Griego In The Lead For LAUSD District 5 Seat: Semi-Final Results

HOLLYWOOD, CA — Karla Griego is in the lead against Graciela “Grace” Ortiz in the race for the District 5 board seat of the Los Angeles Unified School District, according to semi-final election results.

The two contenders— both LAUSD educators—are vying for the seat being vacated by incumbent Jackie Goldberg.

The seat covers much of Hollywood, as well as parts of Highland Park, Eagle Rock, Mount Washington, Koreatown and much of Southeast LA.

Here's the latest count:

• Griego — 60.34% — 66,026 votes
• Ortiz — 39.66% — 43,400 votes

The results reflect 2.62 million ballots counted countywide by early Wednesday morning, representing 45.59% of registered voters, which the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's Office said were "semi-final results." The results also reflect another approximately 80,000 counted ballots reported by the registrar's office on Wednesday afternoon.

There are still "many" ballots left to count: The registrar plans to release updated counts each day after 4 p.m. until all ballots are counted and the results are certified, the registrar's office said.

Check back in the coming days for an updated breakdown of the results as election officials continue to count ballots.

Real-Time Race Results For Los Angeles County: Nov. 5, 2024 General Election:

The Registrar of Voters and Patch will update the results as votes are tallied, and the page will be refreshed for the latest updates.

Jump to the contest/measure of your choice in the results below.

For full coverage of the election in California, click here.

LAUSD District 5:

Hollywood is split up between three LAUSD board seats. The District 5 Seat — which covers a large portion of the neighborhood, in addition to other areas in the county — is the only one up for election. Incumbent Goldberg is retiring.

In the running to replace her in the Nov. 5 election are Karla Griego and Graciela “Grace” Ortiz.

The pair were the two highest vote getters in the March primary election, besting two other candidates. Griego earned 36.72 percent of the vote and Ortiz got 28.76 percent.

Griego has worked for LAUSD for nearly two decades as a special education teacher and community schools coordinator.

She's campaigning on a platform of boosting the availability of social services at schools, investment in mental health and special education services, curbing the power of charter schools, protecting LGBTQ students, bolstering the district's facilities against climate change, and expanding infant and early education centers.

Candidate information:

• Statement submitted to the LA City Clerk
• Campaign website

Ortiz, a Huntington Park city councilmember, has worked in pupil services for LAUSD for nearly two decades.

She's campaigning on a platform of expanding mental health and counseling services, reducing class sizes, boosting after-school enrichment programs, and bolstering safety plan for each school in the district.

Candidate information:

• Statement submitted to the LA City Clerk
• Campaign website

Check out Patch's Hollywood voter guide for a full rundown of what's on the Nov. 5 ballot.