LA ELECTION POSTSCRIPT-The results are in, and a whopping 8.62% of LA City voters bothered to turn out to vote. The big winner was vote-by-mail, which accounted for over 54% of the ballots cast. And the two Charter Amendments passed with over 75% Yes votes. Looking at these numbers, you really have to wonder if it’s the cumulative effect of nasty voter suppression efforts by those clever (and expensive) campaign consultants or just a visceral belief by the troops that the City of Angels is a political mess where even thinking about the City brings on a migraine.
Jose Huizar cruised to victory with nearly 66% of the vote, not so different than the other incumbents (Herb Wesson got 63%, Nury Martinez got 60%, and Paul Krekorian got a whopping 74%.
From the standpoint of a blogger, this election really sucked. I was getting all excited and hoping to see a knock-down, drag out, runoff election between Gloria Molina and Jose Huizar. Ah well, so much for fantasies. Instead, Mr. Huizar gets an extended term courtesy of the ballot Amendments, and can spend the rest of his days paying off the folks who 'gave him' something like $1.2 million dollars between PAC's and campaign contributions. And that number doesn't even count the sudden distribution of money from his discretionary accounts into the District just in time for the election.
My real concern now is for small 'd' democracy, which is slowly dying an unnatural death as more and more voters turn off and say that it doesn't really matter who they vote for; the large special interests will always win. With this week’s results it is hard to argue with their perception. And with Councilman Huizar the Chair of the PLUM Committee, get ready. Big developers, contractors, and dare I say it, Billboard Companies like Lamar Advertising. Dollar 1 - Troops 0.
As to why Gloria Molina did so poorly, I think there were two main factors. First, she really wasn't ready for the rhythm of a 2015 City election process. Huizar went after that huge vote by mail crown with the some $800,000 he had in the bank before Molina even got serious about playing in January. His consultants and humongous campaign staff did a bang up job, too. Heck, I was even invited to friend one of them on Facebook -- and yes, I accepted :-).
The second reason is that Molina just didn't have a ground game. She did well in the debates, but if over 1/2 the votes are being locked up while you're talking, who cares what you say or what happens at the polls on election day. I kept looking for her 'machine' to ramp up, and it never did. Or if it did, I sure didn't see it. To be sure, she had a dedicated group of volunteers, but in 2015, that isn't what wins elections. As I cautioned in my first CityWatch article about the Northeast Dems endorsement, nowhere was written that she would be able to get into a runoff and have the luxury of really running a campaign.
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8 ½ % voter turnout. Voter suppressed or not, that is pitiful. Extended terms for Jose & Herb. Charter amendments that allow the big buck folks to even more easily leverage their cash in state/national elections, with the local stuff a throwaway. You know, an activist could get bummed out.
On the other hand, this is the LA City Council. So I will still probably get to report on financial malpractice, low-down dirty deals, salacious conduct, ethical lapses, and maybe even an indictment or two. And if the last election with Rudy Martinez is any guide, Jose Huizar will be doing terrible things to those who failed to kiss the ring.
Hmm. Now I feel better :-)
(Tony Butka is an Eastside community activist, who has served on a neighborhood council, has a background in government and is an occasional contributor to CityWatch.)
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 13 Issue 19
Pub: Mar 6, 2015
