Ballots for the March primary election have now been processed and counted by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, showing that the city of La Cañada Flintridge registered a higher voter turnout than the rest of the county and nearby cities.
Out of 15,658 registered voters in LCF, 48% cast ballots in the election for City Council. Vote-by-mail ballots eclipsed the in-person option, with 6,322, an approximately 6-to-1 ratio. In-person votes totaled 1,132.
A total of 1,641,715 ballots were processed as of April 9, with 29% of eligible voters casting ballots in the county.
“I am heartened by the high voter turnout in LCF,” said City Manager Daniel Jordan. “Our residents are active, engaged and informed, and the high participation in the election reflects this community’s rich civic culture and a commitment to maintaining LCF’s high quality of life.”
Neighboring cities like Glendale had a 36% voter turnout for its City Council election, while Pasadena registered a 40% voter turnout. The city of San Marino, with a similar population as LCF, had a voter turnout of 38%.
In 2020, the city of LCF registered an even higher voter turnout in the Presidential Primary Election, with 54% casting ballots.
LCF Coordinating Council President Becky Gelhaar said it was great to hear that so many residents voted in the City Council election, after her group organized a public forum earlier this year for residents to get to know the candidates.
Council candidate Jeanne Hobson led the race from the beginning and ended with the highest total of votes from LCF residents, at 4,013. Incumbent Keith Eich followed in second with 3,775 votes and Stephanie Fossan finished third to secure the last available City Council seat with 3,490 votes.
Rick Gunter and Quemars Ahmed came in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
Voters also approved Measure LCF, which will increase the current sales tax of 9.5% to 10.25%, by a total of 3,955 votes — or 59.01%. A simple majority vote was required to pass the measure.
First published in the April 25 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
