ELECTIONS 6TH COUNCIL DISTRICT : Vote Results Show Galanter’s Dominance

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter thoroughly dominated challenger Mary Lee Gray in nearly every corner of the 6th District, a voting breakdown of last week’s election shows.

Galanter defeated Gray in 182 of 188 precincts, in some cases by margins of as much as 6 to 1, according to figures from the city clerk’s office.

The incumbent councilwoman took nearly 70% of the vote districtwide to win a second term.

Gray, an aide to Los Angeles County Supervisor Deane Dana, won majorities in five precincts between Stocker Street and La Brea Avenue in Baldwin Hills. She also won a single Venice precinct--getting three votes more than Galanter in a beachside ward south of Washington Boulevard.

“It shows that people felt that (Galanter) had done a good job, even though there is basically an anti-incumbent sentiment in the populace right now,” said Galanter spokesman Rick Ruiz.

Gray campaign manager Wendy Warfield said the candidate’s strategy had hinged on combining a strong showing in the Westchester community with a majority in the Crenshaw-Baldwin Hills area. But neither half of that formula brought victory for Gray.

Gray expected to benefit from Republican Party registration in Westchester, where more than 45% of the voters are registered Republicans. She also expected that the endorsement she received from Salvatore Grammatico, a homeowner activist who finished third in the April primary for the council seat, would help her carry several Westchester precincts.

Westchester voters, however, backed Galanter by a more than 2-1 margin.

Warfield said on Election Day that she hoped Gray, who is black, would have “strong voter appeal” in the majority-black Crenshaw-Baldwin Hills area. Gray did run stronger in the area, but she still lost in all but five of the community’s 69 precincts.

The challenger blamed her poor showing principally on Galanter’s large fund-raising advantage.

Galanter collected $300,654 in cash donations from July of last year through May 18. Combined with the $70,899 she had on hand at the beginning of the campaign, that gave her a more than 4-1 advantage over Gray, who brought in $84,150 in cash.

The funding disparity became clear in voter mail toward the end of the campaign. Galanter bombarded voters districtwide with glossy mailers striking out at her opponent, while Gray sent out simpler brochures that went to just a few parts of the district.