Jordan Rynning
holds local government accountable, covering city halls, law enforcement and other powerful institutions.
Published November 4, 2026 4:08 PM
L-R: Angela Gonzales-Torres, Jimmy Gomez
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Courtesy of Angela Gonzales-Torres/Maxine Wallace
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Courtesy of Angela Gonzales-Torres/The Washington Post via Getty Images
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Topline:
Angela Gonzales-Torres has unseated U.S. Rep. Jimmy Gomez, according to projections from the Associated Press. Gonzales-Torres maintained a lead of 59% to 41% over Gomez as of Wednesday afternoon.
Allegations weigh heavy: Political newcomer Gonzales-Torres was backed by the Democratic Socialists of America as she challenged Gomez, a veteran in progressive politics who faced allegations of sexual misconduct and assault earlier this year. Gomez denied those claims, but they remained top of mind for many voters in District 34.
Read on . . . for more about the race.
Angela Gonzales-Torres has unseated U.S. Rep. Jimmy Gomez in the 34th Congressional District race, according to the Associated Press on Wednesday.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Gonzales-Torres led Gomez 59% to 41% in the race for the district that includes downtown Los Angeles, Koreatown, Boyle Heights and Eagle Rock.
She finished 15 percentage points behind Gomez in the June primary election.
“I look forward to working for my community in Congress, holding the Trump administration accountable, abolishing ICE, and putting money back into our communities instead of funding endless wars,” Gonzales-Torres said in a statement.
Gomez, who was elected to the seat in 2017, conceded the race in an emailed statement to LAist, saying he was proud of accomplishments like expanding paid family leave, negotiating labor protections and fighting for working parents and their children.
“Everything I've done in public service has been about making sure the opportunities my parents sought remain possible for the next generation,” Gomez said. “Serving Los Angeles has been a privilege. Titles come and go, but the people and the values we fight for endure.”
Newcomer vs. veteran
Both candidates ran as Democrats and shared some priorities, including the Green New Deal, affordable housing and Medicare for All.
However, Gonzales-Torres criticized Gomez during the campaign for taking money from the tech industry and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, also known as AIPAC. Her campaign website says she plans to get money out of politics by abolishing super PACs.
Gonzales-Torres, who is from Highland Park, was endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America and gathered support from progressive leaders in California, including U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, state Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez and L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia.
A relative newcomer to politics compared to her opponent, Gonzales-Torres served as president of the Highland Park Neighborhood Council and as a regional representative on Metro’s Public Safety Advisory Committee.
Gomez was endorsed by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). He was also supported by the California Democratic Party and U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff.
Allegations of misconduct sway race
Gomez was a campaign co-chair for former U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, a close ally who faces allegations of sexual assault and misconduct.
Swalwell has denied the allegations. Federal and state investigations are ongoing.
Gomez resigned from Swalwell’s campaign in April, shortly after the accusations became public. He also called for Swalwell, who resigned from Congress, to end his bid for governor.
Months later, in August, the House Ethics Committee announced that Gomez was under investigation on allegations of sexual misconduct and assault. He has denied those allegations, but they stuck with voters.
For LAist's charts showing vote counts, we get numbers directly from the L.A. County and Orange County registrars of voters for local races. Totals are updated on our site as soon as possible after the registrars provide new tallies. For statewide races, counts come from the California Secretary of State's Office.
Keep in mind that, in tight races particularly, the winner may not be determined for days or weeks after election day. That's because early voting and mail-in ballots have fundamentally reshaped how votes are counted and when election results are known. The upshot: Ballots can be postmarked up to and including Election Day. They're counted as long as the ballot arrives within seven days of the election and that window contributes to the lag time before results are announced.
In L.A. County, for example, daily updates on the counting are expected to take place at least once a day — usually around 5 p.m. — through Nov. 13. (There will be multiple updates on Nov. 5 and 6.) Then, the once-a-day counts will resume again on Nov. 17, 19, 25 and 27. The office is scheduled to certify election results by Friday, Nov. 27. In Orange County, There will be multiple updates after the polls close, and then daily updates weekdays at 5 p.m. until results are scheduled to be certified on or before Dec. 3.
