Real-Time Election Results: Los Angeles County 2024 Primary

LOS ANGELES, CA — Angelenos already know the outcome of several key races including the heated district attorney’s race, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors races and a slew of city council, school board and Congressional races.

Voters will soon learn the fate of Measure HLA, which would require Los Angeles to install or change certain safety features — such as sidewalks, bike lanes or bus lanes — when crews are already working on a street, such as for a paving project.

In early returns Tuesday night, the measure appeared to be passing by large margins, though the race remained too close to call Tuesday because most ballots hadn't yet been counted.

The measure aims to improve street safety in a city where traffic violence took the lives of 336 Angelenos in 2023.

LA City's 'Healthy Streets' Initiative On Track for Passage

Perhaps the most closely watched race on the ballot is the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s race with incumbent Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón trying to fend off an historic 11 candidates vying for the controversial progressive prosecutor's seat.

District Attorney George Gascón also jumped to an early lead Tuesday evening over a pack of 11 challengers in his bid for re-election, likely assuring his spot in a November runoff. Nathan Hochman, a former U.S. assistant attorney general who was the Republican candidate for state attorney general in the 2022 general election, claimed second place in early returns with 17.5% of the vote, behind Gascón's 22% as of 1 a.m. Wednesday.

Gascón Bound For Bruising Runoff In Re-Election Bid For LACo DA

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

Can't see the results? Click here for all March 5, 2024 Primary Los Angeles County election updates.

Select "Jump To Contest/Measure" in the dropdown below to choose results for a specific race, or scroll for the full primary election results:

With presidential frontrunners former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden winning their nominations handily, all eyes in California were on the hotly contested primary race for the seat vacated by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein as well as a slew of local races.

Measure HLA

Namely, Los Angeles voters will decide on one referendum, Measure HLA, which will require the city to install or change certain safety features — such as sidewalks, bike lanes or bus lanes — when crews are already working on a street, such as for a paving project.

Early returns showed the Healthy Streets LA ballot measure, also known as Measure HLA, on track to pass by a large margin.

If approved by the voters, the Healthy Streets LA ballot measure, also known as Measure HLA, would require the city to implement modifications described in its Mobility Plan 2035 whenever certain street improvements are made to at least one-eighth of a mile of roadway.

Additionally, it would require the city to create a website so the public can follow the progress of Mobility Plan projects, and give residents the right to sue if the city fails to comply with Measure HLA.

The Mobility Plan 2035, a 20-year city planning document for improving L.A. streets and promoting other modes of transportation such as walking, biking and other transit options, was adopted by the City Council nine years ago. But since then, the city has only implemented 5% of the plan.

Backers of the measure call it an attempt to improve street safety for pedestrians and bicyclists. According to city data, traffic violence took the lives of 336 Angelenos in 2023, and over the past five years more than 1,500 residents have been seriously injured annually.

But some previous efforts by the city to implement roadway modificiations and make streets safer for non-drivers have come under fire for narrowing roads or even eliminating traffic lanes, leading to extensive motor vehicle congestion. In 2017, the city eliminated some traffic lanes in the Mar Vista and Playa del Rey areas to improve access for pedestrians and bicyclists. The resulting uproar from motorists over increased congestion and traffic delays prompted the city to remove some of the modifications and restore traffic lanes. Similar uproar occurred two years later when the city installed a protected bike lane along a mile of Venice Boulevard on the Westside.

City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo recently estimated it would cost $3.1 billion over 10 years for the city to fully implement the measure.

Several L.A. City Council members questioned that estimate, saying Szabo's report seemed to conflate costs associated with some of the city's current obligations to repair sidewalks and ensure compliance with ADA requirements with Measure HLA.

Streets for All, the organization that led the initiative to place HLA on the ballot, also criticized the CAO's numbers. The group came out with its own estimate that put the price at $286 million over 10 years for street safety measures, such as pedestrian enhanced districts and bike networks.

Measure HLA is backed by environmental and labor groups, as well as some nonprofit organizations, such as the Sierra Club, Unite Here! Local 11, SEIU Local 721, Climate Resolve, Streets for All, and Biking While Black.

