Two mayors were handily re-elected Tuesday, while a group of newcomers joined the fold. Voters in two southern California cities also approved a sales tax measure and a new marijuana business license tax.
Here is a rundown of some of Tuesday’s election results:
ARCADIA
District 2 Councilman Tom Beck held on to his seat with 982 votes vs. 875 for his challenger Bob Harbicht. District 5 incumbent Roger Chandler also beat out challengers Jolly Wu and Joyce E. Platt.
CULVER CITY
Preliminary results show a substantial victory for Measure A, which establishes taxes on cannabis enterprises as follows:
• Commercial marijuana cultivation: $12.00 per square-foot
• Adult-use marijuana retail: 6-10% of gross receipts
• Medical use marijuana retail: 5-8% of gross receipts
• Marijuana manufacturing: 4-6% of gross receipts
• Marijuana distribution: 2.6% of gross receipts
• Cannabis testing: 1-1.5% of gross receipts
Of the four candidates vying for two seats on the city council, two attorneys -- Alex Fisch and Daniel Lee -- took the most votes (3,183 and 2,769 respectively).
EL SEGUNDO
Of the four candidates vying to replace outgoing Mayor Suzanne Fuentes and Councilman Mike Dugan, all of them were first-time candidates. Planning Commissioner Scot Nicol and risk management consultant Chris Pimentel came out on top with 32% and 31.8% of the vote. Voters also passed a three-quarter-cent sales tax. 84.3% of voters approved that measure (Measure C).
LONG BEACH
Mayor Robert Garcia was overwhelmingly re-elected, as was District 3 councilwoman Suzie Price. District 5 incumbent Stacy Mungo and District 7 incumbent Roberto Uranga are headed for runoffs.
Read more at the Long Beach Press-Telegram.
PALOS VERDES ESTATES
Despite a fierce opposition campaign, Palos Verdes Estates voters approved a new parcel tax aimed at keeping the city’s police force intact.
Palos Verdes Estates voters Tuesday delivered the financial relief City Hall was looking for to plug a $5 million budget gap and save the city’s municipal police force.
With all four precincts reporting, the Measure E parcel tax touted by city officials was supported by 70.7 percent of voters, a comfortable margin above the two-thirds vote required for passage. The tax will generate about $45 million over nine years.
RANCHO MIRAGE
Three incumbents were up for re-election in Rancho Mirage Tuesday. Unofficial results have all three incumbents holding onto their seats.
WHITTIER
Mayor Joe Vinatieri was comfortably elected to a second term as mayor. But elsewhere, Whittier voters opted to make some significant changes to the face of their city council.
33-year-old Henry Bouchot appears to have unseated incumbent Bob Henderson in District 2. Henderson had been serving on the city council for 36 years.
In District 4, preliminary results had Councilman Fernando Dutra leading challenger Lizette Escobedo, 1,235 to 1,130.
SIERRA MADRE
Rachelle Arizmendi, Gene Goss, and Denise Delmar were re-elected with 1,759, 1,661 and 1,324 votes respectively.
VERNON
Unofficial results show Councilwoman Melissa Ybarra retaining her seat. Voters also appear to be narrowly rejecting Measure Q, which would have authorized a 6% user utility tax on electricity, gas, telecommunications, and water for the city’s general fund.