The California Secretary of State is scheduled to certify the election results on Dec. 11.
Our priority during the vote count will be sharing outcomes and election calls only when they have been thoroughly checked and vetted by journalists. To that end, we will rely on official results and report when candidates concede. Otherwise, we rely on NPR and the Associated Press for race calls. We will not report the calls or projections of other news outlets. You can find more about NPR's and the AP's process for counting votes and calling races here and here.
Ask us a question
What questions do you have about this election?
You ask, and we'll answer: Whether it's about who's funding the campaigns or how to track your ballot, we're here to help you understand the 2026 election.
Jared Bennett
is the watchdog correspondent covering immigration and law enforcement at LAist.
Published November 4, 2026 4:28 PM
L.A. Charter Amendment EE would change the number of times a week the City Council meets, among other policies.
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Raymond Rivera
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Topline:
Voters in the city of Los Angeles are poised to pass all eight ballot measures put before them this year — six related directly to charter reform and two that are tied to the aftermath of the Palisades Fire in January 2025.
Why it matters: Proponents of city reform welcomed the results, calling the midterm "a phenomenal election day for charter reform.”
Keep reading... for details about what each amendment will do.
Voters in the city of Los Angeles are poised to pass all eight ballot measures put before them this year — six related directly to charter reform and two that are tied to the aftermath of the Palisades Fire in January 2025.
Proponents of city reform welcomed the results.
“Last night was a phenomenal election day for charter reform,” said Diego Andrades, who served as a Charter Reform commissioner. Andrades said he wasn’t surprised the amendments passed, tying voter support to the substantial input the public had in the process long before election day.
“That was something we weren't even looking at,” Andrades said. “Everything that we recommended to the City Council was driven by who we were serving.” Zev Yaroslavsky, the director of the Los Angeles Initiative at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, noted that none of the measures saw much coordinated opposition.
The six measures that involve amendments to the city charter (that’s the document that functions as the city’s constitution) originated from the Los Angeles Charter Reform Commission’s recommendations to the City Council.
There is likely more to come. City Council members voted in June to leave some of the commission’s more controversial recommendations, including proposals to expand the City Council and implement ranked-choice voting, off the November ballots.
Yaroslavsky, a former L.A. County Supervisor and L.A. City Council member, called the amendments on the road to passing “non-controversial, but important.”
Yaroslavsky pointed to the Charter Amendment LA which, among other changes, allows the City Council to eliminate or change the Department of Public Works, something Yaroslavsky said the City Council tried to do when he was a member more than 30 years ago. Other amendments, such as giving the ethics commission more authority and expanding the parks department budget, also are welcome changes, Yaroslavsky said.
“They were not ideological charter amendments, they were administrative charter amendments," he said, “but they allow the city to do things that they haven't done before.”
Andrades said the success of the charter amendments builds momentum for the City Council to further some of the other recommendations from the charter commission in future elections.
“The charter amendment process is not finished,” Andrades said. “We will see these reforms on the ballot, and when they are ready I think we will see voters pass them.”
Two other ballot initiatives stem from the 2025 fires. Measures FD and TE, respectively, seek to expand the Fire Department Budget and cancel the so-called “mansion tax” for victims of the Palisades Fire who sell their residential property until 2030.
Like the charter amendments, these proposals didn’t see much pushback, Yaroslavsky said. As ballots continue to be tallied here’s a look at how Angelenos voted on each measure:
Note: AP estimates about 63% of the vote was in as of Wednesday morning.
Measure EE
What's at stake
In addition to reducing the number of City Council meetings from three per week to one, Charter Amendment EE makes changes to the Los Angeles City Charter that supporters say will help hold city government accountable. Those changes include increasing the penalty for campaign finance violations, increasing the authority of police and fire department oversight offices, increasing the number of signatures required for ballot referendums and barring ethics commissioners from running for local office for five years following their terms.
