Greuel Extends Her Lead Over Cardenas in 2nd District Race

Los Angeles City Council candidate Wendy Greuel is all but assured victory, her top advisors said Friday, after she extended her lead over Tony Cardenas to 329 votes with 1,000 ballots left to be counted.

The count of ballots not tallied on election day also showed the vote for Proposition Q, the city’s $600-million police bond measure, has edged up to 66.7%, just above the level needed for passage. But with 5,000 to 7,000 votes uncounted, both sides said it was still too close to call.

In the 2nd District council race, election officials on Friday had counted 2,030 absentee ballots, leaving about 1,000 absentee and provisional ballots--those handed in at polling places by voters whose names were not on the precinct’s voter rolls.

“I think it’s a virtual impossibility that anyone other than Wendy Greuel will be the next council member,” said Stephen Kaufman, Greuel’s campaign attorney.

Greuel, an executive with the entertainment firm DreamWorks SKG, said she is confident she will prevail. But she held off declaring victory Friday, saying she wants to see the tally Tuesday when most of the remaining votes are expected to be counted.

“I’m just delighted and excited to see the lead increase,” Greuel said. “I am very confident my lead will hold.”

Although county officials have not pinpointed the number of uncounted ballots that remain, Greuel campaign consultant John Shallman estimated Cardenas would have to win 70% of them to move into the lead. Fred Woocher, an attorney for Cardenas, put that figure at 60%.

“We are still hopeful,” Woocher said. “I would not say optimistic is the right word.”

Cardenas is not conceding the election, he added.

Woocher expected Greuel to gain some ground with Friday’s count of absentee ballots, because she won 58% of those mailed before election day. But he was surprised by the size of the lead she built.

“We had hoped to have done a little better,” Woocher said. “We think we can pick up a few hundred votes. Can we pick up that many? I don’t know.”

It is too early to write off the election, Woocher said. Also, he said, there have been some allegations of irregularities, including late poll openings, that could affect the outcome.

Cardenas has not ruled out asking for a recount if the final tally is close.

Greuel said she continued to talk to community leaders in the east San Fernando Valley district Friday as part of preparations to assume office.

Greuel and Cardenas spent a combined $1.7 million before Tuesday’s election for the seat, which was vacated when Joel Wachs resigned in October to head an arts foundation in New York City. An election night count of 26,393 votes had Greuel leading by 55 votes with about 3,000 absentee and provisional ballots left to be counted.

Proposition Q received 66.61% of the votes counted on election night, just short of the 66.66% needed for passage. On Friday, the county registrar counted 19,184 absentee ballots, bringing the measure 121 votes over the two-thirds vote threshold, Deputy City Clerk Frank Martinez said.

Chief Deputy Registrar-Recorder Kristin Heffron said there are thousands of uncounted ballots for Los Angeles, perhaps 5,000 or more. “I think it’s very up in the air. It’s too close to call,” she said.

Council President Alex Padilla, who headed the campaign favoring the measure, said the latest tally was encouraging. But Richard Close, chairman of Valley VOTE, who headed a group of secessionists and taxpayer activists in opposing Proposition Q, called the tally disappointing.

The bond measure would provide $600 million for new police and fire facilities, as well as replacement of the Hollenbeck, Harbor, Rampart and West Valley police stations.