Wave 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, South Los Angeles voters will be electing a city councilman in District 10 and a new county supervisor in the 2nd District in addition to representatives in the state capital in Sacramento and in Congress in Washington, D.C.
The 2nd District of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has a population of nearly 2 million people and its 162 square miles includes much of South L.A. The election pits two established politicians against each other: L.A. City Councilman Herb Wesson and state Sen. Holly Mitchell. The winner will take termed-out Mark Ridley-Thomas’s seat, who is campaigning to return to the L.A. City Council after an 18-year absence.
Wesson has represented City Council District 10, which often overlaps the county’s 2nd District, since 2005 and served as council president from 2012 through January. Like Ridley-Thomas, he has termed out of his seat. Should both men win, they will essentially swap places.
Ridley-Thomas faces off against attorney and activist Grace Yoo, the former executive director of the Korean American Coalition-Los Angeles, for Wesson’s District 10 Council seat.
In four area congressional races, Democratic incumbents are favored to be reelected.
In the 37th Congressional District, Karen Bass will face Republican Errol Webber, a documentary film producer from Los Angeles in a district that includes South Los Angeles, Culver City and parts of Los Angeles.
In the 40th Congressional District, longtime Democratic incumbent Lucille Roybal-Allard will face Democrat David Sanchez, an educator and author from Huntington Park in a district that includes East Los Angeles, Huntington Park, Downey, Bellflower, Bell, Bell Gardens, Cudahy, Maywood and part of South Los Angeles.
In the 43rd Congressional District, Democrat incumbent Maxine Waters faces Joe. E. Collins, a retired U.S. Navy veteran. The district includes part of South Los Angeles, Inglewood, Gardena, Hawthorne and Lawndale.
In the 44th Congressional District, Democrat Nanette Barragan will be seeking a second term against another Democrat, Analilia Joya, a teacher and disability advocate from Torrance. The district includes Compton, Lynwood, Carson and San Pedro.
In the State Senate, Democratic incumbent Steven Bradford will face Anthony Perry of the American Independent Party in the 35th state Senate District. The district includes Carson, Compton, Gardena, Hawthorne, Lawndale, most on Inglewood, Watts and San Pedro,
In the 54th Assembly District, Democratic incumbent Sydney Kamlager will face Democrat Tracy Jones in the district that includes Culver City, Baldwin Hills, Ladera Heights, Leimert Park and parts of west Los Angeles.
In the 59th Assembly District, Democratic incumbent Reggie Jones-Sawyer faces Efren Martinez, a public policy commissioner from Huntington Park. The district includes Huntington Park and South Los Angeles.
In the 62nd District race, Democratic incumbent Autumn Burke faces Republican Robert Steele, a business owner from Culver City. The district includes Hawthorne, Inglewood, Gardena and part of South Los Angeles.
In the 64th Assembly District, Democrat incumbent Mike Gipson faces fellow Democrat Fatima Iqbal-Zubair, public school teacher of Carson, in November. Gipson received 68.92% of the vote to Iqbal-Zubair’s 31.08% in the district includes Compton, Carson, Willowbrook and parts of South Los Angeles.
Another race of interest is the battle for Los Angeles County district attorney.
Two-term incumbent Jackie Lacey is facing George Gascon, a former Los Angeles police officer who later served as San Francisco police chief and was appointed district attorney in San Francisco to replace Kamala Harris after she was elected to the Senate.
Lacey has been criticized for her failure to prosecute any police officers or sheriff’s deputies involved in civilian shootings since she took office in 2012.
Contributing writer Juliet Bennett Rylah contributed to this story.