Ahead of final certified vote counts in Los Angeles County, Kelvin Driscoll conceded his Santa Clarita City Council race against Jason Gibbs Wednesday, paving the way for Gibbs to join the dais with top vote-getter and incumbent Mayor Cameron Smyth.
Gibbs, who had earned 16.18% (28,760) of the vote as of Thursday, thanked Driscoll and said that as the “incoming city councilman,” he would continue to “honor, support, and now, represent everyone in Santa Clarita.”
There were a total of nine candidates vying for two seats on the council, and Smyth, Gibbs and Driscoll led the field starting with the earliest returns on Nov. 3.
Gibbs, who was unavailable for comment Thursday, said in a statement posted on social media: “Thank you to the other candidates who put themselves out there and shared a message of progress and love for Santa Clarita without partisan divide and personal attacks. We can, and we will, have differences of opinions. But, we would be better off to remember that at our most basic level, we all want, and deserve, freedom, respect and understanding.”
Driscoll, who first fell behind Smyth on election night, had received 14.47% (25,725) of the vote as of the most recent results released by L.A. County. He congratulated Gibbs and Smyth and thanked his supporters in a prepared statement.
“While this is not the outcome that so many worked so hard for, I am extremely proud of this campaign and those that powered it,” he said. “We love this city, and as we continue working toward meaningful change, know that we’re rooting for our collective success.”
In the 25th Congressional District, incumbent Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, continued to lead Thursday by a slim margin against challenger Assemblywoman Christy Smith, D-Santa Clarita, following an updated tally by Ventura County. Garcia’s total rose to 165,435 while Smith had 165,216, increasing Garcia’s lead to 219 votes and a razor-thin 50.03% to 49.97%.
The 25th District is one of two races affecting the Santa Clarita Valley where results from counties other than Los Angeles County come into play. The congressional district includes a portion of Ventura County, and the state’s 21st Senate District includes part of San Bernardino County. In that race, incumbent Sen. Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, led Democratic challenger Kip Mueller by 5,305 votes as of Thursday afternoon, 50.7% to 49.3%.
On Thursday, only Ventura and San Bernardino counties provided vote count updates. Los Angeles County is expected to update its figures Friday.
Breakdown of additional races; state and congressional races according to California Secretary of State and local races according to L.A. County, unless otherwise indicated:
25th Congressional District
Christy Smith (D): 49.97%, 165,216.
Mike Garcia (R, incumbent): 50.03%, 165,435.
21st Senate District:
Scott Wilk (R, incumbent): 50.7%, 187,872.
Kipp Muller (D): 49.3%, 182,567.
27th Senate District
Henry Stern (D, incumbent): 60.2%, 280,287.
Houman Salem (R): 39.7%, 184,818.
36th Assembly District
Tom Lackey (R, incumbent): 54.6%, 94,056.
Steve Fox (D): 45.4%, 78,286.
38th Assembly District
Suzette Valladares (R): 76.1%, 146,391.
Lucie Volotzky (R): 23.8%, 45,963.
City Council (top two of nine candidates win)
Cameron Smyth: 31.28%, 55,599.
Jason Gibbs: 16.18%, 28,760.
Kelvin Driscoll: 14.47%, 25,725.
Chris Werthe: 11.14%. 19,795.
TimBen Boydston: 9.75%, 17,324.
Aakash Ahuja: 7.79%, 13,846.
Selina Thomas: 7.41%, 13,166.
Kenneth Dean: 1.51%, 2,677.
Douglas Fraser: 0.47%, 839.
SCV Water Agency (top two in each division win)
Division 1
- Gary Martin (incumbent): 33.02%, 18,789.
- Beth Braunstein: 26.88%, 15,293.
- Karla Waymire: 20.96%, 11,928.
- Christine Okamoto: 19.14%, 10,893.
Division 2
- Ed Colley (incumbent): 33.93%, 22,137.
- Piotr Orzechowski: 30.49%, 19,890.
- Valerie Bradford: 19.04%, 12,422.
- Anna Kumar: 16.54%, 10,787.
Division 3
- BJ Atkins (incumbent): 28.60%, 16,553.
- Kathye Armitage: 24.30%, 14,063.
- Maria Gutzeit (incumbent): 24.05%, 13,919.
- Stacy Fortner: 23.04%, 13,334.
SCV school boards
William S. Hart Union High School District
Trustee Area No. 1
- Linda Storli (incumbent): 45.75%, 9,950.
- Alyssa Williams: 35.22%, 7,659.
- Gordon Kirkpatrick: 19.03%, 4,139.
Trustee Area No. 4
- James Webb: 55.34%, 13,842.
- Steve Sturgeon (Incumbent): 44.66%, 11,171.
Saugus Union School District
Trustee Area No. 3
- Katherine Cooper: 51.67%, 4,649.
- Christian Gadbois: 48.33%, 4,349.
Trustee Area No. 4
- Matthew Watson: 64.21%, 7,160.
- Sage Rafferty: 35.79%, 3,991.
College of the Canyons
Trustee Area No. 2
- Edel Alonso (incumbent): 59.20%, 13,696.
- Tony Watson: 40.80%, 9,438.
Trustee Area No. 3
- Sebastian Cazares: 52.02%. 13,294.
- Fred Arnold: 47.98%, 12,260.
Trustee Area No. 4
- Michelle Jenkins (incumbent): 50.50%, 13,043.
- Jerry Danielsen: 49.50%, 12,784.
L.A. County Measure J
- Yes: 57.05%, 2.10 million.
- No: 42.95%, 1.58 million.
