Democrat has narrow lead in 45th Assembly District
Encino Democrat Matt Dababneh on Tuesday held a narrow lead over Republican Susan Shelley of Woodland Hills in a special election for a state Assembly seat vacated earlier this year when Bob Blumenfield left the lower house to join the Los Angeles City Council.
With all precincts reporting, Dababneh had 50.3% of the election night tally to Shelley’s 49.7%.
The Democrat held just a 173-vote lead in a contest where 26,445 ballots were counted on election night, meaning the final outcome could rest on the tallying of 2,841 provisional and other ballots remaining to be counted.
If Dababneh holds on and wins, it would mean Democrats would regain a supermajority in the state Assembly. Democrats already have a two-thirds majority in the Senate, so a win in the Assembly would give them power to approve tax increases without Republican support and override vetoes by the governor.
Dababneh is a 32-year-old chief deputy to U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman. Shelley, 54, is an author and publisher.
The 45th Assembly District includes Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Northridge, Winnetka and Woodland Hills in Los Angeles County and Bell Canyon in Ventura County. Democrats make up 48.89% of the registered voters in the district, while Republicans account for 25.35% of voters.
ALSO:
Brown vetoes gun-control bills
California’s alternative-energy program under scrutiny
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
