California primary election results: June 5

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By kristin_a via Flickr

Good morning! Results are in.

In the race for LA County District Attorney, Jackie Lacey and Alan Jackson won the top two slots and will head for a runoff in November. Putative favorite Carmen Trutanich came in a close third, about 9,000 votes behind Jackson, but will not make the final ballot. That’s a big loss given his money and backing.

Prop 28, which shortens term limits, won. Prop 29, which would have instituted a dollar-a-pack cigarette tax, seems to be losing in a very close count: 50.8 percent voted no. More on the props, here. Reps. Berman and Sherman are headed for a November runoff. The Washington Post has all the Congressional results. The Los Angeles Times also has a good rundown of all the big winners and losers, reporting wins for tobacco and losses for labor unions. Read that analysis, here.

You can also check LA County results here and statewide results here.

In a closely watched local race, three Fullerton City Council members were successfully recalled over their perceived failed leadership in the wake of the beating death of Kelly Thomas by Fullerton police officers.

Morning Edition will be airing results this morning on KCRW 89.9 FM until 9:00 a.m. And we will have interviews and analysis on KCRW’s All Things Considered and this evening’s “Which Way, LA?” with Warren Olney.

Update 12:05 a.m.: We’re closing up shop here at KCRW election central for tonight. A quick wrap of what we know:

Prop 28, which alters term limits for state legislators, won easily.

Prop 29, the cigarette tax, is too close to call. As of midnight, it was a 50-50 split for and against with 50 percent of the ballots counted.

Democratic Rep. Sherman has a lead over Democratic Rep. Berman in the race for the 30th Congressional District. Whatever the final total, the battle won’t end until November.

Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein will face Republican Elizabeth Emken in November. Feinstein has a huge advantage.

The race for LA County District Attorney is too close to call. Jackie Lacey, Alan Jackson and Carmen Trutanich are vying for the two-person runoff in November. As of midnight, Trutanich trailed slightly.

Democratic Reps. Janice Hahn and Laura Richardson will square off again in November, but Richardson has a hill to climb if the primary results are any gauge.

And despite the use of helicopters, the tally from the county registrar was slow… For full results join us tomorrow on KCRW’s Morning Edition from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. We’ll also update the “Which Way, LA?” blog with results, and will have interviews and analysis on KCRW’s All Things Considered and “Which Way, LA?” with Warren Olney.

Thanks for sticking with us!

Update 11:49: The big flip for #Prop29 (via the Sac Bee’s Kevin Yamamura):

In AP tally, #Prop29 just flipped. 50.1% against, 49.9% for, a difference of about 4,400 votes with 52% of precincts reporting.

Update 11:45: Now 44 percent of the ballots counted for the LA County DA’s race. And, yes, the order remains the same, but the gap between Jackson and Trutanich has shrunk.

Meantime, the yes vote for #Prop29 is a mere 5K votes ahead of the no, with 47 percent of vote recorded.

Update 11:24: Another 10 percent of the vote comes in for the LA County DA’s race and the order – Lacey, Jackson, then Trutanich – remains the same. Top two head to runoff in November.

Update 11:17: Rep. Janice Hahn has opened a 20-point lead over fellow Democrat Rep. Laura Richardson in the 44th Congressional District, with 32 percent of the vote counted. The district covers the South Bay and inland cities in southern LA County.

Update 11:13: LA County measures L (landfill tax continuation) and H (hotel occupancy tax) have comfortable leads, with 25 percent of vote counted.

Update 11:10: With 25 percent of the vote counted, Jackie Lacey leads the race for LA County District Attorney, followed by Alan Jackson in second and Carmen Trutanich, the putative favorite, in third.

Update 11:00: AP calls another race (via the SF Chronicle’s Carla Marinucci):

AP calls 2nd #CASenate slot for GOP’s Elizabeth Emken, facing @SenFeinstein in Nov.

Update 10:54: Public sector unions had a bad night tonight, from Wisconsin to San Diego:

SAN DIEGO (AP) — San Diego voters have overwhelmingly approved measure to cut retirement benefits for city workers.

Update 10:46: As the LA County vote continues to trickle in, one of the candidates for District Attorney speaks up:

Carmen Trutanich, currently in 3rd, tells crowd: “We’re gonna pull this out… We’ve had everything thrown at us but the washing machine.”

Update 10:42: #Prop29 lead is slipping:

#Prop29 lead now just under 24K with about 23% of #CA2012precincts reporting.

