Tuesday’s preliminary results indicated that incumbent Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the 5th District, which includes the Santa Clarita Valley, was well on her way to keeping her seat.
In 2016, Barger had only one opponent — Darrell Park. This year, she’s up against Park for the second time, as well as John Harabedian, who currently serves as the mayor of the city of Sierra Madre, which is also in the 5th District.
As mail-in votes were tallied Tuesday evening, Barger led the race with 90,234 votes, or 61.39%, while Harabedian had 30,444 votes, or 20.71%, and Park was in third with 26,318 votes, or 17.90%.
On election night, Barger gathered with supporters in Pasadena to thank them for their work and watch the results together.
“It is early, but the results are promising at this point,” Barger said via text message. “I am grateful to the voters of Los Angeles County, 5th District, for providing me with what looks like a very promising night. I also congratulate my opponents for stepping into the arena and reminding voters that we live in a world of choices and government that serves the people.”
Voters also had the opportunity to weigh in on two county measures during the primary: Measure R and Measure FD.
According to Ballotpedia, Measure R would do two things:
- Expand the power of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission, giving them the power to subpoena witnesses and documents relevant to citizens’ or inmates’ complaints.
- Require the sheriff’s commission to build a comprehensive plan that would be presented to the Board of Supervisors to find strategies to reduce the county’s jail population and find alternatives to incarceration through mental health treatment.
Mail-in votes showed that Measure R was leaning toward passage with 420,370 votes, or 69.98%, “yes,” and 180,347 votes, or 30.02%, “no.”
Measure FD is a parcel tax measure concerning the Los Angeles County Fire District. The measure was placed on the ballot by the Board of Supervisors and proceeds of the parcel tax would go directly to the L.A. County Fire Department to fund fire protection.
This would add a parcel tax of 6 cents per square foot on properties with a cap of 100,000 square feet, which would add approximately $90 a year to a typical homeowner’s property tax bill, according to Ballotpedia.
This measure appeared headed toward failure, as it requires a two-thirds voter approval to pass. Preliminary results from mail-in ballots totaled 117,240 votes, or 50.57%, toward “yes,” and 114,617 votes, or 49.43%, “no.”
In the race for district attorney, incumbent Jackie Lacey took an early lead in front of her top challenger George Gascon, the former San Francisco district attorney, as well as former public defender Rachel Rossi.
Preliminary mail-in results showed Lacey in the lead with 317,474 votes, or 53.93%, Gascon in second with 146,780 votes, or 24.93%, and Rossi trailing in third with 124,466 votes, or 21.14%.
