Local Elections

Redondo Beach CITY COUNCIL A runoff election to fill a District 3 vacancy created by the resignation of Marcia Martin. 5 of 5 precincts. Vote William R. (Bill) Mona 663 Steve Colin 760

Local elected officials can vote to appoint themselves to paid positions on government boards, the state ethics watchdog panel decided Thursday, changing a rule that addresses conflict-of-interest accusations against dozens of city council members in Orange County. The state Fair Political Practices Commission voted 3 to 2 to exempt local elected officials from conflict rules that prevented them from voting on their own paid appointments and instead required that information about the boards be posted on the Internet, including the amount members are paid.

As he is quick to point out, President Obama is presiding over two wars, a sour economy and an epic fight to rework the nation's healthcare system. Now tack on a trio of state and local political races. With an off-year election fast approaching, Obama is stepping up his commitment to Democratic candidates in hopes that an infusion of campaign charisma might pump up turnout. What the party is finding, though, is that the electricity of 2008 is tough to recapture. Some Democratic candidates running for local office around the country call the phenomenon the "Obama Hangover."

Local elections were held across Syria on Monday even as opposition activists said government forces were continuing their violent crackdown against dissent and clashing with insurgents. President Bashar Assad's government had promoted the poll as part of a series of reforms in response to months of anti-government protests, saying steps had been taken to allow more people to run and to avoid fraud. But opposition activists dismissed Monday's vote as a charade, saying they wanted nothing short of Assad's removal.

Local elections were held across Syria on Monday even as opposition activists said government forces were continuing their violent crackdown against dissent and clashing with insurgents. President Bashar Assad's government had promoted the poll as part of a series of reforms in response to months of anti-government protests, saying steps had been taken to allow more people to run and to avoid fraud. But opposition activists dismissed Monday's vote as a charade, saying they wanted nothing short of Assad's removal.

(Inc.) designates incumbent officeholder. Winners, when determined, in bold type. 27 of 27 precincts. 19.8% turnout. MAYOR Vote % W. Brad Parton 3,669 55.7 Frank Bostrom 2,914 44.3 CITY COUNCIL District 2 6 of 6 precincts. Vote % Kay Horrell (Inc.) 891 52.4 Michael F. Ford 811 47.6 District 4 4 of 4 precincts. Vote % Terry Ward 528 52.2 Valerie Dombrowski 483 47.8

Three Compton residents are suing the city under the California Voting Rights Act, contending that the city's elections are stacked against Latino candidates. The complaint filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleges that the at-large elections for City Council seats have the effect of diluting the Latino vote. Three Compton voters ? Felicitas Gonzalez, Karmen Grimaldi and Flora Ruiz ? filed the suit against the city and City Clerk Alita Godwin. City Atty. Craig Cornwell declined to comment.

The airwaves here have been saturated with brutal ads about the U.S. Senate race in recent weeks. But few are coming from the actual candidates. Instead, Colorado's Senate contest has the dubious distinction of having the greatest amount of money being spent this year by outside interest groups. Since a Supreme Court ruling this year that corporations and unions can give unlimited funds to such groups, "independent expenditures" have increased sevenfold nationwide compared with the last midterm election, in 2006.

The issues and the special interests that pursued them in last month's primary election are familiar: Big oil, tobacco and insurance companies seeking armor against litigation and taxes; trial lawyers looking for more opportunities to sue; the state Chamber of Commerce working against proposals its members deem costly. But even battle-hardened veterans of special-interest wars were alarmed by how some of California's most influential groups flooded a few small campaigns with money in an effort to achieve their goals.

In elections marred by violence, intimidation and the growing influence of drug traffickers, Mexicans chose governors or other local officials in 14 states Sunday. Preliminary results Monday showed the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) winning most governorships but failing to alter its overall hold on power. President Felipe Calderon's National Action Party, in alliance with leftist parties, stunned the PRI by winning in two of its historic bastions, Oaxaca and Puebla, according to preliminary results.

Voting in the southern state of Yucatan on Sunday kicks off an election season in Mexico that is already shaping up as a hard slog for President Felipe Calderon and his conservative party. Already, polls point to a possible near-sweep this year for the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party, known as the PRI, as voters in about half the states pick state and local officeholders. The slaying of a mayoral candidate from the president's National Action Party, or PAN, in northern Mexico on Thursday added to the sobering outlook.

Switching to vote-by-mail citywide elections in Los Angeles and doing away with traditional polling places could increase voter participation but be costly and pose a threat to the integrity of elections, a report by the Los Angeles city clerk concluded Thursday. However, the use of vote-by-mail balloting could be a good option for small special elections that are not citywide, including those to fill vacant City Council seats, the report stated. In those cases, the city could save money and eliminate the need for poll workers and polling places.

As he is quick to point out, President Obama is presiding over two wars, a sour economy and an epic fight to rework the nation's healthcare system. Now tack on a trio of state and local political races. With an off-year election fast approaching, Obama is stepping up his commitment to Democratic candidates in hopes that an infusion of campaign charisma might pump up turnout. What the party is finding, though, is that the electricity of 2008 is tough to recapture. Some Democratic candidates running for local office around the country call the phenomenon the "Obama Hangover."