A referendum on a more rehabilitative and less punitive approach to criminal justice became the progressive district's latest test Tuesday in Los Angeles County. Atty. Georges Gascón faced many opponents who promised either more moderate reforms or a return to stricter law enforcement.

Eleven challengers to the DA nomination sparked the hottest race in the county. The vast field and deep dissatisfaction with Gascón are all but certain to prevent him from winning a majority, and a November runoff between the top two candidates is expected.

Tuesday's election saw voters vote in nearly half of the seats on the Los Angeles City Council and a majority of the county's five-member Board of Supervisors, as well as who will replace two venerable Los Angeles school board members. There were also voting measures aimed at making a major election. Rethinking Los Angeles' traffic patterns.

HLA, a citizen-sponsored initiative, will bring road projects that have sat idle for years closer to reality, adding more than 600 miles of bike lanes and more than 200 miles of bus lanes to the city.

Among the many projects identified in the bill are protected bike lanes on Sunset Boulevard and Venice Boulevard, from Whittier Boulevard in Boyle Heights to Sixth Street downtown, and west of the 110 Freeway. There is also a dedicated bus lane that connects the area to Wilshire Boulevard.

HLA's approval would effectively fast-forward the city's ambitious mobility plan, which calls for special improvements every time the city repaves more than eight miles of road. While some of the plan restricts motor vehicle traffic, it also identifies approximately 130 miles of roadways where efficient motor vehicle movement will be prioritized.

Supporters of HLA argue that it will make streets safer by facilitating multiple modes of transportation and slowing down cars. Opponents say the measure slows down emergency vehicles and creates unforeseen dangers. Opinions are also sharply divided over how much it would cost to implement the proposal, with city budget leaders saying it would cost at least $3.1 billion, while proponents argue it would cost much less. .

Perhaps the most closely watched of the seven Los Angeles City Council races is Nitya Raman's re-election. He's a progressive whose election four years ago brought increased attention in City Hall to not relying solely on renters' rights and crime-reduction strategies. About the police.

During his first term, Raman had to focus on more than policy. She fought off a recall attempt that never reached a vote and is now running for a second term in a district whose boundaries have been significantly redrawn in ways that reduce the number of generally liberal-leaning renters. confronting. Cut from District 4: Tenant-heavy areas such as Park La Brea. Add: Single-family home havens like Encino and parts of Studio City and Reseda.

In the most expensive municipal election of the year, Vice City Atty. Ethan Weaver positions himself as a moderate alternative.

Raman has clearly set herself apart from Weaver and her current colleagues by opposing a city law banning homeless camps near schools. The same council member also voted against a proposed salary increase for the Los Angeles Police Department. Weaver supports pay raises for police, along with legislation that would limit the location of homeless encampments.

The Silver Lake City Councilman had the distinction of becoming the first Democratic Socialists of America member to oust an incumbent from City Hall in 2020. City Hall's leftward shift comes two years later, when three other candidates won with significant support from DSA volunteers: incumbent city councilors Hugo Sotomartínez and Unis Hernández, and city commissioner Kenneth Mejia proved to be more than just an anomaly.

Weaver has tried to portray DSA as too “radical” for the district. Raman countered that he was a “pragmatic progressive.” Her vote on Mayor Karen Bass' budget proposal to hire 1,000 police officers did not sit well with some on the left.

In another high-profile urban contest in Los Angeles, City Councilman Kevin de Leon, along with two other city council members and a labor leader, made inflammatory and controversial comments about how to divide political constituencies. It will be his first appearance before voters since he was caught on a secret recording making a speciesist argument. L.A.

A leaked October 2021 recording a year later prompted multiple calls for de Leon to resign, but he continues to represent the 14th District, which includes northeast Los Angeles. The seven candidates vying to replace him include two former state legislators, a DSA-backed activist, a high school science teacher, a real estate attorney, an elderly social worker and a nonprofit consultant.

In Los Angeles County, three incumbent members are running for re-election to the Board of Supervisors.

Holly Mitchell is an establishment candidate in District 2 after serving one term as a state senator and county commissioner. The incumbent is touting support from Bass, labor unions and the Sierra Club.

The county's 4th Ward is home to Coach Janice Hahn, part of a political dynasty that was headed by her father, Coach Kenneth Hahn, for 40 years, and her brother, a former city supervisor, city attorney and mayor. There is.

Hahn is running against a high-profile and controversial opponent, former Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who dabbled in oversight of the department and lost his 2022 re-election bid in a landslide. The two are joined on the ballot by John Cruikshank, who has served for seven years. As a member of the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council and Mayor.

Kathryn Berger has been representing the 5th Supervisory District, which extends to the northern tip of the county, since 2016. Although Berger is a Republican, he has the support of labor unions such as SEIU Local 721 and the Assn. For Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs representing rank-and-file members of the Sheriff's Department. She has also received support from family planning advocacy groups.

The most politically high-profile challenger is Chris Holden, a Democrat who represents Pasadena in the state Legislature but is forced to leave office due to term limits. Mr. Holden also has significant labor support, including two local residents at SEIU.

The Los Angeles School Board will be reorganized before Tuesday's election as two important political and educational figures, Jackie Goldberg and George McKenna, retire at the end of the year. A total of 18 candidates are vying for one of the four seats on the ballot. Most races are likely to be decided in runoff elections in November.

The outcome will determine whether a majority of the board supports more or less private school charters, which are mostly non-union public schools. As the district seeks to improve student achievement, it faces financial uncertainty due to declining enrollment and the expiration of pandemic aid funds.

Times staff writer Howard Bloom contributed to this report.