With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
Final vote count throws LA City Council incumbent into runoff
The final, unofficial tally of the March 4, 2017 election by Los Angeles county officials shows a voter turnout of just over 17 percent.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
Listen
0:54
Final vote count throws LA City Council incumbent into runoff
Los Angeles City Councilman Gil Cedillo will need to defend his seat in a runoff as Monday's final ballot count from the March election shows he fell short of the majority vote needed to win outright.
Cedillo won 49.34 percent or 10,396 of the 21,069 votes counted in the race for the District 1 seat covering communities that include MacArthur Park, Koreatown, Mt. Washington and Cypress Park.
He will face off against Joe Bray-Ali, a cyclist activist, who waged a surprisingly strong challenge, buoyed by an endorsement from the Los Angeles Times. Bray-Ali drew 8,000 votes or 37.97 percent of the total, according to the final count.
"He's not been active in this district in any meaningful way," Bray-Ali said of Cedillo. "Money does not buy what it used to."
Sponsored message
Cedillo outspent Bray-Ali by more than four to one. A campaign spokesperson for Cedillo did not respond to a KPCC request for comment by deadline.
The final count by Los Angeles County election officials placed turnout for the countywide vote at 17.09 percent. Turnout rates for the city of Los Angeles were a bit higher — 431,896 ballots were cast with a turnout rate of 21.27 percent. Turnout for the mayor's race was 20.05 percent.
Across the county, some 898,233 ballots were counted. The county has 5.2 million registered voters on its rolls.
The county registrar is scheduled to certify the results on Tuesday. The L.A. County Board of Supervisors will then declare the results official on March 28.
This story has been updated.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
