Depressing Voter Turn-out
Dan Evans laments the state of democracy after working the polls in Burbank in yesterday's mostly ignored, mostly school-related elections.
We had about 600 registered voters for our little area, 12 of whom showed up at the polls. ... It was dull, friends, dull. I did get a fairly lengthy discussion about Burbank politics going with my fellow workers, but spending 15 hours in a flooring showroom off Hollywood Way is about as much fun as it sounds.
Of the three valley races, the main event was the battle for the LAUSD District 3 seat, which pitted LA Mayor Villaraigosa-backed city prosecutor Tamar Galatzan against union-backed incumbent Jon Lauritzen. Galatzan won, which means Mayor V gets majority support on the LAUSD board, which I guess is like Plan B or C in his campaign to assert executive influence over the school district.
As for Burbank voters, they only get to pick the undercard -- a Los Angeles Community College District race between incumbent Georgian Mercer and retired sheriff's Deputy Roy Burns. Burns won by just 88 votes, with voter turnout hovering around 6 percent.