Tomorrow Los Angeles will elect its 42nd Mayor. After being in office since 2005, incumbent Antonio Villaraigosa is no longer eligible for office, leaving the coveted position open for a new face. This is only the third time in 75 years that no incumbent will appear on the ballot. There will instead be eight other hopefuls vying for the job.
L.A. residents can vote for either Yehuda “Yj” Draiman, Eric Garcetti, Wendy Greuel, Kevin James, Addie M. Miller, Jan Perry, Emanuel Pleitez, or Norton Sandler, all of whom are officially “non-partisan.” Deciding factors are likely to include issues such as the City of Los Angeles Sales Tax Increase, Proposition A (opposed by Perry, Garcetti, Greuel, James and Draiman) and Wal-Mart’s wish to build a store in Chinatown (Perry Garcetti, and Gruel have come out saying they will reject any campaign donations from the corporation).
According to a poll by SurveyUSA, Garcetti maintains a lead with 26%, with Greuel on his heels at 23%. The rest follow with 14% (James), 12 (Perry) and 6% (Pleitez), while 13% were still undecided. If no one is able to eke out 50% then a run off between the top two candidates will take place on May 21st.
To find out where your polling place is click here.
