McMorrin, Vera, Puza Top City Council Race; Measure B Headed for Defeat,

Two political newcomers and a former city commissioner are on the verge of winning the 3 seats on the Culver City Council while the controversial Measure B is headed for defeat.

With mail-in ballots still being counted countywide, Yasmine McMorrin leads the Council race with 8,971 votes, followed by former Civil Service Commissioner Albert Vera with 8,889 votes and Freddy Puza with 7432 votes, according to preliminary results released yesterday.

Mayor Goran Eriksson currently sits in fourth place with 7345, trailing Puza by less than 100 votes. The winner of the third seat on the Council will be decided in the final certification.

In fifth place is Darrel Menthe with 6792 votes. The other Council candidates garnered respectful totals. Heather Wollin tallied 3236 votes, followed by Khin Khin Gyi with 2519 votes, and Robert Zirgulis with 1717. Anthony Rizzo, who suspended his race in August, received 1411 votes

In the school board contest, incumbent Kelly Kent and Parks and Recreations Commissioner Paula Amezola De Herrera cruised to victory with 9,169 votes and 7845 votes respectively. They will fill the two open seats on the Board of Education. Results also show the other contenders with following totals: Robert Zeidman, 5004 votes; incumbent Anne Allaire, 4026; Tiffany Spellman, 2507; and Lauren Jagnow, 2196 votes.

Measure B – the initiative which would require voter approval of all rent control measures – went down in defeat with 10,448 "no" votes and 8381 votes in favor.

Measure RE – which would increase the local real estate transfer tax for sales above $1.5 million – was approved by 52.75% of the voters, with 9,832 in favor and 8807 against it.

In the hotly contested race for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, California State Senator Holly Mitchell easily defeated former LA City Council President Herb Wesson 298,618 to 191,787.

Congresswoman Karen Bass, who represents Culver City, cruised to victory, winning 86.56% of the vote for the 33rd Congressional District while Assembly member Sydney Kamlager excelled in the race for the 54th, garnering 65.38% of the votes.

According to the County Clerk, 19,471 Culver City residents cast their votes in the Nov. 3 election, including 16,114 by mail. Culver City has 29,094 registered voters.

Clerk officials said they are still tabulating a number of mail-in ballots countywide and they expect to have complete results by this weekend.