Along with all the other seats Los Angeles County voters were voting on by Tuesday’s March 5 election, they were considering state Senate seats.
Like all seats above the municipal level, the top two vote-getters, regardless of party preference, in each race for state Senate will move on to the November general election for the right to represent vast districts across L.A. County.
Each state Senate district represents roughly close to a million people. The state Senate itself — the “Upper house” at the state Capitol in Sacramento — is comprised of 40 members, each elected to 4-year terms.
See the latest election results after 8 p.m.
In L.A. County, races garnered more interest this year because longtime incumbents were seeking higher office. That opened up the seats to an array of new candidates. So, two L.A. County seats are guaranteed a fresh face come November.
The Secretary of State released the first round of early mail-in votes, consistently of vote-by-mail ballots received before Election Day, shortly after polls closed at 8 p.m. Subsequent waves of results will include of ballots cast at vote centers and in drop boxes. The results are unofficial until April 12.
Here is where the race’s stood as of 11:15 p.m. Tuesday.
District 23
Republican Suzette Martinez Valladares was leading with 31.3% of the vote in the race to represent an area spanning from L.A. County’s Santa Clarita and Palmdale to San Bernardino County’s Victor Valleys. Democrat Kipp Mueller was in second with 29.7%.
Republican James Hamburger followed in third place with 23.4%. Trailing was Democrat Blanca Gomez, with 10.5%; and Ollie M. McCaulley, a Democrat, had 5.1%.
District 25
Elizabeth Wong Ahlers, a Crescenta Valley Town Council member, had 37.5% of the vote; Democrat Sasha Renee Perez, vice mayor of Alhambra, had 28.5%, followed by Democrat Yvonne Yiu, a city councilmember for Monterey Park, at 19.3%; Democrat Sandra Armenta, a Rosemead city councilmember, had 9.8%; and Democrat Teddy Choi, a professor and insurance agent in Pasadena, had 4.8%.
The seat spans Sunland-Tujunga, Glendale, Pasadena, Altadena, Atwater Village, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, South Pasadena, San Marino, Sierra Madre, Monrovia, Duarte, Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Claremont, San Antonio Heights and Upland, plus most of Burbank. Assemblymember Anthony Portantino, D-Burbank, has held the seat in the 25th District since 2016. As his term comes to an end, Portantino is running for Congress.
District 27
Incumbent state Sen. Henry Stern, D-Woodland Hills, led in the race to represent a seat that spans from southwest San Fernando Valley into Agoura, Malibu, Moorpark and Simi Valley. Stern had 44.9% of the vote. He was trailed by Republican challenger Lucie Volotzky, a business owner, at 37.2%; Susan A. Collins, a Democrat, trailed with 17.9% of the vote.
District 33
Democratic incumbent Lena Gonzalez was leading with 64.5% of the vote, followed by Republican Mario Paz, 19.1%; and Republican Sharifah Hardie at 16.4%.
The seat includes most of Long Beach and moves into southeast L.A. cities, including Lynwood,Vernon, Huntington Park, Bell and South Gate. This area is heavily populated with historic neighborhoods and industry.
District 35
Democrat Laura Richardson was off to an early lead in the race to fill the South L.A. County being vacated by state Sen. Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, who is being termed out. In early results, Richardson had garnered 28.4% of the vote, followed by Michelle Chambers, with 23.5%. Republican James Arlandus Spencer, 18.1%; Democrat Albert Robles, 9.6%; Democrat Alex Monteiro, 6.2%; Jennifer Trichelle-Marie Williams, a Democrat, 5.2%; Nilo Vega Michelin, 4.7%; and Democrat Lamar Lyons, 4.2%.
Please check back for updated results.