Los Angeles City Council President Emeritus and former California State Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson’s decisive election night victory demonstrates his widespread appeal in LA County and positions him well for a win in November. As votes were counted Wesson took the lead early and never looked back—increasing his margin. Wesson leads by over 10,000 votes against his nearest competitor. Wesson put together one of the broadest coalitions of support in local election history with endorsements from business groups, labor unions, environmental leaders, local elected officials, police and fire, classroom teachers, the Democratic Party, businessman Ervin “Magic” Johnson, US Congresswoman Maxine Waters and mayors of nearly every city in the 2nd district, including Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.
In response to the election results, Herb Wesson released the following statement:
“I am proud of our election results and the positive, grassroots campaign we ran in every neighborhood in the 2nd District. As I said from the outset, this election is NOT about who I am running AGAINST, it is who I am running FOR – our most vulnerable, our seniors, our children, our veterans and especially our homeless. They deserve our singular focus to put a roof over their heads and food on their table and to get them the treatment necessary for a chance to live with dignity again. This electoral victory represents the first step in my plan to end the homelessness and housing affordability crisis in Los Angeles County. Together, I know that we will be able to build a greater Los Angeles for our children and grandchildren – a Los Angeles where housing is affordable, healthcare is accessible to all, our youth have the tools they need to succeed and we are able to spend more time with our families and less time sitting in traffic.
“I must also take a moment to address last night’s debacle at voting centers across LA County where thousands were forced to wait for hours to vote. It is unacceptable that we spent upwards of $300 million on a system that suppressed voters within our own county. That’s money we could have spent on mental health treatment, housing, traffic improvements or youth programs. Our elections are sacred. Our vote is our voice. We have eight months to get this right. It’s time to hold our election officials accountable and demand answers and a plan to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
