Who will lead the nation’s second-largest city for the next four years?
Can a congressmember seeking reelection while facing a House ethics investigation fend off a challenger backed by a growing progressive movement?
Which candidates will prevail in some of the most competitive – and expensive – state legislative races of this election cycle?
With Election Day fast upon us, Los Angeles County voters are hoping they’ll soon have answers to these questions.
“Soon” may be relative in this case: While some races may be called almost as soon as voting for the general election ends at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, others – especially the competitive races – may require days of ballot counting before a winner is declared.
Follow us online on election night as we update election results throughout the evening.
And if you haven’t cast your ballot, there’s still time. All 646 vote centers in L.A. County are now open for in-person voting through Election Day. You can also deposit your marked ballot in any dropbox located throughout the county. For locations, visit locator.lavote.gov. You can toggle between maps of vote centers and dropbox locations at the bottom of the page.
Those are the two voting options that election officials are recommending at this point, though voting by mail remains a third option. However, officials recommend that if you vote by mail, that you go inside a post office and request your ballot be postmarked then and there. Simply dropping your ballot in a mailbox at this late stage won’t guarantee it will be postmarked by the Nov. 3 deadline for your vote to count.
In the meantime, here’s a rundown of some of the most highly anticipated and closely watched races in L.A. County this election.
L.A. mayor
Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, who made history four years ago by becoming L.A.’s first female mayor, is now fighting to keep her job in a tight race as she seeks to fend off City Councilmember Nithya Raman, her once political ally. In fact, Raman endorsed Bass’ reelection bid before jumping into the race herself in February.
But since announcing her candidacy, Raman, 45, has sparred with the 73-year-old Bass over issues like how best to address homelessness, public safety – including whether the current police chief should keep his job – wildfire preparedness and providing basic city services.
A former member of the California Assembly and Congress, Bass continues to be dogged by criticisms, including from Raman, for her handling of the 2025 Southern California wildfires. But she maintains the city has progressed under her tenure and warned that replacing her with someone with less leadership experience could be disruptive as the city gets set to host the 2028 Olympics.
Raman, a former nonprofit executive with a background in urban planning, was first elected to the City Council in 2020, making her the first candidate backed by the Democratic Socialists of America elected to this governing body. She says results under Bass’ leadership aren’t sufficient and that it’s time for fundamental change.
Both candidates are Democrats, but Raman is running to the left of Bass.
34th Congressional District
Rep. Jimmy Gomez is seeking a sixth term to represent the 34th Congressional District amid a House ethics investigation into alleged sexual misconduct – a claim which the congressmember denies. He’s admitted to making “personal mistakes” outside of his marriage but said those actions were consensual and did not violate any law or House Ethics rule.
His challenger, Angela Gonzales-Torres, is a self-described justice advocate who until recently was an academic counselor at Pasadena City College, helping former inmates transition from prison to higher education.
Both are Democrats, though the 51-year-old incumbent is backed by state and local party establishments, such as the California Democratic Party and L.A. County Democratic Party. His 31-year-old opponent is endorsed by more progressive groups, including Democratic Socialists of America and the California Working Families Party.
The winner will represent a district that includes parts of central, eastern and northeastern Los Angeles, such as downtown L.A., Koreatown, Pico-Union, Boyle Heights, East L.A., El Sereno, Highland Park and Eagle Rock.
24th State Senate District
West Hollywood City Councilmember John Erickson and media consultant Brian Goldsmith are duking it out in one of the most expensive legislative races this year to see who will replace term-limited Sen. Ben Allen.
Millions of dollars have been poured into this race between the campaigns and outside groups as the two candidates vie to represent a largely coastal district that stretches from the Santa Monica Mountains — and includes Agoura Hills, Calabasas and Malibu — to L.A.’s Westside and Hollywood area, and on down to the South Bay, taking in Redondo Beach, Torrance and Rancho Palos Verdes.
First elected to the West Hollywood City Council in 2020, Erickson, 41, is chief of staff at Alliance for a Better Community, an L.A.-based organization that works to advance social, economic and racial equity and justice.
