Krekorian wins seat on L.A. council

Assemblyman Paul Krekorian (D-Los Angeles) is on his way to the Los Angeles City Council after being elected by a double-digit margin Tuesday, a shift that has set the stage for what is expected to be a contentious special election to fill his Sacramento seat.

Krekorian earned 57% of the 19,170 votes cast, defeating former Paramount Pictures executive Christine Essel, who won more than 43% of the vote.

His win came despite record-setting spending in support of Essel, who was backed by more than $1.8 million, compared with the $746,653 spent on Krekorian’s behalf, according to the most recent financial disclosures from the Los Angeles Ethics Commission.

“This was a bittersweet victory,” Krekorian said in a statement. “Yesterday, our coalition of neighborhood leaders from throughout [Council District 2] defeated the moneyed special interests and sent a message to Los Angeles that elections cannot be bought and sold by powerful insiders.”

Campaign spending from outside groups on behalf of Essel or in opposition to Krekorian totaled more than $910,000, compared with about $64,551 for Krekorian.

Although the vast majority of funds were used to support Essel, the $974,551 in independent expenditures for the two candidates shattered Los Angeles records for the most spent on campaigning by third-party organizations in a City Council election, according to the commission. The next-highest total was $685,138 for a 2003 election.

Officials in Burbank and Glendale have regretted the prospect of losing a productive ally in Sacramento, but were hopeful that he would retain his relationship with the cities and foster closer cooperation with L.A. on joint projects, of which there are many.

The assemblyman’s move to L.A. has sparked excitement on the part of Jane Barnett, a former candidate for his seat and the chairwoman of the Los Angeles County Republican Party.

Although the Republican Party can not yet technically endorse, it anticipates former Burbank Chamber of Commerce Chairman Sundar Ramani to be its lone candidate in the race, Barnett said.

Democrat Mike Gatto, former district director for Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks), has also entered the race.

At least four Democrats are expected to compete for the seat, said Eric Bauman, chairman of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party.

Barnett lives in Burbank and plans to pull Republican campaign workers out of other districts to make a strong push to retake the 43rd Assembly District, which represents much of Burbank and Glendale, as well as the Los Angeles communities of Atwater Village, Los Feliz, North Hollywood, Silver Lake, Toluca Lake, Valley Glen and Van Nuys.

She hoped a united party behind Ramani could turn the district, which has been Democratic for more than a decade.

“We have the right candidate,” Barnett said. “We have a party that is energized. We have a country and a state that is ready for change and fed up with the kind of change we were promised and are getting.”

Ramani is well-known in the district and will be a “formidable candidate” for Democratic challengers, said Lee Wochner, a founding member of the Burbank Democratic Club.

Wochner predicted that Ramani’s decision to run for the seat would help challenge other hopefuls.

“I was thrilled,” he said. “We need good candidates.”

Bauman dismissed the Republican Party’s hopes for success in a district where more than 70% of voters cast ballots for President Obama last year.

“I think that that’s wishful thinking,” he said.