Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath was preparing Wednesday for a second term after easily outpacing three challengers for her seat, while state Sen. Maria Elena Durazo appeared headed to victory in the race for the board seat being vacated by termed-out Supervisor Hilda Solis.
Five candidates were vying in Tuesday’s election to replace Solis, but Durazo was the most notable candidate on the list of people looking to represent the First District, which includes areas such as Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles, downtown and the San Gabriel Valley. A longtime union and labor leader, Durazo previously served as secretary-treasurer of the powerful Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. She also served on the city of Los Angeles Airport Commission.
With votes still being counted, Durazo had 106,664 votes, or 56.6%, as of Wednesday evening. If she maintains more than 50% of the vote when all ballots are counted, she will win the seat outright without the need for a November runoff. It’s unclear how many ballots from the district still remain to be counted.
“This campaign was powered by working people and small business owners who believe LA County can do better,” Durazo said in a statement late Tuesday night. “In the state Senate I fought for fair wages and health care. As your county supervisor, I will renew that work with urgency, compassion and a promise to make this government serve its people.”
Elaine Alaniz, a disaster recovery specialist who also serves on the Westlake North Neighborhood Council, was a distant second with 29, 133 votes, or 15.5%.
She wrote on her website that she has “built her life around helping people navigate crisis, rebuild stability and reconnect to opportunity.” She cited the fentanyl crisis and combating homelessness as among her top concerns.
David Argudo, a La Puente City Council member and lifelong county resident who served in the Marine Corps, was running third with 20,770 votes, or 11%. He said his campaign is focused on improving public safety, tackling homelessness, bolstering mental health services and ensuring transparency and accountability in county government. He said he wants to fix broken county policies and improve struggling programs for residents.
Noel Almario, a birth doula and advocate for maternal health, was a distant fourth and Annabella Figueroa Mazariegos, a county employee, was running last.
As of Wednesday afternoon’s latest tally, Horvath had 170,855 votes, or 63.1%, well above the threshold needed to avoid a runoff. It’s been nearly 50 years since a sitting member of the Board of Supervisors has lost a reelection bid.
Horvath, a former West Hollywood mayor, issued a statement claiming victory Tuesday evening.
“Voters have once again sent a clear message: results matter, accountability matters, and delivering real change matters,” she said. “I’m honored by the trust that voters have in our fight for a county that works for everyone, and I am grateful for every voter, volunteer, and supporter who made this victory possible. Angelenos expect their County government to tackle our toughest challenges with urgency and integrity, and public trust only comes through transparency and accountability.
“We will continue to deliver. Business as usual is over. Now, we get back to work.”
During her campaign, Horvath touted her work over the past four years to take on homelessness through creation of a county department to address the issue. She also pointed to her work on behalf of residents recovering from the Palisades Fire, her opposition to federal immigration raids and her work to usher through a county government overhaul, including a planned expansion of the Board of Supervisors.
Realtor Tonia Arey was a distant second with 50,340 votes, or 18.6%. She said she was motivated to join the race following the Palisades Fire, saying the recovery effort is moving too slowly, with no urgency from county government.
Carmenlina Minasyan, a doctor who said she has practiced medicine in countries including Russia, Saudi Arabia and Armenia, was far behind at 9.6%. She previously ran for the Los Angeles City Council and state Legislature.
Tomás Sidenfaden, a businessman and software engineer, was last in the race with 8.8%. He said he is focused on improving public safety, making the county more affordable, tackling homelessness and streamlining permitting processes to improve the availability of housing.
Meanwhile, Sheriff Robert Luna will be heading to a November runoff election, in which he’ll have a rematch with former Sheriff Alex Villanueva, whom Luna unseated four years ago.
The latest returns showed Luna with 546,184 votes, or 44.4%, and Villanueva with 296,512 votes, or 24.1%.
Also challenging Luna were former sheriff’s Sgt. Eric Strong, retired Capt. Mike Bornman, Sgt. Karla Carranza, former Assistant Sheriff Brendan Corbett, sheriff’s Lt. Oscar Martinez and detective André White.
County Assessor Jeffrey Prang won a second term during Tuesday’s election, defeating four challengers on the ballot: Stephen Adamus, a property assessment specialist; real estate appraiser Rob Newland, tax consultant Steven Palty, and deputy assessor Sandy Sun.