Recently in Election 2011 Category

City Council candidate Joe Buscaino picked up the endorsement of one of his opponents on Tuesday, with Firefighter Pat McOsker backing Buscaino over Assaemblyman Warren Furutani.
"Joe Buscaino is a proven public servant and an excellent candidate for the working men and women of Council District 15," said McOsker, who also serves as president of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City.
Buscaino also has been endorsed by UFLAC as well as two of his other primary opponents, Gordon Teuber and Jayme Wilson.

In one of the most closely watched Harbor Area political contests in years, Los Angeles police Officer Joe Buscaino and Assemblyman Warren Furutani emerged as the top vote-getters Tuesday in a crowded field to fill Janice Hahn's vacant Los Angeles City Council seat. Donna Littlejohn in the Daily News

The two will face each other in a Jan. 17 runoff election.

With all of the precincts counted in Tuesday's special election, Buscaino finished with 29.1 percent, followed by Furutani with 22.3 percent.

When Janice Hahn won her bid for Congress in July, it set off a stampede to take her spot on the Los Angeles City Council. Donna Littlejohn in the Daily News,

Twenty people initially set their sights on the race, but when the dust settled, the field of declared candidates had narrowed to 11.

That was little consolation to voters in the San Pedro-to-Watts district, who were left trying to sort them all out amid a flurry of mailers and colorful road signs.

Tipoff: LAPD Officer Joe Buscaino may offer up surprise.

They already had their turn at bat, but two veteran Los Angeles city councilmen are stepping up to the plate to take another swing at an old job. Art Marroquin and Donna Littlejohn in the Daily Breeze.

While they are playing in a field of 15 candidates - and counting - Robert Farrell and Rudy Svorinich Jr. have a unique quality that the other contenders don't possess.

The ability to say, "Been there, done that."

Rep/ Janice Hahn, D-San Pedro, received her first committee assigntment on Thursday, and it's a big one.
Due to her district having the Port of Los Angeles and Los Angeles international Airport, Hahn was named as one of 14 Democrats on the panel.
"Homeland Security is a excellent place for me to tackle the issues that matter to my district," Hahn said.
" We need to be doing more to protect our families and the engines of economic growth in our area like LAX and the Port of Los Angeles. I'm eager to roll up my sleeves and get to work preparing and protecting the people of my community and our nation."

The Los Angeles City Council is close to becoming an Old Boys Club again. Daily News.

Once Janice Hahn takes the oath of office for Congress this week, Jan Perry becomes the last woman on the council.

"It worries me," Perry said. "And, when I leave office in two years, there is a chance this will be all males again."

Perry, who is running for mayor in 2013 and is termed out from the council, is the last of a wave of women who, at one point, made up one-third of the 15-member council. Another candidate in the mayor's race is former councilwoman Wendy Greuel, who currently serves as the city's controller.

TipoffL Crowded field for Hahn seat.

Democrat Janice Hahn won a hard-fought campaign for Congress, setting off a scramble to fill her Los Angeles City Council seat representing the San Pedro area. Daily News.

By a 54-46 margin, Hahn defeated Republican Craig Huey to succeed Rep. Jane Harman, who resigned in February to head the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Hahn received 41,585 votes compared to 34,536 for Huey, a marketing executive who spent more than $800,000 of his own money in the race for the 36th Congressional District. Hahn raised and spent more than $1.3 million, much of it through donations from unions and Democratic Party organizations.

Councilwoman Janice Hahn, who is running against Republican Craig Huey in the South Bay for a congressional seat in the South Ba area, scaled back her campaign following the death on Monday of her mother, Ramona.
Hahn went early to her San Pedro polliing place to cast her ballot, then stated with family throughout the day. She was scheduled to be with supporters for an election return event.
Ramona Hahn died of unknown causes in her San Pedro home. She was 86.
The race against Huey has become closer than most expected as he has been able to put $800,000 of his own money into the race. Hahn has raises more than $1.2 million.

Tipoff: Councilwoman outraises rival in race for Congress.

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In the possible race to succeed Hahn, UFLAC President Pat McOsker moved back into the San Pedro area several weeks ago to establish residency, his campaign says.

Los Angeles Unified has pushed through a number of far-reaching reforms over the past few years. Often leading the call for change has been school board member Yolie Flores, whose relentless drive and tenacity belie her petite size. Connie Llanos in the Daily News,

Representing schools from Silver Lake to Bell, Flores has earned a reputation as a bold reformer during her four-year term, most notably for her game-changing "Public School Choice" motion that allowed groups inside and outside the district to compete for the right to run campuses.

Flores, 48, has been both praised and blasted for her efforts, but less than a week from the end of her term, she said she has no regrets.

Tipoff: No major celebrations planned for city officials.

TipoffsCouncilwoman pledges no action until ratepayer advocate is on board; Controller Wendy Greuel looking for more "gold cards."

For 11 weeks, Mitch Englander has been preparing for his next job as councilman of the 12th District in the Northwest San Fernando Valley. And, he has six more weeks to bide his time before being sworn in on July 1. Daily News.

After winning better than 57 percent of the vote in the March 8 election over five other candidates, Englander insists he is not frustrated by the wait time.

"It's a great time to get your arms around the job and focus on what you want to accomplish," Englander said in a recent interview. "It's actually refreshing to have all this time to get ready for the job and what it will mean to me."