NORTH HOLLYWOOD-Voters in the San Fernando Valley sent a resounding message throughout Los Angeles Tuesday night as Paul Krekorian won the special election in the Second Council District, defeating his opponent Christine Essel by a margin of more than 13%.
"Today, the voters of CD2 demanded profound change and soundly rejected the domination of this city by Downtown insiders," Krekorian said. "This victory is the beginning of a fundamental transformation of the government of Los Angeles, and it sends a strong signal that the people of the San Fernando Valley are not satisfied with business as usual."
Krekorian spoke to about 200 campaign volunteers, supporters, staff and family members who jammed his North Hollywood campaign office to celebrate the victory.
"The task now ahead is for us to build a city government that will work for the people and that is marked by integrity, honesty and accountability," he said. "To succeed, we need to start healing the divisions that have resulted from this campaign and begin bringing our community together."
More special interest money-A$910,877.91 in so-called independent expenditures -was spent to elect Essel than any candidate in L.A. history. According to the unofficial results from the City Clerk's office, Krekorian received 10,810 votes (56.56%), while Essel gathered 8,304 votes (43.44%).
