The votes are still being counted, but as of the morning of Monday, Nov. 21, results.lavote.gov states that the majority of the votes are in and Dan O’Brien is still comfortably in first place with 25.04 percent of the votes.
Freddy Puza is in second place with 22.96 percent and looks likely to take the other council seat unless the final votes swing heavily towards current Council Member Alex Fisch. Puza currently has a 282 vote lead over Fisch.
Either way, it looks like there will be at least two progressives on the new City Council, with Council Member Yasmine-Imani McMorrin joined by Puza or Fisch. In fourth place is Denice Renteria, over 500 votes behind Puza.
Measure VY, to allow residents aged 16 and 17 to vote, is amazingly tight. “No” currently has a 12 vote lead over yes, again with the majority of votes cast. Whether 12 votes would warrant a recount remains to be seen.
Measure BL, to increase business taxes, is far more clear cut. “Yes” has 60.92 percent of the vote.
Regarding the School Board, where there are three seats available, Brian Guerrero, Triston Ezidore and Stephanie Loredo all have over 16 percent of the vote and look likely to take a seat.
At 19-years-old, Ezidore becomes the youngest public official in the history of Los Angeles County, and the first black male to serve on the Board.
“I didn’t enter this race to make history, I entered this race to make change,” Ezidore said in a statement. “But the historical context of this election is not lost on me. What we offered on November’s ballot was more than a vision, it was a promise to the students, faculty, and staff of Culver City Unified – a commitment to address our hardest challenges. From every corner of the community, Culver City has spoken: change can’t wait. We are eager and ready to meet this moment.”
The results are still not final at the time of writing, and the CCN will provide further information as it becomes available.