Opponents of the measure, such as Keep LA Moving, the National Motorists' Association and Safer Streets L.A., argue the measure is a "one- size-fits-all" mandate that would negatively impact drivers and increase traffic. They also say it will cost the city and taxpayers.

United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, International Association of Fire Fighters, California Professional Firefighters and Keep LA Moving launched their "Don't Slow Us Down!" campaign against the measure. Firefighters say Measure HLA would negatively impact emergency services, contending that the Mobility Plan measures could obstruct roads for motor vehicles, making it tougher for emergency vehicles to navigate traffic.

District Attorney

Another major race being closely watched is the battle to unseat incumbent Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón. An historic 11 candidates were vying for the controversial progressive prosecutor's seat.

Real-Time Results: Los Angeles District Attorney Primary Election 2024

Since instituting policies barring the pursuit of the death penalty and trying youths as adults, along with a shift away from longer prison sentences, Gascón has become a lightning rod for his progressive approach.

While Gascón shot off to an early lead over Hochman Tuesday night, the results appear to show some major challenges for him heading into the general election. Gascón led the pack, but voters appeared to favor his 11 challengers by a margin of 4 to 1 in early returns. Will those voters drift back to him in the general election?

In a general election matchup between Gascón and Hochman, the county's overwhelmingly Democratic electorate would have a choice between a Republican prosecutor or an incumbent most voters eschewed in the primary.

Perceived as vulnerable with an electorate frustrated by the pandemic-era spike in violent crime, follow-home robberies and high profile smash and grab mobs, Gascón found himself facing a large field of contenders. Among his challengers were several L.A. County deputy district attorneys, federal prosecutors and judges who have lambasted him as unfit for office.

They include:

• Debra Archuleta
• Jeff Chemerinsky
• Jonathan Hatami
• Nathan Hochman
• Dan Kapelovitz
• Lloyd "Bobcat" Masson
• John McKinney
• David Milton
• Craig Mitchell
• Maria Ramirez
• Eric Siddall

Los Angeles City Council, School Board and County Supervisor Races

Los Angeles voters faced a very full ballot, there were seven City Council seats open including Districts 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 and 14. Angelenos were also being asked to choose four board members for the Los Angeles Unified School District including Districts 1, 3, 5, 7.

• Incumbents Take Early Leads In Race for LAUSD Board Seats In Primary
• Raman Headed for Runoff in City Council District 4 Race
• Lee Seems Headed For Victory In City Council District 12 Duel
• De Leon Leads Council District 14 Race

There were three seats open on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors including districts 2, 4, and 5.

• Barger Preparing For Third, Final Term On LACo Board of Supervisors
• Hahn Outpaces Villanueva, RPV Mayor in Supervisorial Re-Election Bid
• Holly Mitchell Bests 3 Challengers in District 2 LACo Supervisors Race

Proposition 1

In 2004, California voters approved a tax on millionaires to finance mental health services. The tax raises $2-$3 billion annually to fund mental health programs through local government. Proposition 1 would require counties to spend 60 percent of the money on housing and programs for homeless people with serious mental illnesses or substance abuse problems.

The statewide ballot measure that would overhaul California's mental health care system, primarily through the issuance of nearly $6.4 billion in bonds, was being narrowly approved Tuesday evening, but still too close to call.

Real-Time Election Results: CA Proposition 1 Passing Narrowly

Presidential Primary

The primary will decide which candidate gets California's 169 delegates — the largest haul of any state — to the Republican and Democratic national conventions, to be held in July and August, respectively.

All three top contenders have been stumping in California. President Joe Biden and Republican contender Nikki Haley visited Southern California earlier this month. GOP frontrunner Donald Trump campaigned in the Golden State days after skipping the Republican debate in September.

Both Biden and Trump sailed to victory in California by overwhelming margins Tuesday

There were notable changes to California's primary this year. It moved up from June to Super Tuesday in March with 13 other states.

In California, the political parties determine whether they will have open or closed presidential parties, meaning only the party's registered voters can pick the winning candidates.

