First published in the Nov. 17 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
As votes continued to be tallied from the General Municipal Election that closed on Nov. 8, the race for three seats on the La Cañada Unified School District’s Governing Board appears to be set, with incumbents Joe Radabaugh and Dan Jeffries securing their spots by solid margins and Octavia Thuss pulling ahead.
As of the Outlook Valley Sun’s press deadline on Wednesday, Radabaugh was winning with 4,049 votes, or 28.63%; Jeffries had 3,861 votes, or 27.30%; and Thuss was in a solid third place with 3,281 votes, or 23.20%. Debra Barsom had tallied 2,953 votes, with 20.88%.
Though the percentages will likely change as ballots continue to trickle in, the numbers are seen trending for the same outcome.
According to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s office, about 33.63% of eligible residents voted in the Nov. 8 election. L.A. County officials will continue to provide General Election updates on Tuesdays and Fridays through Dec. 5.
Thuss, who appeared to have locked in her first position on the school board, expressed cautious optimism on Wednesday.
“While there are outstanding ballots, I remain optimistic in the final outcome and look forward to serving alongside the other board members and serving the community,” she said.
Meanwhile, Radabaugh, who is serving as the vice president of the school board and was leading all four candidates, expressed his gratitude to the community and his fellow running mates.
“I’m thankful! First, thankful to Dan, Deb and Octavia for running this cycle with such passion and integrity,” he said. “It’s not easy putting oneself out there so publicly in a small town, but I’ve learned firsthand that doing so really benefits the community. Elections are a great opportunity for the community to raise and engage in important issues that inevitably get worked on afterwards.
“I’m extremely thankful and honored with the wonderful level of support we received, and I promise to work hard to validate it.”
Currently serving as Governing Board president, Jeffries noted that campaigning door-to-door during the election campaign brought a new appreciation for the level of support the community has for the school district.
“Our community has been kind, gracious, friendly and very supportive of our schools,” he said, speaking of all families, even those with kids not yet in schools, those in private schools, or those with kids already graduated from the schools. “Our residents want what is best for our kids. They are passionate about education and well-versed in the issues facing our kids and our schools.
“Talking to our community door-to-door affirms what we already know: that this is a great community in which to live and raise our kids. I would like to thank our community for being so kind, caring, supportive and focused on our kids and their education. We are truly fortunate to live in such a great community.”
Los Angeles County, which has more than 9.8 million residents, reported updated results of 1,892,093 ballots processed as of Wednesday and counted with 33.63% of registered voters casting ballots.
According to the county, the initial results included ballots submitted by mail prior to Nov. 8, followed by those cast at a vote center between Oct. 29 and Nov. 7. Ballots cast on Election Day are currently being counted.
Though LCF voters did not have a say in the matter, the much-publicized contest between U.S. Rep. Karen Bass and businessman Rick Caruso for mayor of Los Angeles widened with the former pulling ahead. Bass so far has 52.55% of the vote and Caruso trails with 47.45%.
Though many votes are left to be counted in the midterm elections, the Associated Press named Gavin Newsom the winner of a second term as California governor with ease last week.
Another early victory was called for Alex Padilla, who became the first Latino to be elected to U.S. Senate, after being appointed to the role to replace former Sen. Kamala Harris, who was elected vice president two years ago.
California voters also approved Proposition 1, a measure that guarantees abortion rights in the state’s constitution.
Democrat Judy Chu is on her way to securing a win as the U.S. Representative in the 28th District, which includes La Cañada Flintridge, with 69.11% of the votes so far against Republican Wes Hallman.
Chris Holden holds a commanding lead over Republican Michael McMahon for member of the state assembly in the 41st district, with the Democrat accumulating 66.31% of the votes so far.
In the race for L.A. County Sheriff, Robert Luna has a significant early lead over incumbent Alex Villanueva with 60.01% of votes.
For more information and updates about the election, visit lavote.gov.