Update 10:32: Roseanne Barr has fallen behind Jill Stein in the Green Party’s presidential primary race. #Dan!

Update 10:19: The recall of three Fullerton council members appears to be successful. They were targeted for their perceived weak response to the beating death of a homeless man, Kelly Thomas, by Fullerton police officers.

Update 10:10: The ballots might have arrived at LA County headquarters, but only 5 percent of ballots have been counted. Since it’s the biggest county in the state, its slow count is creating lots of suspense.

Update 10:05: Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s lead has dropped to below 50 percent – though her closest challenger has yet to crack 13 percent.

Update 9:50: The Associated Press says #Prop28 will pass. The proposition reduces the number of years state legislators can serve, from 14 to 12 years, but lets them serve all 12 years in one house. On the other hand, #Prop29 remains close, with the yes and no votes separated by only about 50K with 13 percent of precincts reporting.

Update 9:46: Some background on the races to watch around the state from the Sac Bee. Meantime, we’re waiting for the county to start county precinct ballots before we can update local races.

Update 9:39: More results coming for LA County:

I can hear the first helicopter approaching. Ballot inspection and processing areas are up and ready to go. #lavote

Update 9:30: For those watching NorCal contests: @nickmonacelli tweets: #news10 @KJ_MayorJohnson just declared victory in the Sacramento Mayor’s race.

Update 9:25: Love this thread over on our Which Way LA Facebook page. Listeners tell us that, yes, they voted. Janet L Spiegel tells us: “Went to the polls at the last minute. . . . couldn’t NOT vote, dammit, as hard as I tried! It’s getting SO tiring and fierce, and where and with whom to put trust is much more difficult.”

Update 9:15: With 11 percent of the vote in, President Obama has 100 percent of the vote. He’s running unopposed. Prop 29 is ahead in the state, but slightly behind in Los Angeles County.

Update 9:00: Rick Orlov tweets: “Early voting shows Councilman Richard Alarcon trailing Raul Bocanegra in 39th AD, behind Raul Bpocanegra… Under top two system, however, Alarcon still could make November runoff.”

Prop 29 is still pretty close. A bigger divide on Prop 28, which limits term limits with 65.4 percent voting yes, so far.

Update 8:58: Sanjay Kumar ahead of Kim Smith in Superior Court judge contest, office number 10. LA County measures H and L have early leads.

Update 8:53: @LADNvillacorte tweets: “Less than 5% of votes counted but District Atty. candidate Jackie Lacey is “surprised and overjoyed” to be leading the vote-by-mail tally.” Meanwhile, LA County Supervisors Don Knabe and Mark Ridley-Thomas are running unopposed for re-election. Supe Mike Antonovich has a challenger, but is crushing him in early results.

Update 8:47:  Prop 29 still close with 52.1 percent voting yes, 47.9 percent voting no, but only 8.9 percent of precincts reporting.

The LA Times talked to voters earlier today about Sherman and Berman, reporting, “The two veterans have worked to distinguish themselves from one another since both men have spent much of their adult lives in elected office and hold similar views on many national and world issues… That left residents contemplative at the polls Tuesday. Many said they liked both candidates and had to make a tough choice.”

Update 8:43: Rep. Janice Hahn ahead of Rep. Laura Richardson in early count.

Update 8:40 p.m.: @cmarinucci tweets: Early CA: Dem US Sen DianneFeinstein clobbers all comers, w GOPer Elizabeth Emken strong second, birther DrOrlyTaitzEsq a distant 5th

Update 8:30 p.m.: Hope everyone reading this voted! LA County voter turnoutwas at 27.11 percent as of 8 p.m.

More on Twitter:

Update 8:25 p.m.: Reps. Sherman and Berman neck and neck in early returns, with Sherman up slightly. http://vote.sos.ca.gov/returns/us-congress/district/30/

Update 8:22 p.m.: Romney wins the California primary. AP reports: “The victories add to a delegate total that already exceeds the number needed to win the nomination. Romney has 1,398 delegates. He needs 1,144 to win the Republican nomination at the party’s national convention in August.”

Update 8:17 p.m.:  This is going to be a long night… via @lacountyrrcc:  First countywide VBM results posted. (274,304 ballots). rrcc.co.la.ca.us/elect/12060602… Expect poll results starting approx 9:30 PM every 30-40 min.

Update 8:10 p.m.

Update 8:05 p.m.: Polls have closed… let the counting begin!