Ridley-Thomas wins special election for Assembly seat
SACRAMENTO – Bolstered by help from his powerful father, City Council aide Sebastian Ridley-Thomas beat two fellow Democratic candidates in a special primary election Tuesday for a Los Angeles-area seat in the state Assembly.
The vote tally on election night gave Ridley-Thomas 60% of the vote, well beyond the simple majority needed to avoid a Feb. 4 runnoff with former Culver City Mayor Christopher R. Armenta, who finished second with 36% of the vote. The third-place finisher, with 4% of the vote, was John Jake, president of the Olympic Park Neighborhood Council.
If the results hold after the counting of hundreds of provisional ballots, Ridley-Thomas would fill the vacancy left when former Assemblywoman Holly Mitchell won election to the state Senate in September.
“The people of the 54th Assembly District have spoken with their ballots,” Ridley-Thomas said in a victory speech to 200 supporters at an election night party in the Crenshaw District. “They want jobs. They want quality education for their children. They want access to affordable healthcare. They elected me to deliver results on those important issues. Tonight, I tell the people of the 54th Assembly District… I will deliver.”
Ridley-Thomas, 26, had help in the campaign from his father, Mark Ridley-Thomas, a former state senator who is a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
The candidate was able to raise more than $600,000 for his campaign, outspending Armenta, who raised less than $80,000, and Jake, who brought in less than $10,000. Ridley-Thomas also had endorsements from Gov. Jerry Brown, Mitchell and City Councilman Curren Price, for whom he works as an aide.
The 54th Assembly District includes all or portions of Baldwin Hills, Century City, Crenshaw, Culver City, Inglewood, Jefferson Park, Ladera Heights, Leimert Park, Mar Vista, Mid City, View Park-Windsor Hills, West Los Angeles and Westwood.
Ridley-Thomas has worked for more than four years for Price, mostly as a legislative aide when Price was a state senator. Armenta, 49, is an accountant. Jake, 47, is a real estate broker.
ALSO:
Skelton: Overspending isn’t California’s problem
Battle flares over 38-year-old medical malpractice law
Californians want water issues fixed but not enough to pay for it
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.
