Final results released confirmed that community activist Wendy Carrillo and nonprofit healthcare director Luis Lopez will square off in a Dec. 5 runoff for the 51st Assembly District seat.
Carrillo and Lopez topped a 13-candidate field in the Oct. 3 special election, with Carrillo receiving 5,058 votes, 22.2 percent, and Lopez 4,243, 18.6 percent, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Thursday.
A runoff is required since no candidate earned more than 50 percent of the vote.
Mike Fong, a member of the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees, finished in third place with 3,675 votes, 16.1 percent. No other candidate received more than 2,400 votes.
Final voter turnout for the special election was 10.4 percent. The county Board of Supervisors is expected to declare the results official on Tuesday.
“I believe that my work to create爃igh-wage jobs, ensure access to quality health care, education and affordable housing爎esonated with people,” Carrillo told City News Service.
There was no immediate response to an email sent to the Lopez campaign.
The special election was prompted by then-Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez’s election to Congress in a special election June 6.
The district includes Echo Park, Chinatown, Glassell Park, Montecito Heights, Monterey Hills, El Sereno, Highland Park, Mount Washington, Lincoln Heights, City Terrace, Eagle Rock, East Los Angeles and a portion of Silver Lake.
—City News Service