Voting Is Close on Beverly Hills Tax Hike for Schools : Election: Results in many local races are delayed after fire forces extension of poll hours. Several political futures are at stake.

Scattered election returns showed the potential for another close vote in the latest effort to get Beverly Hills residents to raise their taxes to upgrade their schools.

The early returns showed a $77-million bond issue leading by slightly more than the 2-1 margin it needed to pass. As of late Tuesday night, most precincts had yet to be counted.

In other local races, early returns showed Lynwood City Councilwoman Evelyn Wells trailing in her bid to win reelection after being dogged by controversy throughout her campaign.

In the ABC Unified School district, where teachers recently staged their first strike ever, candidates who supported teachers in the labor dispute were leading in their effort take control of the school board.

Meanwhile, in the tiny rural community of La Habra Heights, a project that would transform a secluded canyon into a pricey country club was behind in early returns.

In all, nearly 100 local elections were held countywide Tuesday, and their outcomes were delayed because polls were kept open late in areas ravaged by fire. In most communities, voters were selecting school board members after quiet campaigns. But in a few cities, the campaigns turned bitter.

In Lynwood, voters were faced with a field of 18 City Council candidates running for three seats. But the focus was on the fate of incumbent Wells, whose husband was gunned down a day after he publicly accused her of having an affair with the then city manager.

Both Wells and the former city manager denied the accusations of an affair, and police said they were never suspects in the killing. Last week, a Compton jury found a former city employee guilty of the murder. Nonetheless, the scandal became racy campaign fodder and clouded Wells’ reelection prospects.

In the southeast corner of the county, meanwhile, some residents of La Habra Heights took to insulting each other in public meetings as Election Day drew near. The local ballot featured a measure that would allow a developer to build 150 homes--each priced around $1 million--and a private golf course on 540 acres of canyon land.

The measure divided residents over the future of their community. Foes of the project argued that it would jeopardize the area’s lifestyle and open space. But supporters contended that it was needed to maintain the city’s tax base.

In Beverly Hills, school officials were hoping they had finally persuaded voters to dig deeper into their pockets and approve a bond issue that would upgrade classrooms and other facilities at the community’s five schools. The bond measure, supported by the City Council, the Parent-Teacher Assn., the Chamber of Commerce and other groups, needed a two-thirds majority to pass.

Several previous tax proposals failed, including one in 1991 that would have levied a parcel tax on commercial and residential properties, producing money for the school district’s general fund instead of solely for capital improvements. One of the recent proposals fell a slim five votes short of the needed two-thirds majority.

Teachers in the ABC Unified School District, which includes Cerritos, Artesia and Hawaiian Gardens, hoped to throw out a board majority that approved a pay cut for teachers last month. The board action prompted teachers to begin a 11-day walkout that ended today.

In the small San Gabriel Valley community of Bradbury, voters were to decide whether to recall Mayor Audrey Hon and Councilman Tom Melbourn, who have been labeled irresponsible by critics.

Residents initiated recall drives this year after former City Manager Aurora (Dolly) Vollaire was fired for spending more than $80,000 in city money on personal expenses, many of them luxury items. The council routinely approved payments to the city credit card, petty cash and other accounts that covered purchases Hon had made for items that included fine china and designer sunglasses.

The district attorney’s office is continuing an investigation into Vollaire’s spending.

Last week, both Hon and Melbourn sent letters to their constituents saying they had served their districts well.

Times staff writer Lee Romney and correspondent Kathleen Kelleher contributed to this story.