Alatorre Seat in Assembly Up for Grabs

Assemblyman Richard Alatorre’s election Tuesday night to the Los Angeles City Council will set in motion an obscure state Elections Code section to choose a successor for his seat in the Legislature.

Melissa Warren, a spokeswoman for Secretary of State March Fong Eu, said the time the process will take depends on when Alatorre decides to resign from the Assembly and when Gov. George Deukmejian calls a special election to fill the vacancy.

Alatorre said Wednesday that he will not vacate his Assembly post until he is certified by election officials as the winner of Tuesday’s City Council special election. That could take up to two weeks, according to City Clerk Elias Martinez.

Within 14 days after Alatorre resigns, the state Elections Code requires Deukmejian to set the date for a special election in the 55th Assembly District to fill the seat.

Warren said the governor has two choices:

- He can call the special election between 112 and 119 days after the Assembly seat becomes vacant.

- He can consolidate the special election with the scheduled June 3 state primary election.

The names of all candidates vying for the seat will appear on the special primary ballot and be identified by party registration. A candidate receiving a majority of the votes cast in the primary would win outright election.

If no one receives a majority, the top vote-getter of each political party represented in the primary would compete in a runoff eight weeks later, Warren said.