Measure LA
What’s at stake
At its heart, this wonky amendment changes how the city manages its budget and oversees infrastructure projects. Charter Amendment LA moves the city from a one-year to a two-year budget cycle, allows City Council to eliminate or change the Board of Public Works while giving the director of Public Works more power, and removes restrictions prohibiting the city from engaging in certain commercial activities. The hope is these changes will make it easier for the city to plan for and execute infrastructure projects.
Measure PL
What’s at stake
Charter Amendment PL consolidates Los Angeles’ seven Area Planning Commissions into a single Neighborhood Appeals Commission and streamlines the city’s planning process. In addition to reducing annual costs for commission staffing and other resources, the changes are meant to simplify the process and shrink the timeline for proposed developments.
Measure PRK
What’s at stake
Charter Amendment PRK doubles the L.A. parks department’s minimum budget over the next 10 years. A city-commissioned study last year found that the department’s budget has grown at a slower pace than other city agencies and that department staffing has shrunk while responsible for more park space and facilities.
Measure PRT
What’s at stake
Charter Amendment PRT adds new members to the Board of Airport Commissioners who live in communities near LAX and Van Nuys Airport, updates the rules around leases for the Airports Department, Department of Water and Power and Harbor Department and adds transparency requirements to Harbor Department leases. Supporters say the changes will increase community influence over major infrastructure and help the city attract more investment around airports and the waterfront.
Measure SC
What’s at stake
Los Angeles Unified school board elections follow much of the same campaign finance rules as mayoral elections, but those rules are spelled out in different parts of the city charter and municipal code. Charter Amendment SC removes much of the language specific to LAUSD elections and applies the same rules as those governing mayoral candidates, with a few exceptions. Supporters say the amendment doesn’t substantively change the election rules, but removes duplicative language in the city charter.
Measure FD
What’s at stake
The L.A. firefighters’ union supported this measure to increase the citywide sales tax by 0.5%. The increase will add an estimated $345 million to a new dedicated special fund that must be spent on Fire Department staffing, facilities, equipment and other “core functions.” Measure FD’s supporters say the department has been underfunded and needs thousands more firefighters to keep up with growing call volume.
Measure TE
What’s at stake
Proposition TE cancels the city’s "mansion tax" for victims of the Palisades Fire who decide to sell their residential property in the wake of the disaster. The mansion tax was created by Measure ULA in 2022, supporters of Proposition TE say voters passed that measure to raise money for affordable housing and homelessness prevention programs, not to punish disaster survivors who sell their homes. The exemption applies to properties owned as of Jan. 7, 2025, and sold until Jan. 6, 2030.
What to keep in mind about these numbers
For LAist's charts showing vote counts, we get numbers directly from the L.A. County and Orange County registrars of voters for local races. Totals are updated on our site as soon as possible after the registrars provide new tallies. For statewide races, counts come from the California Secretary of State's Office.
Keep in mind that, in tight races particularly, the winner may not be determined for days or weeks after election day. That's because early voting and mail-in ballots have fundamentally reshaped how votes are counted and when election results are known. The upshot: Ballots can be postmarked up to and including Election Day. They're counted as long as the ballot arrives within seven days of the election and that window contributes to the lag time before results are announced.
In L.A. County, for example, daily updates on the counting are expected to take place at least once a day — usually around 5 p.m. — through Nov. 13. (There will be multiple updates on Nov. 5 and 6.) Then, the once-a-day counts will resume again on Nov. 17, 19, 25 and 27. The office is scheduled to certify election results by Friday, Nov. 27. In Orange County, There will be multiple updates after the polls close, and then daily updates weekdays at 5 p.m. until results are scheduled to be certified on or before Dec. 3.
The California Secretary of State is scheduled to certify the election results on Dec. 11.
