Turnout Low, Except in Candidates’ Strongholds

Voter participation in last week’s mayoral election sank to its lowest level in 16 years, but some areas of the city saw a more robust turnout.

Up to 45% of voters went to their polling places in strongholds of the major candidates.

San Pedro, where Mayor James K. Hahn lives, had a larger-than-average turnout, as did Boyle Heights, where Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa enjoys strong support. And in some areas of the San Fernando Valley, voters showed up to back hometown candidates: former Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg, a lawyer from Sherman Oaks, and state Sen. Richard Alarcon (D-Sun Valley). But overall turnout at the polls was just 20%; absentee ballots brought the total to 26%.

Villaraigosa, who finished first, and Hahn, who was second, will compete in a runoff May 17.

Turnout was also stronger in Westchester and other communities in the 11th Council District, where three candidates vied for the seat being vacated by Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski. Bill Rosendahl, best known as the host of a public affairs talk show, and Flora Gil Krisiloff, a Brentwood community activist, made it to the runoff.

But even with strong showings in some precincts, overall voter turnout was weak, in part because the election came just four months after the presidential contest, and the campaign dragged out for weeks, failing to capture the public’s imagination.

“This jaundiced view is not new among voters,” said Jaime Regalado, executive director of the Edmund G. “Pat” Brown Institute of Public Affairs at Cal State L.A. “They’re not believing politicians -- especially in a term-limited era.”

Historically, turnout in Los Angeles has peaked in particularly galvanizing elections. In 1969, when Tom Bradley first challenged Mayor Sam Yorty, unsuccessfully, 66% of voters cast ballots. Four years later, the fiery rematch between the two drew 57% of voters. Both advanced to a runoff, which Bradley won, becoming the city’s first African American mayor.

In contrast, only 24% of voters participated in the 1989 mayoral election involving Bradley, Councilman Nate Holden and nine others. Holden, the best-known challenger, started late and had trouble raising money, allowing Bradley to squeak to a fifth term without a runoff.