Goldsmith, who is 44, has never held political office but worked on Hillary Clinton’s 2000 U.S. Senate campaign and advised Pete Buttigieg during his 2020 presidential run.
SD-24 is one of only two L.A. County state Senate races where both candidates on the Nov. 3 ballot are Democrats – and also one of only two Senate contests in which the California Democratic Party did not endorse a candidate because the members of its endorsement caucus could not reach consensus.
26th State Senate District
Affordable housing advocate and Los Angeles Community College District Board President Sara Hernandez and environmental advocate Sarah Rascón are vying to see who will succeed Sen. María Elena Durazo in representing the 26th Senate District. (Durazo will be moving over to the L.A. County Board of Supervisors when her Senate term ends.)
The 26th Senate District represents L.A.’s Eagle Rock and Highland Park neighborhoods in the north, Los Feliz and Koreatown in the west, and Boyle Heights, East L.A. and the city of Vernon in the southeastern part of the district.
SD-26 is the only other L.A. County state Senate race besides SD-24 where both candidates in the November runoff are Democrats. They’re also the only two Senate races in which the California Democratic Party did not endorse a candidate because there was no consensus.
Rascón, 36, is endorsed by Durazo and two people who ran in the SD-26 primary race: former Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo and Silver Lake Neighborhood Councilmember Maebe Pudlo. Some of the more progressive L.A. city officials, including City Controller Kenneth Mejia and Councilmembers Eunisses Hernandez and Ysabel Jurado, also back her candidacy.
Hernandez, 43, is endorsed by Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and eight current state senators. L.A. County Supervisors Janice Hahn and Hilda Solis and L.A. City Councilmembers Adrin Nazarian and Tim McOsker also support her candidacy.
66th Assembly District
This Democrat-versus-Democrat race, absent an incumbent, has shaken things up for voters who, over the past decade, had gotten used to the 66th Assembly District being sleepy contests.
But with Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, termed out, voters are asked to choose between two new faces this year: Sara Deen, president of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified school board, and Paul Seo, the mayor of Rancho Palos Verdes.
The winner will represent a coastal South Bay district that stretches from El Segundo and Manhattan Beach and on down through Redondo Beach, Torrance, Rancho Palos Verdes and San Pedro.
Only 2 percentage points separated Seo, 44, and Deen, 47, in the crowded primary race. And with nearly half of voters choosing other candidates in June, that left plenty of votes for both candidates to go after in the runoff election.
L.A. County Sheriff
It’s a rematch between current L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna, 60, and his predecessor, the 63-year-old former Sheriff Alex Villanueva, whom Luna defeated in 2022.
The winner will oversee the largest sheriff’s department in the country for the next four years. The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department patrols 153 unincorporated communities and 42 of the 88 cities within the county, in addition to contracting with L.A. Metro and Metrolink to provide services.
The sheriff’s relationship with the five-member L.A. County Board of Supervisors has been a main issue in this race. While the sheriff is elected by voters, the Board of Supervisors sets the Sheriff’s Department’s budget and has a say over other issues impacting the department.
Ballot measures
There are also a number of local measures on the ballot.
Countywide, there is Measure A, which sets up binding arbitration for county public safety employees to settle disputes such as wage increases, and Measure E, which would specify how the county’s Ethics Commission, Office of Ethics Compliance and Ethics Compliance Officer will work.
Measure E also would re-establish Measure J, which requires 10% of the county’s general fund each year to go toward funding alternatives to incarceration. Measure J was accidentally erased in 2024 when voters passed another reform measure.
L.A. city voters will also decide on Measure FD, which would impose a half-cent sales tax and increase the city’s sales tax rate from 10.25% to 10.75%. The tax is expected to generate about $345 million annually for the Fire Department. The money could be used to hire firefighters and paramedics, purchase and maintain vehicles and equipment, build and upgrade fire stations and increase funding for brush clearance.
And in the city of Alhambra, there is Measure DB. This measure asks voters if they want to ban data centers, which would follow neighboring Monterey Park’s data center ban earlier this year. The Monterey Park ban was led by organizers vying for seats in cities such as Monterey Park and Alhambra.
SCNG’s Ryan Carter, Teresa Liu and Steve Scauzillo contributed reporting.