Our priority during the vote count will be sharing outcomes and election calls only when they have been thoroughly checked and vetted by journalists. To that end, we will rely on official results and report when candidates concede. Otherwise, we rely on NPR and the Associated Press for race calls. We will not report the calls or projections of other news outlets. You can find more about NPR's and the AP's process for counting votes and calling races here and here.
Ask us a question
What questions do you have about this election?
You ask, and we'll answer: Whether it's about who's funding the campaigns or how to track your ballot, we're here to help you understand the 2026 election.
Rep. Robert Garcia, the California Democrat whose district includes the areas surrounding Long Beach up to Commerce, is expected to become chair of the House Oversight committee. After Tuesday's Democratic wins, he put it bluntly in a statement: "LAWYER UP."
Why it matters: With public corruption and failing leadership as two of the top issues concerning voters, congressional Democrats have an ambitious agenda of investigations planned for their return to power in the House and Senate. Their new majorities mean that they will have at their disposal the full investigatory powers of the Congress, which include the ability to subpoena records for review and compel individuals to testify before lawmakers.
What might be investigated: The Democratic Party has a long list of investigative targets. According to conversations with Democratic House and Senate committee staffers, here are some areas the party is likely to prioritize in its oversight work: the administration's handling of — and connections to — the scandals of late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, efforts by administration officials to advance the financial interests of the president, his family, themselves and close allies, and the Iran war's cost to the American public.
Read on . . . for other issues the House Oversight committee is likely to take on.
Midterms coverage:Live results | Takeaways | Stories around the country
Democrats won big in the midterm elections, but with President Trump still in the White House, the next Congress is unlikely to see much major legislation signed into law.
Instead, expect to see a lot more oversight. With public corruption and failing leadership as two of the top issues concerning voters, congressional Democrats have an ambitious agenda of investigations planned for their return to power in the House and Senate.
Their new majorities mean that they will have at their disposal the full investigatory powers of the Congress, which include the ability to subpoena records for review and compel individuals to testify before lawmakers.
Rep. Robert Garcia, the California Democrat who is expected to become chair of the House Oversight committee, put it bluntly in a statement: "LAWYER UP."
The Democratic Party has a long list of investigative targets. According to conversations with Democratic House and Senate committee staffers, here are some areas the party is likely to prioritize in its oversight work.
Jeffrey Epstein
Among Democrats' primary targets: the administration's handling of — and connections to — the scandals of late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Bipartisan congressional action forced the Trump administration to release extensive documents tied to federal investigations of Epstein's crimes and other alleged offenses, though Democrats maintain that many of the records were improperly redacted or withheld from the public. They also say that the Justice Department has worked to shield Trump from damaging allegations — claims that the department's leadership has denied.
In the new Congress, lawmakers are expected to probe ties between Epstein and other powerful figures, including the president himself, which they say is part of an effort to secure accountability for victims of Epstein's crimes.
In connection with an October report, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said, "Donald Trump says he knew Jeffrey Epstein 'just like everybody in Palm Beach knew him.' Not exactly."
"Evidence involving 11 women tells a completely different and far more damning story about their relationship and the abuse of young women and girls that took place in their network," Raskin said.
The president, for his part, has long denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein and has maintained that their relationship ended before the disgraced financier was indicted for soliciting prostitution in 2016.
Public corruption
Democrats also plan to continue their own investigations into what they describe as efforts by administration officials to advance the financial interests of the president, his family, themselves and close allies.
In particular, Democrats highlight the president's continued business interests, including Truth Social, a number of cryptocurrency projects and overseas projects involving his sons and powerful foreign investors.
Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., speaks to the press on Capitol Hill on June 10, 2026. Garcia is expected to become chair of the House Oversight Committee in the new Congress.
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Kent Nishimura
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AFP via Getty Images
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Garcia on the House Oversight Committee, has gone further, linking the high cost of living to politicians on both sides of the aisle acting in their own self-interest rather than the interest of the American public.
