Long Beach Recount Takes Council Seat From Latino

A recount in the Long Beach City Council election has given an apparent loser, Mike Donelon, a one-vote victory over one of the first two Latino candidates ever chosen for the council.

Tonia Reyes Uranga was ahead by seven votes entering the recount. But after the city clerk’s office counted the ballots by hand, Donelon was ahead, 2,932 to 2,931.

“I’m in shock, floored really,” said Donelon, a contractor. “Never in our wildest dreams did we expect to turn the election around.”

If Uranga’s lead had held, she would have joined Jenny Oropeza as the first Latinos elected to the nine-member council.

“For the people who say ‘My vote doesn’t count,’ well, this shoots that theory all to hell,” Donelon said.

Councilman Alan S. Lowenthal said some uncounted ballots were found stuck to the bottom of the box for the last precinct opened Thursday.

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Uranga, a community activist and former president of the Long Beach Children’s Museum, was not available for comment. However, earlier this week she called Donelon’s request for a recount reasonable. “It’s close enough to where I would probably want to if I were in his shoes,” she said.

Deputy City Clerk Bill Joder said the new results are scheduled to be certified Tuesday by the City Council. Under election rules, he said, Uranga cannot ask the city for another tally but could pursue legal action to have a judge double-check questionable ballots.

After the council certified the election last week, declaring Uranga the victor by a margin of 2,926 to 2,919, Donelon asked for a recount by hand. The votes originally were tallied by machine.

Donelon said at the time he was not optimistic about the outcome, but his supporters urged him to seek a recount.

Uranga and Donelon were vying for the 7th District council seat vacated by Councilman Ray Grabinski to run for mayor. The district covers areas of central and west Long Beach.

Grabinski lost to Beverly O’Neill, former president of Long Beach City College, in the campaign for mayor.