A fundraising event held at L.A. Live brought in $200,000 for the non-profit group who is working to get a streetcar system implemented in Downtown, reports the Downtown News. The money will be used to help fund administrative costs for the group. more ›

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa yesterday tapped Christine Essel to head up Los Angeles' redevelopment agency, which has helped bring the city major projects like Hollywood & Highland and smaller ones such as The Farmer's Kitchen. The former industry executive -- she served as Paramount's senior vice president of government and community affairs -- most recently lost a grueling campaign bid... more ›

In a landslide, Assemblyman Paul Krekorian defeat former film executive Chris Essel in race for Los Angeles' Council District 2 seat, which covers a large portion of the San Fernando Valley. Outspent three to one--nearly $2 million was raised for Essel--Krekorian pulled a 13-point lead with all precincts reporting before midnight. more ›

Today's the big day, the long-awaited one, a sigh of relief as one the nastiest, dirtiest , big money races comes to an end. It's the special runoff election for Council District 2 (CD2), which stretches from Sherman Oaks to the Northeast Valley in the San Fernando Valley. Two candidates, Assemblyman Paul Krekorian and former film industry executive Chris Essel, face off. more ›

If you live in Council District 2--from Sherman Oaks to the Northeast Valley--it's election day tomorrow. Two candidates face off for the seat once throned by now-City Controller Wendy Greuel. To say the least, the race has been downright nasty. Racism, sexism, burglary and just about everything has been accused one way or another in this race between two Democrat carpetbaggers. more ›

On December 8th, voters in L.A.'s Council District 2 (from Sherman Oaks to the Northeast Valley) will hit the polls to elect a new councilmember. The Mayor Sam blog digs into the latest filings for the two candidates, finding some notable patterns for each. more ›

Yesterday was election day for those in Los Angeles' second district, spanning a slice of the Valley from Sherman Oaks to the Northeast Valley. Ten candidates put in a bid, but only two came out strong enough to turn the race into a runoff, which will take place on December 8th. Assemblyman Paul Krekorian and Businesswoman and City Commissioner Chris Essel dominated the results, something that was not too surprising, one bit. Here are the full results: more ›

No big surprise here. City Controller, and former Councimember for District 2, Wendy Greuel will endorse Chris Essel for the council seat. Both women have backgrounds in the film industry business. This is the second big endorsement for Essel in the past few weeks. She most recently gained the support of former Mayor Richard Riordan. Assemblymember Paul Krekorian was endorsed by Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley earlier this week and no word on big endorsements yet from the other frontrunner, Tamar Galatzan, but in an e-mail blast yesterday, a tongue-and-cheek top ten reasons to elect Tamar list touted that she "has voted for Wendy Greuel more times than Essel and Krekorian - combined." That's because she's a long time resident of Council District 2. Krekorian, for example, just moved into the boundaries this summer. more ›

The grassroots, but powerful San Fernando Valley Democratic Club yesterday endorsed Assemblyman Paul Krekorian for the 2nd District Council Seat in Los Angeles, according to wire reports. Krekorian is considered one of the front runners in the race along with Studio Exec Chris Essel and city prosecutor and LAUSD boardmember Tamar Galatzan--he currently represents portions of the Valley and over-the-hill neighborhoods like Los Feliz and Silver Lake. The endorsement gives the Democrat an edge on Essel, who has raised the most money and has been endorsed by former Mayor Richard Riordan. No matter, "money is not going to be a factor in this council race," says his campaign manager. "This campaign is going to be won on the ground, talking to voters directly." The primary for the district, which runs from Sherman Oaks to the Northeast Valley, will be held on September 22nd. more ›

The campaign for Chris Essel for Council District 2 has been gearing up for a big announcement this morning, but the LA Times scooped away what the press conference was supposed to announce later this morning. “In both the private and public sectors, Christine Essel has proven that she has the skills and the commitment to get the job done,” Riordan will say, according to a statement obtained by the Times. Essel has served Los Angeles as a mayoral appointee on several difference occasions. She was on the board of the Community Redevelopment Agency during the Bradley and Riordan administrations and on the Board of Airport Commissioners under Villaraigosa as well as the California Film Commission and the California Workforce Investment Board. more ›

Now that Wendy Greuel has officially vacated her seat as the 2nd District Councilmemember for her City Controller post, we're going to begin to hear more about those who are officially running. Councilman Jack Weiss' popular Valley field deputy Joan Pelico was rumored to be taking a stab at running, but it seems not any more. She's been re-hired by Weies' successor Paul Koretz at the satisfaction of a handful of neighborhood groups who urged him not to replace her. Following in the footsteps of Greuel's film industry to politics move, Chris Essel of Paramount has announced her campaign. Additionally, a local medical marijuana dispensary owner, Frank Sheftel, announced his intentions to run at various community meetings. While there's been no official announcement, Assemblymember Paul Krekorian is "still strongly considering stepping into the CD2 race," a spokesman told us. No official word yet from City Attorney and LAUSD School Board Member Tamar Galatzan or Director of Street Services Bill Robertson. more ›