"Millions of dollars in dark money are flowing throughout our political system. Some members of Congress may be trading stocks based on information the public doesn't have. The revolving door between the government and lobbying for large corporations keeps spinning," he wrote last month in an MS Now opinion piece. "Americans are dealing with a cost-of-living crisis, and these abuses of power are making it worse. All the while, the wealthiest people in our country are richer than ever."
Immigration
Trump returned to office promising a stricter approach to immigration in the United States. But public support for his deportation agenda has cratered in the wake of a number of high-profile incidents involving federal immigration enforcement personnel, including the killing of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota this year.
While in the minority, Democrats have publicly documented hundreds of incidents of alleged abuse and misconduct by immigration agents and will continue that work in the new term. They are expected to hold hearings on incidents of violence, which have largely gone without congressional oversight in the first two years of the president's second term.
Democrats held a field hearing in Austin, Texas, in October on shootings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said following the hearing that "ICE is a lawless, rogue agency that is causing generational trauma in communities across the country. House Democrats today are doing the oversight work that Republicans refuse to do — and we will continue to do everything possible to protect our communities from Trump's mass deportation agenda."
Public health
In June, Democrats released a reportdocumenting how they believe that the Trump administration has undermined public health infrastructure and U.S. scientific research into chronic and deadly diseases. That work will continue in the new year, with a particular focus on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Executive power
Trump's muscular use of executive power has been unrestrained by the Republican congressional majority. That is expected to change.
Committee staffers indicate that the president's pet projects — remodeling the White House's East Wing, building a monumental arch, renovating the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, shuttering the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, paving the White House's Rose Garden, among others — will face robust congressional oversight.
President Trump departs after delivering remarks at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Nov. 2, 2026.
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Andrew Harnik
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The projects are entwined in a larger constitutional fight over the appropriations process: Congress has the sole authority to decide how taxpayer dollars are spent, and the White House has repeatedly disregarded its declarations and rescinded billions of dollars in congressionally approved spending.
Iran war
Constitutional authorities delegated to Congress will also take center stage in Democrats' U.S.-Iran war oversight. The legislature has the sole authority to declare war, and presidents are required to seek authorization for the use of military force, something that has not happened for any of the Trump administration's military campaigns this term. Democrats also plan to press Pentagon officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, on the war's cost to the American public.
Even before the Democrats take control, a House impeachment vote on Hegseth could come during the lame-duck session.
More war powers votes — efforts to force the president to end the conflict, some of which have attracted limited bipartisan support — are also expected. While previous war powers votes have passed, the votes are largely symbolic and do not carry the weight of law.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk appears alongside President Trump during an executive order signing in the Oval Office on Feb. 11, 2025.
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Technology titan Elon Musk has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into Republican politics but has lately drawn the ire of Democrats after interruptions to his satellite internet service provider stymied Ukraine's military operations against Russia.
"We will ensure that the 120th Congress will closely scrutinize federal funding awarded to Mr. Musk's businesses, including whether these companies meet their contractual obligations, and whether adequate safeguards exist against political interference, arbitrary service restrictions, and misuse of federal resources," a group of Silicon Valley House Democrats wrote in a letter to the White House in October.
There could also be investigations into the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency effort that decimated the government workforce in the first year of Trump's second term but failed to deliver on the promised trillion dollars in cost savings. It has remained a focus of House Oversight Committee Democrats during their time in the minority.
Copyright 2026 NPR
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Topline:
Voters in 10 states made history on Tuesday with their choices for governor.
Historic firsts: Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, who won her race to be Georgia's next governor, will be the country's first Black woman elected governor of any state. New Mexico's Deb Haaland, who is of Pueblo Indian descent, will be the first Native American woman governor.
Latino representation: Democrat Xavier Becerra will be the first elected Latino governor of California when he takes office, while Democrat Gina Hinojosa will be the first Latina governor of Texas.
Black representation: Voters in Florida, Nevada and Wisconsin elected the first Black governors in their states — Republican Byron Donalds in the Sunshine State, Democrat Aaron Ford in the Silver State and Democrat David Crowley in the Badger State.
