Englander Wins Easily

COUNCIL DISTRICT 12


DINESH "DANNY" LAKHANPAL

163

1.98

KELLY M. LORD, JR.

536

6.51

BRAD SMITH

1,986

24.12

NAVRAJ "SINGH" SINGH

463

5.62

ARMINEH CHELEBIAN

301

3.66

MITCHELL ENGLANDER

4,784

58.11




In an outcome that was surprising to no one, Mitchell Englander, the oft-demonized Chief of Staff to outgoing Councilman Greig Smith, handily won the District 12 Councilman seat with 58% of the vote.

Englander's formidable war chest, stoked by business donations that many feared would make for troubling obligations, by far outstripped that of any other candidate. Englander also had the heftiest list of endorsements, including that of the Los Angeles Times, The Daily News, and lefty Congressman Brad Sherman.

Granada Hills Neighborhood Council Member Brad Smith, the second-biggest vote getter and the only candidate to secure the endorsement of the Democratic Party of L.A. County, brought in 24% of votes, not nearly enough to topple his "anointed" opponent or even to force a run off, which is what Smith's camp was reportedly hoping for.

Of 2,060,913 registered voters, only 97,227 bothered to vote, a measly 4.7 percent.

The typically pathetic turnout, however, was enough to pass all ballot measures save for one: Proposition O, the Los Angeles Oil Production Tax measure. Police and firemen will get a new pension plan per Charter Amendment G, and libraries will be spared further budget slicing per Measure L, perhaps receiving funds from by tax revenue generated by medical marijuana dispensaries, which will now be taxed per Measure M, which brought marijuana use one step closer to legitimacy in L.A.

Members of the "Anybody But Englander" camp, take heart: you can still console yourselves with a good book and a fat bowl.

Comments

  1. Tom TcimpidisMarch 9, 2011 at 4:01 PM

    Well, we all know the definition of insane: Doing the same thing over and over again and hoping for a different outcome... I hope the 4.7% that voted are happy with what they will get in the future!

    Oh, and you other 95.3%? I don’t want to hear one word out of you! If you can’t even vote, you have no room to complain or criticize!

    ReplyDelete
  2. ArtMarch 9, 2011 at 4:30 PM

    Congratulations Mitch and all the volunteers, supporters and community friends who pitched in many long hours to make it happen!! Not mentioned here and on most blogs was the FACT that hundreds of people like me from the community joined in the effort. So while this and other blogs denounce Mitch being "anointed" "coronated" and "hand picked" all of us know the real truth - that he worked his butt off for this victory and earned every one of his votes.

    ReplyDelete
  3. L.J. WilliamsonMarch 9, 2011 at 4:52 PM

    Hold on a second, buster. There's a difference between denouncing and quoting: namely, that one has quotation marks around it. Learn the difference.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousMarch 9, 2011 at 6:41 PM

    Don't BS us "Art". With a half a million dollars Mitch could hire workers. Hundreds of community people? Prove that FACT.

    Why would anyone want the outsider who has no interest in our community other than to continue the hold of the special interests who want to control the area and not lose their stronghold on it?

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousMarch 10, 2011 at 12:50 PM

    Englander and his fake cop outfit. Wonderful. I am one of the 4.5% and I'm not at all happy with the results. Hey Tom, where can I go and bitch? :-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dave BeauvaisMarch 10, 2011 at 12:50 PM

    So many things wrong about the post above it is hard to know where to begin. First, you could look at the endorsements; scores of community leaders from Neighborhood Councils and numerous community groups. Many of these folks did in fact volunteer, either to canvass, phone bank or or both. I know, I was one of them and saw it for myself. Second, the campaign expenses for each campaign are listed on the City Ethics Commission website. You can easily check and see exactly where the money went (hint, it was not to a bunch of paid workers). Third, and most ironic, you accuse Mitch of being an outsider when the rap from the other candidates was that he was an insider. That was a legitimate concern for many, but those of us who have worked with Mitch over the last seven plus years know he will be an independent voice in City Hall. No interest in the Community? Mitch has lived in Granada Hills for years, and was raised in the Valley. He has been involed in numerous community organizations and non-profits over the years. Get your facts straight before you sound off.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousMarch 10, 2011 at 8:46 PM

    Meet the new boss, same as the old boss...it's not what they did with the money, it is who they got it from...

    Years? They bought the house for over a million in 2005...check out how far under they are now on the Assesor's site. Amazing what you can find on line.

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousMarch 11, 2011 at 12:56 AM

    Won't get fooled again? Apparently 11,448 are willing to be.

    ReplyDelete

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