Assemblywoman Mitchell Eyes Senate Seat

Culver City’s State Senator Curren Price was elected to the Los Angeles City Council Tuesday night, creating a vacancy which will be filled by a special election.

When Price takes his seat on the council on July 1 Governor Jerry Brown will have 14 days to call a special election.

Culver City Assemblymember Holly Mitchell, who is serving her second two-year term in the lower house, had been mentioned as a front runner to succeed Price. Mitchell would be subject to term limits in the assembly after her third term.

Price was first elected to the Senate in 2009 after serving almost three years in the state assembly. Prior to serving in the state legislature Price was an Inglewood City Councilman. Price lost a bid to become Mayor of Inglewood in 2001.

Price replaced Mark Ridley-Thomas when he was elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

The Curren Price Juggernaut beat the underfunded Ana Cubas by a mere 541 votes. Price was endorsed on a daily basis by the top brass in Sacramento and Los Angeles. But it appeared to be the huge war chest Price accumulated, primarily from local unions, which put him over the top. Garnering a mere 5184 votes to win Price spent almost $100 per vote to get elected.

Should Mitchell decide to seek and win the Senate seat a special election would then be called to fill her assembly seat. Mitchell, who had not held elected office prior to her election to the state assembly, served as executive director of the non-profit Crystal Stairs, one of the largest childcare agencies in California.

Mitchell replaced Karen Bass in the state legislature when Bass was elected to a seat in the United States House of Representatives.

In addition to Culver City the 26^th Senate District includes the Los Angeles communities of Baldwin Hills, Baldwin Vista, Beverlywood, Carthay Circle, Century City, the Crenshaw District, Hancock Park, Hollywood, Hyde Park, Jefferson Park, Ladera Heights, Lafayette Square, Larchmont, Leimert Park, Los Feliz, Miracle Mile, South Central Los Angeles, View Park, West Los Angeles and Windsor Hills.

While the Mayoral race in Los Angeles has no impact on Culver City residents, Eric Garcetti was elected Mayor by a whooping eight percentage points over challenger Wendy Greuel in what was expected to be a close race. Evidently the high profile endorsements and public employee union funding appears to have done more to hurt Greuel then help.

Garcetti becomes the first Jewish Mayor and the youngest in more than a century in Los Angeles.