Independent Staff Report
LOS ANGELES — After months of campaigning, debates and mailboxes filled with political mailers, the final week leading up to the Nov. 3 election is here.
Los Angeles County voters, who haven’t cast their ballot yet, have until 8 p.m. Nov. 3 to vote at one of more than 1,000 voting centers in Los Angeles County, some of which have been opened since Oct. 24.
In addition to the presidential election, voters in Hollywood and West Hollywood will be electing local representatives as near as the Los Angeles and West Hollywood city councils as well as representatives in the state capital in Sacramento and in Congress in Washington, D.C.
In West Hollywood, voters also will be voting on Measure E, a ballot placed on the ballot by the City Council that would increase the sales tax on all taxable purchases in the city by three-quarters of a cent.
The City Council said the measure was required to cover a loss of tax revenues brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.
Two members of the City Council, John Heilman and John Duran also are up for re-election. They face nine challengers: Larry Block, John Erickson, Noemi Torres, Sepi Shyne, Christopher McDonald, Tom Demille, Jerome Cleary, Marco Colantonio and Mark Farhad Yusupov.
For the Los Angeles City Council, David Ryu is seeking a second four-year term in District 4, which includes parts of Hollywood.
Ryu is being challenged by Nithya Raman, who made a surprising showing in the March primary election with slightly more than 41% of the vote. Ryu received more than 44% in the primary.
In a local congressional race, Democratic incumbent Adam Schiff faces Republican Eric Early in the 28th Congressional District. Schiff received 59.5% of the vote in the primary. Early led a field of seven challengers against Schiff in the primary but managed to draw only 12.5% of the vote.
In the state Assembly, Assemblyman Richard Bloom, a Democrat, is facing another Democrat will Hess in the 50th Assembly District. Bloom won in the March primary with 78% of the vote to Hess’ 14%.
County Registrar of Voters Dean Logan encouraged voters to taking advantage of early voting opportunities or vote-by-mail options to avoid the long lines that developed on Election Day in March, when some polling places had to stay open more than two hours after the 8 p.m. closing time because of long lines of voters still waiting to cast their votes.
In response to those long lines, the county, for the first time ever, mailed absentee ballots to all registered voters.
