Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn was on track to win her third and final term March 5 as early results showed her capturing an early lead, taking about 61 percent of the vote against former Sheriff Alex Villanueva and Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor John Cruikshank.
A candidate that wins by more than 50 percent in a California primary wins the race. Los Angeles County had only counted 672,000 votes by 9:30 p.m. in the low-turnout primary election.
Ms. Hahn, 71, a Democrat, was first elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2020.
Before being elected supervisor, Ms. Hahn served three terms on the Los Angeles City Council and was elected to Congress in California’s 36th and 44th districts.
District 4 represents more than 50 cities and communities, including Artesia, Long Beach, Pico Rivera, Torrance, Whittier, and the unincorporated areas of East La Mirada, Santa Catalina Island, Westfield, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Harbor City, San Pedro, and Wilmington.
Ms. Hahn’s campaign focused on the homelessness crisis and mental health issues. She also promoted her efforts to improve public safety and emergency response, and to reduce gun violence.
As sheriff, Mr. Villanueva, 61, sparred regularly with Ms. Hahn and the Board of Supervisors over mandated COVID-19 vaccines and the board’s law enforcement defunding efforts.
Villanueva was the first Democrat to be elected sheriff in the county in 138 years, and served from 2018 to 2022. He was defeated by former Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna, who was endorsed by Ms. Hahn and the other county supervisors.
Before being elected sheriff, Mr. Villanueva served as a deputy sheriff for more than 30 years.
During his campaign, he promised to reduce violent crime, end defunding of police, and form a task force to address political corruption.
If elected, Mr. Villanueva also said he plans to expand homeless outreach services and improve mental health services, including supporting the reopening of mental health facilities in the state.
Supervisors are elected to four-year terms. Each board member governs a section of the county of about 10 million residents. Supervisors can serve up to 12 consecutive years.
No incumbent county supervisor has lost a reelection bid in 44 years.
Mr. Cruikshank, a civil engineer and CEO of two engineering firms, began serving on the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council in 2017. The lesser-known Republican candidate said he planned to focus on public safety, infrastructure, homelessness, and economic empowerment if elected.
Only 10.5 percent—nearly 600,000--of more than 5.7 million registered county voters cast a mail-in ballot this year, a significant drop since the 2020 primary election when 3.4 million ballots were cast by mail.