Breaking the glass ceiling: Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn is the first woman to win a gubernatorial race in Tennessee. Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn is the first woman to win a gubernatorial race in Tennessee. Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar will become the first woman to be governor of Minnesota when she assumes office in January. And in one of the bigger upsets of Tuesday's election, Democrat Amy Acton is poised to become the first woman elected governor of Ohio and the first Jewish governor of the state.
Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, who won her race to be Georgia's next governor, will be the country's first Black woman elected governor of any state. The 56-year-old served as mayor of Atlanta from 2018-2022 and then as an adviser to former President Joe Biden. Her defeat of Republican billionaire health care executive Rick Jackson makes Lance Bottoms the first Democrat to win a governor's race in the state in more than two decades.
Georgia Gov.-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms hugs a family member during an election night watch party at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis on Nov. 3, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia.
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New Mexico's Deb Haaland, who is of Pueblo Indian descent, will be the first Native American woman governor. The Democrat, who defeated Republican Gregg Hull, served in Congress before becoming Interior secretary under Biden. She made history in each of those roles, too — as one of the first Native American women elected to Congress and the first Native American cabinet secretary.
Latino representation
Democrat Xavier Becerra will be the first elected Latino governor of California when he takes office, while Democrat Gina Hinojosa will be the first Latina governor of Texas. Becerra, a former California attorney general and former member of Congress who served as U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services in the Biden administration, will succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom after handily defeating Republican Steve Hilton, a political outsider.
Texas Democratic Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa speaks during her election night watch party at Assembly Hall on Nov. 3, 2026 in Austin, Texas.
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Hinojosa, a Texas state representative, defeated incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, one of the country's most influential governors and an ally of President Trump. Hinojosa's win follows a demographic shift in the state, which has seen a surge in its Latino population. Hinojosa will be Texas' first Democratic governor in more than 30 years.
President Donald Trump listens as Republican Rep. Byron Donalds speaks at a campaign rally in Daytona Beach, Fla. Donalds won his election and is set to become Florida's first Black governor.
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Jacquelyn Martin/AP
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Donalds, who had the backing of President Trump and a hefty election war chest, beat Democrat David Jolly by campaigning on affordability and promising to continue the conservative politics of outgoing Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Donalds has been in Congress since 2021 and served two terms in the state legislature.
Crowley, a Milwaukee County executive, defeated Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany, whose campaign massively outspent Crowley's. Crowley actually suspended his campaign during the primary, but reentered it — with the support of outgoing Gov. Tony Evers — after the candidate Crowley backed dropped out. Crowley campaigned on his record as a "deal maker" who can work across the political aisle.
Breaking the glass ceiling
Other women gubernatorial candidates notched historic wins in three states.
Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn is the first woman to win a gubernatorial race in Tennessee. Although Blackburn, who defeated Democrat Jerri Green and multiple independent candidates, had long been a favorite for this race, her victory was narrower than expected. Her campaign focused on curtailing immigration, confronting China and cutting wasteful government spending.
Amy Acton waves to supporters during a campaign rally with former President Barack Obama at Cleveland Public Auditorium on Oct. 24, 2026, in Cleveland, Ohio.
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Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar will become the first woman to be governor of Minnesota when she assumes office in January. She defeated Republican Lisa Demuth, the speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. Demuth, like Green in Tennessee, would also have been the first woman governor of her state.
In one of the bigger upsets of Tuesday's election, Democrat Amy Acton is poised to become the first woman elected governor of Ohio and the first Jewish governor of the state. She will be the first Democrat to serve in the office in two decades. Acton, who served as the state's chief public health officer during the pandemic, defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in an election marked in the final weeks by vicious mudslinging and an attack ad that garnered national criticism.
Copyright 2026 NPR
Makenna Cramer
is closely covering this year’s elections.
Published November 4, 2026 11:03 AM
L.A. County had eight helicopters landing across seven helipads on election night.
