The Election Results, So Far, Are In.

Yesterday afternoon, I waited in line in the rain with several other Angelenos to vote for the people and issues I believe will make the most positive impact on Los Angeles and the state.

About Those Results

It’ll take some time to get final results for some of these races — perhaps a few days, maybe even a few weeks. For now, we can tell you that the L.A. mayoral race between Karen Bass and Rick Caruso is neck-and-neck and the sheriff’s race is leaning in Robert Luna’s favor.

Regardless of who takes on the leadership roles in L.A., there is a lot of work to do. Listen to the How To LA podcast to get some thoughts on the city’s next steps for helping with the homelessness crisis.

So, what else is happening with all of the measures and contests all over the city, county and state? Well, here’s what we know so far for some of the races as of 6 am this morning:

• First of all, we know now that voters wanted to see Gov. Gavin Newsom serve a second term.
• Democratic U.S. Senator Alex Padilla won over GOP attorney Mark Meuser and made history last night. He became the first Latino to be elected to represent our state in the U.S. Senate. 
• Predictably, a majority of California voters are in support of Proposition 1, which granted the constitutional right to reproductive freedom, a huge security blanket to protect abortion rights in the state.
• Four of the 15 L.A. City Council seats were on the ballot. Tim McOsker has a clear lead ahead of Danielle Sandoval for the District 15 seat. Meanwhile, District 5, 11, 13 are all closer. 
• The 45th Congressional district race is also close. Democrat Jay F. Chen is trailing GOP Congress member Michelle Steel with only half of the votes counted.
• Results show that an overwhelming number of voters rejected the state propositions to legalize sports betting in California.  
• But a majority of voters ARE willing to set aside additional funds to support arts education programs in K-12 public schools. 

Nationally, the fight for Congress is still very much up in the air. Here is the current breakdown of results.

If you want more background on any of these individual races and more that I didn’t get a chance to mention, please check out our Voter Game Plan. We will continue to update our results page for outcomes in all contests, including Superior Court judges, controller, city measures and more.

As you can see, we have your back when it comes to election season, my friend. And now that we’re inching closer and closer to holidays, I want to encourage you to give us a donation on the FINAL DAY of our fall fundraiser which ends at midnight tonight. Please don’t sit on the sidelines. Your gift of ANY amount will be matched dollar-for-dollar, so you can have twice the impact on local reporting!

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As always, stay happy and healthy, folks. There’s more news below — just keep reading.

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More News

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*At LAist we will always bring you the news freely, but occasionally we do include links to other publications that may be behind a paywall. Thank you for understanding! 

• If you were out on the roads at all on Election Day, you definitely experienced the heavy downpour that caused some freeways to flood.
• Record rainfall was recorded on Tuesday night in five locations, including Burbank, Palmdale and LAX. The wet weather might continue through Wednesday in some areas.
• Speaking of rain, we know that rain storms can cause dangerous mudslides in our state. Here’s how you can prepare for a mudslide. 
• On Tuesday night, rescue crews were searching for a man who was swept into the L.A. River during the downpour. 
• 10-33-41-47-56-Power 10. Those are the numbers from the winning Powerball ticket that was sold in Altadena. Here’s what we’ve learned about that record  billion dollar win. 
• Abortion rights did draw voters this election season. Here’s the states where the issue was on the ballot in one way or another. 
• Despite some unfavorable factors like intimidation, weather, and polling-site confusion, there are reports that early turnout of Black voters across the country exceeded the 2018 midterm election. It’s seen as a good sign considering the complicated history. (Capital B News)

Wait! One More Thing...

The Legend of Modesta Avila, OC's First Felon

A mugshot of Modesta Avila, who was tried, in 1889, for attempting to obstruct a train.

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Public Domain

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For today’s history trip, I want to take you all the way back to the late 1880s in Orange County. Let’s meet our subject of the day, Modesta Avila. She’s been called a feminist, an activist and a would-be terrorist. But she’s officially known as the OC’s first felon (some also believe she’s “The Lady in White,” an apparition who haunts the Los Rios Historic District near San Juan Capistrano).

Back in 1888, her family’s home was divided by a railroad. And Avila wasn’t having it. She protested a year later by placing a railroad tie, a steel bar and a note on the track as a barrier.

“This land belongs to me. If the railroad wants to run here, they will have to pay me $10,000.”

To find out what happens next, you’ll just have to read Hadley Meares' story here. There’s so much more detail in it about who owns the right to land and who owns the right to tell the accounts of what happened to it.