Follow LA Observed on Twitter here
Last update: 2:55 a.m.
Here are the top election results. Check for your own updates between mine: Secretary of State, LA County, LAT, NYT, Nate Silver
- President Obama's reelection was called by the first networks before 8:15 p.m. Even Fox News joined in the rush to declare victory. Mitt Romney came out and conceded in Boston about 10 p.m. LA time, then Obama delivered the uplifting, confident speech that his fans have been waiting four years to hear again. In the end, he won 303 electoral votes. Noted: Nate Silver was right. His attackers were wrong.
The Democrats pick up one seat in the Senate, now 52-44-1. The Republicans hold on to a 230-185 edge in the House.How divided is America?
Obama: 58.2 million votes
Romney: 56.1 million votes
- CD 30: Howard Berman lost his longtime seat in Congress — voters in the San Fernando Valley chose to keep fellow Democrat Brad Sherman instead. "I congratulate Brad...[and] I will do whatever I can to ensure a cooperative and orderly transition,” Berman said in a statement about 2 a.m. In some distant corners of California Democratic politics, friends of Leo McCarthy are smirking.
- CD 44: Rep. Laura Richardson was also rejected; the voters preferred the other Democrat, Rep. Janice Hahn.
- CD 29: City Councilman Tony Cardenas will join Hahn in Congress
- DA: Jackie Lacey was elected district attorney of Los Angeles County: the first woman and first black to be the chief prosecutor here.
On the key state propositions, with 83 percent of precincts counted plus a big share of the mail-in votes:
- Proposition 30: Gov. Brown's tax measure for education is solidly winning, about 53-47. Proposition 38, Molly Munger's rival measure, lost badly.
- Proposition 32: The transparent move by the right to strip unions of member dues for political uses lost 55-45.
- Proposition 34: Californians opt once again to keep the death penalty, but only by a declining 53-47 margin.
- Proposition 36: Voters by a huge margin chose to reform California's three strikes law and apply it only against serious criminals going forward.
- Proposition 37: Ixnay on the labeling of genetically modified foods. The food industry was against it, so were many scientists. It isn't happening.
Measure B: LA County voters want their male porn actors to wear condoms. For the record.
Measure J: Too close to call. This measure needs 66.67 percent of the vote to extend the sales tax for transit projects, and right now it has 65.01. About 30 percent of precincts remain to be counted, then likely recounted. This could go awhile.
AD 39: City Councilman Richard Alarcon will....not....return to the state Assembly from Panorama City or from Arleta. Raul Bocanegra goes instead from the East Valley.
AD 50: Too close to call between Assemblywoman Betsy Butler and Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom.
City of San Fernando: Yeah, these three City Council members — including the happy adulterous couple — could have been recalled by acclamation. 80 percent-plus majorities for recall. Next!
And of course: Sen. Dianne Feinstein was reelected with no problem.
Latest official California results:
Secretary of State
LA County Registrar-Recorder
Media:
New York Times | Nate Silver
LA Times
Politico
CBS | NBC | ABC | Fox | CNN | BBC
