Council OKs Feb. 3 Special Election to Fill Finn’s Seat in 1st District
A special election to pick a successor to the late Councilman Howard Finn will be held Feb. 3, the Los Angeles City Council tentatively decided Wednesday, over the objections of members who said an April election would be far less costly.
Finn, who represented the 1st District when it was centered in the East San Fernando Valley, died Aug. 12 of a ruptured aorta. Since his death, the district lines have been moved to encompass a predominantly Latino area north and east of downtown.
Council members Joel Wachs and Ernani Bernardi argued that setting the election in April on the same day as the regularly scheduled city election would save $125,000, a figure supplied by City Clerk Elias Martinez. Bernardi also contended that the additional two months of campaigning would allow lesser known candidates to get better acquainted with voters.
But with little additional debate, the council voted 8 to 4 to set the election Feb. 3. A final vote will be held next week.
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