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Gina Ferazzi
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Topline:
A few hours after polls closed on election night, eight L.A. County Sheriff’s Department helicopters took off from the far corners of the county to bring ballots to the processing center in the city of Industry.
Why it matters: L.A. County is massive — more than 4,000 square miles — and the helicopters help get ballots from places such as Lancaster, Palmdale, and Van Nuys to Industry quicker than a car could. Plus, there’s a lot less traffic.
The backstory: The partnership between the department and the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk goes back decades.
Read on ...to go inside the operation.
A few hours after polls closed on election night Tuesday, eight L.A. County Sheriff’s Department helicopters took off from the far corners of the county to bring ballots to the processing center in the city of Industry.
The roar of the rotor and rushing wind echoed throughout a parking lot, landing just outside the center where a team of sheriff's officials were waiting.
With the pilot still on board, sealed boxes and bags of ballots were handed off from the helicopters, put on carts and rolled toward waiting cars as the numbers were checked, and checked again.
The partnership with the Los Angeles Sherriff's Department goes back decades.
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Election officials rely on the partnership with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to securely transport ballots to the central ballot processing center where they are ultimately counted and reported.
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Sheriff officials were waiting for the helicopters with carts and cars on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
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Why helicopters?
It comes down to size. L.A. County is massive — more than 4,000 square miles — and the helicopters help get ballots from far-flung places such as Lancaster, Palmdale and Van Nuys to Industry quicker than a car could. Plus, there’s a lot less traffic.
“If you relied on vehicle transportation, the early results will be skewed based on the geographical proximity to the counting center,” Richard Thomsen, a sergeant with the Sheriff’s Department’s air support, told LAist. “This way, we can grab a broad early return from all over the county, bring it in and they can start counting those ballots.”
L.A. County is massive — more than 4,000 square miles — and the helicopters help get ballots from places like Lancaster and Palmdale to the city of Industry quicker than a car could.
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An election official said they take the security of ballots "extremely seriously."
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The backstory on helicopters and elections
The partnership between the department and the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk goes back decades.
Lately, its' become even more important as election officials are asked to move at a “lightning pace,” according to Mike Sanchez, communications manager for the RR/CC.
If the county relied on vehicle transportation only, the early results could be skewed based on the geographical proximity to the processing center, according to officials with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
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Election workers have chain of custody protocols, including counting ballots and sealing them in containers.
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“That's exactly what the sheriff's department provides is getting ballots back to us quickly, and just as important, getting them back to us securely,” Sanchez told LAist.
The ballots are transported by land, air and sea, he added. Catalina Island, for example, uses a boat to get ballots to the mainland.
Sanchez noted that there is “dual-custody,” meaning one single person isn’t left alone with ballots or voting equipment.
“We have extreme processes and protocols in place to ensure the security of their ballots and their votes,” Sanchez said. “And security really is at the heart of everything that we do.”
The helicopters are used throughout the county into the early hours after election night.
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"We as the sheriff's department, and the employees of the sheriff's department and ultimately employees of the county of Los Angeles, are committed to the process of ensuring that ballots are counted fairly," said Michael VargasMachuca, a sergeant with the department.
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How it works
Once election night rolls around, the helicopters are already waiting at points around the county, including helipads, local airports and even parking lots converted to temporary helipads.
The pilots are greeted by a group of sheriff's officials who know exactly how many sealed containers of ballots are being transported. Sheriff’s and election officials said the numbers are documented and reconfirmed at every handoff.
Michael VargasMachuca, a sergeant with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, and Richard Thomsen, a sergeant with the department's air support, ahead of Election Day.
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Makenna Cramer
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Then, the choppers take off. The numbers and takeoff time are radioed back to the ballot processing center, and when they land, they’re counted again.
“Every step of the way there's confirmation, there's a chain of custody,” Michael VargasMachuca, a sergeant with the department, told LAist. “If you think about it like evidence, there's no break in that continuity.”
