one City Council race, as District 5 candidate Sam Yebri conceded to his competitor, Katy Young Yaroslavsky, this morning.
In an e-mail to his supporters, Yebri said, “While I am disappointed by the vote count, I know we gave it our all, for the right reasons. I am also confident that, long after our lawn signs have been taken down, it will be said that our campaign did some good for our city.” Yebri said in his note that he called Yaroskavsky to congratulate her, and that he is “rooting for Katy’s success in making the 5th District better and safer for everyone.”
Yebri’s note actually came just a few minutes after Yaroslavsky sent her own e-mail to supporters, saying “Now, thanks to your support, we are leading by a significant and growing margin. I’m optimistic that I’ll have the privilege of serving as the next Los Angeles City Councilmember representing District 5.”
Meanwhile, in the LA mayoral race, Congresswoman Karen Bass expanded her lead over developer Rick Caruso. She is now 29,000 votes added of Caruso.
Caruso’s campaign sent an email this morning reminding voters to make sure their ballot is counted an offered links and instructions to cure any ballots that might have missing information.
County officials said there are still an estimated 655,300 ballots that remain to be counted. Today is the last day officials accept ballots that are postmarked by Election Day. The County has 30 days to certify the election.
In our other local city council race, CD 13 challenger Hugo Soto-Martinez increased his lead against incumbent Mitch O’Farrell by 4,289 votes, nearly doubling his lead from earlier this week.
And in the LA County Third District Board of Supervisors race, West Hollywood City Councilmember Lindsey Horvath is now solidly ahead of State Senator Bob Hertzberg, leading by 8,829 votes.
And, finally, another race that is now apparently decided is the one for the 51st State Assembly District, in which candidate Louis Abramson conceded defeat to yesterday to Rick Zbur.
In a post on Instagram, Abramson wrote to supporters:
“While votes are still outstanding, we’re at 44.6%. Having been outspent nearly 8:1 by a well known opponent, this is incredible. Nonetheless, we don’t see a path to 50%+1.
With a full heart and a grateful soul, it’s time to close this chapter.“I want to congratulate @rickchavezzbur on his victory. I will do everything I can to help him succeed in confronting the existential challenges facing our shared community—homelessness, housing affordability, mental health reform, & climate change.
“Rick ran w/ generosity & kindness. His previous work made CA more equitable and just. It’s been a privilege to campaign w/ him and to have the chance to advance that work. He’ll be an effective advocate for our district. I look forward to being his partner in repairing our world, and I invite you all to join me.”
Monday’s update includes 191,312 ballots processed since Saturday’s update (November 12). The total election results count is now 1,799,951 which is 31.98% of registered voters.
The estimated number of outstanding ballots to be processed is 655,300. See estimates below:
• Vote by Mail ballots (VBM): 640,000
• Conditional Voter Registration ballots: 15,000
• Provisional ballots: 300
Election results can be viewed on LAVOTE.GOV.
