Los Angeles Community College District trustee Sydney Kamlager was the early leader in Tuesday’s special election to fill the 54th District Assembly seat left open when Sebastian Ridley-Thomas resigned due to health reasons.
Kamlager had 64.82 percent of the vote with four of 242 precincts reporting and vote-by-mail ballots counted, according to figures released by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.
Small business owner Glen Ratcliff, the lone Republican in the field of four, was second with 15.76 percent of the vote.
If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote-getters will advance to a June 5 general election.
The 54th District includes Culver City, West Los Angeles, Westwood, Ladera Heights, Mar Vista and Windsor Hills.
Kamlager is also a district director for Sen. Holly Mitchell, D-Los Angeles, and a member of the county Commission on Children and Families.
Ridley-Thomas, a son of county Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, announced his resignation in December, saying he had just undergone his fifth surgery of the year and was facing “persistent health issues.”