Carson Ca Elections

Democracy burst out all over Los Angeles County on Tuesday, as voters in 57 cities decided a multitude of civic issues stemming from the continuing influx of immigrants to the region and the frenetic pace of urban growth. Mostly, voters in the patchwork of municipalities that make up suburban Los Angeles opted for change as they chose city council members and considered ballot initiatives in decidely low-key elections.

Carson Mayor Pete Fajardo, who has presided over one of the most ethnically diverse communities in Los Angeles County, issued a surprise statement from the Philippines on Monday that he will withdraw from the upcoming mayor's race due to poor health. The move throws open the March election to five remaining candidates, including a city councilman, the city clerk and a former mayor.

In a very close election race, challenger Peter Fajardo was named the new mayor of Carson on Tuesday, defeating incumbent Michael Mitoma by 165 votes. But Mitoma, mayor for the last seven years, said he intends to seek a recount. The final vote count came after the city clerk's office spent a week verifying absentee ballots and provisional ballots, many of which arrived the day of the March 4 election. Preliminary results showed Fajardo ahead by a mere 28 votes.

He is a calculating political consultant. She is a straight-talking cop. He's an old-school liberal. She is a law-and-order moderate. He holds a seat on the elected school board. She has never run for office. She is planning a run for City Council next spring in Carson. He is planning a run for City Council next spring in Compton. What could they have in common? Basil and Jenny Kimbrew are married. "You could call us the Bill and Hillary Clinton of L.A. County," he says, half-jokingly. Perhaps.

Six people so far plan to run for a vacant seat on the Carson City Council, including the son of a local assemblywoman, a prominent mobile home park activist, and the leader of a city government watchdog group. The would-be candidates took out nomination papers last week, becoming the first to step forward for a special election June 8 to fill the seat left vacant last November when Juanita McDonald won election to the state Assembly.

Carson voters will be asked next week if the city should take steps toward something no city has ever done: break away from the Los Angeles Unified School District to form its own system. Since Los Angeles Unified was formed in 1961, no city has ever seceded, although one, Lomita, tried and small segments of others have been allowed to join other districts.

Pico Rivera voters were narrowly rejecting a card club in their city Tuesday and a proposed West Hollywood casino appeared to face even longer odds. The proposed Pico Rivera casino, which supporters said would pump up to $6 million into the fiscally strapped city, appeared a certain loser with all precincts counted but a handful of absentee votes left to verify by next week.

Two more candidates have joined the race to fill the open seat on Carson's City Council, bringing their number to a record-tying eight in the city's special election. Political newcomers Gayle L. Konig, an outspoken advocate for the formation of Carson's own school district, and Lorelie S. Olaes, a youth issues activist, submitted nominating papers Thursday, along with six other candidates in the June 8 special election.

Eight candidates, a record for a single-seat race, are vying in the June 8 special election to fill the Carson City Council vacancy created when Juanita McDonald went to the state Assembly last fall. The contest has been sedate by Carson standards, although some candidates have been sniping over vandalized campaign signs.

He is a calculating political consultant. She is a straight-talking cop. He's an old-school liberal. She is a law-and-order moderate. He holds a seat on the elected school board. She has never run for office. She is planning a run for City Council next spring in Carson. He is planning a run for City Council next spring in Compton. What could they have in common? Basil and Jenny Kimbrew are married. "You could call us the Bill and Hillary Clinton of L.A. County," he says, half-jokingly. Perhaps.

In a very close election race, challenger Peter Fajardo was named the new mayor of Carson on Tuesday, defeating incumbent Michael Mitoma by 165 votes. But Mitoma, mayor for the last seven years, said he intends to seek a recount. The final vote count came after the city clerk's office spent a week verifying absentee ballots and provisional ballots, many of which arrived the day of the March 4 election. Preliminary results showed Fajardo ahead by a mere 28 votes.

Tattooed Carson gang members with close-shaven heads, white T-shirts and baggy pants bunching over their shoes sat in chairs in the middle and back rows. Candidates dressed for success were lined up in a row at the front of the community room. It was not a run-of-the-mill candidates forum. Members of four Latino gangs who created a truce more than a year ago sponsored the recent meeting.

Top proponents of breaking up the Los Angeles Unified School District said Wednesday that their movement will be bolstered by an overwhelming advisory vote in the city of Carson to secede from the giant district. By a 2-1 margin, Carson voters Tuesday approved an advisory measure calling for officials to begin a long and complex process to form their own city school system. State Sen. David A.

Pico Rivera voters were narrowly rejecting a card club in their city Tuesday and a proposed West Hollywood casino appeared to face even longer odds. The proposed Pico Rivera casino, which supporters said would pump up to $6 million into the fiscally strapped city, appeared a certain loser with all precincts counted but a handful of absentee votes left to verify by next week.

Carson voters will be asked next week if the city should take steps toward something no city has ever done: break away from the Los Angeles Unified School District to form its own system. Since Los Angeles Unified was formed in 1961, no city has ever seceded, although one, Lomita, tried and small segments of others have been allowed to join other districts.

Eight candidates, a record for a single-seat race, are vying in the June 8 special election to fill the Carson City Council vacancy created when Juanita McDonald went to the state Assembly last fall. The contest has been sedate by Carson standards, although some candidates have been sniping over vandalized campaign signs.

Tattooed Carson gang members with close-shaven heads, white T-shirts and baggy pants bunching over their shoes sat in chairs in the middle and back rows. Candidates dressed for success were lined up in a row at the front of the community room. It was not a run-of-the-mill candidates forum. Members of four Latino gangs who created a truce more than a year ago sponsored the recent meeting.

A libel suit against Carson council members Sylvia Muise and Tom Mills and council candidates Aaron Carter and Leon Cornell moved a significant step closer to trial when a judge rejected a motion to throw out the case. The suit stems from the hard-fought council election of 1986, in which Michael Mitoma ran against Muise and Mills, who won. Mitoma won a council seat a year later in a special election.

Two more candidates have joined the race to fill the open seat on Carson's City Council, bringing their number to a record-tying eight in the city's special election. Political newcomers Gayle L. Konig, an outspoken advocate for the formation of Carson's own school district, and Lorelie S. Olaes, a youth issues activist, submitted nominating papers Thursday, along with six other candidates in the June 8 special election.

Six people so far plan to run for a vacant seat on the Carson City Council, including the son of a local assemblywoman, a prominent mobile home park activist, and the leader of a city government watchdog group. The would-be candidates took out nomination papers last week, becoming the first to step forward for a special election June 8 to fill the seat left vacant last November when Juanita McDonald won election to the state Assembly.