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Hawthorne, Baldwin Park, El Monte among LA County cities to elect mayor Nov. 3
FILE: Next Tuesday's election features several local mayorships, council seats, school board seats, and other municipal contests.
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Hawthorne, Baldwin Park, El Monte among LA County cities to elect mayor Nov. 3
In this Tuesday's local elections, four separate mayoral seats are up for grabs in Los Angeles County, three of which are contested races in Hawthorne, Baldwin Park and El Monte.
El Monte is home to an especially heated contest: incumbent Mayor Andre Quintero is running against City Council member Norma Macias.
The two have sparred in recent months. During a July council meeting, Macias questioned the mayor’s authority on oversight committee appointments.
In a video of the meeting, Macias can be seen sitting next to the mayor, her chair at times awkwardly swiveled away from him, avoiding eye contact. Moments after the exchange, Macias and Bart Patel, a council member running for reelection, abruptly left the meeting.
"Let the record reflect that two of our members have left, effectively adjourning the meeting," Quintero said. "Total contempt for the law and total contempt for this community."
Macias has accused the mayor of intimidation and bullying. An investigation into a request to censure the mayor concluded Sept. 25 when the council voted not to take further action.
The election is more than a contest between political rivals. El Monte's elected officials will need to tackle looming issues that will impact the city and its population of 120,000 residents.
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Jesus Gomez, El Monte's city manager, told KPCC that the City Council has focused on public safety, economic development and a sustainable budget.
"I think we've done a good job on all three of them," he said, adding the city's budget is expected to be balanced for the next few years. "We don't anticipate having a shortfall."
But a sales tax measure is set to expire in April 2019. The tax provides $4.5 million in annual city income and its coming expiration will need to be addressed, Gomez said.
El Monte must also deal with pension and benefit costs for retired city workers that are weighing heavily on the city's budget.
Similar challenges face many municipalities with elections on Tuesday.
For more information on whether your county is holding elections and what will be on the ballot, check online. From there you can also click through to find voter information.
For a list of 2015 L.A. County elections, see below. Scroll down to view the Nov. 3 contests.
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L.A. County 2015 Scheduled Elections
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