Furthermore, the state's GOP changed the rules to winner-takes-all, so that any candidate who gets a majority wins all of the delegates. Previously, the delegates were divided up based on the number of congressional districts each Republican won.

The change, pushed by the Donald Trump campaign, raises the stakes in California's primary and favors the frontrunner in the Republican primary, which also happens to be Trump.

Click here to check your voter and party registration status.

Statewide Primary Elections

All 52 of California's congressional districts will have primary races March 5 along with one U.S. Senate race. With frontrunners Trump and Biden expected to sail to victory in California's presidential primary, the real suspense centers on the Golden State's senate race.

For the senate race, California has an open primary, which means only the top two vote-getters in the primary election, regardless of party affiliation, move on to the general election.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) and former Los Angeles Dodger Steve Garvey (R) declared victory Tuesday night with Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine ) conceding defeat after a third-place showing in early returns.

Garvey And Schiff To Square Off In CA's General Election Senate Race

All election season, polls had shown Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) in the lead with former Los Angeles Dodger Steve Garvey (R), Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine ), and Rep. Barbara Lee (Oakland) vying for second place to make it into the general election.

According to a California Elections and Policy Poll released in February, Porter and Garvey were deadlocked in the race for second place.

Schiff went into February far in the lead with 25 percent of likely voters while Porter and Garvey, each garnered support from 15 percent of likely voters. Lee was polling in fourth place at 7 percent of the vote, according to the poll.

It's been decades since a Republican won statewide office in California, and that may be why the Schiff campaign is expending considerable capital to raise Garvey's profile among Republican voters through a series of expensive Fox News ads, touting him as too conservative for California.

Porter blasted the tactic as a “brazenly cynical” bid for Schiff to handpick his opponent in the general election, counting on deep blue California to reject any statewide Republican candidate in the general election.

According to Politico, Porter and Schiff booked a staggering $25 million in airtime. Schiff nabbed the bulk of the Democratic establishment endorsements such as Nancy Pelosi, United Farm Workers and the Los Angeles Times editorial board. Porter, a darling of progressives, garnered endorsements from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, CA Attorney General Rob Bonta, and consumer advocacy groups.

The senate candidates are:

• Sharleta Bassett (R)
• James P. Bradley (R)
• Eric Early (R)
• Steve Garvey (R)
• Denice Gary-Pandol (R)
• Laura Garza (No party preference)
• Sepi Gilani (D)
• Don Grundmann (No party preference)
• Forrest Jones (American Independent Party of California)
• Harmesh Kumar (D)
• Barbara Lee (D)
• Sarah Sun Liew (R)
• Gail Lightfoot (L)
• James Macauley (R)
• Christina Pascucci (D)
• David Peterson (D)
• Douglas Howard Pierce (D)
• Katie Porter (D)
• Perry Pound (D)
• Raji Rab (D)
• Jonathan Reiss (R)
• John Rose (D)
• Mark Ruzon (No party preference)
• Adam Schiff (D)
• Stefan Simchowitz (R)
• Major Singh (No party preference)
• Martin Veprauskas (R)
• Eduardo Berdugo (Independent) (Write-in)
• Danny Fabricant (R) (Write-in)
• Roxanne Lawler (R) (Write-in)

Track Your Ballot

Mail-in voters in California now have a way to track their ballots to make sure their votes are counted. The California Secretary of State is now offering Where’s My Ballot? for voters to track and receive notifications on the status of their vote-by-mail ballot.

With Where’s My Ballot? Voters who sign up will receive notices via email, text, or voice message from the county elections official regarding the status of the voter's vote-by-mail ballot including:

• When the ballot has been delivered
• The date that the voter's ballot is expected to be delivered to the voter
• If the voter's ballot is returned as undeliverable to the county elections official by the USPS
• When the voter's completed ballot has been received by the county
• Whether the voter's completed ballot has been accepted or a reason why the ballot could not be accepted and instructions of steps the voter can take in order to have the ballot accepted
• The deadline for the voter to return his or her ballot if the county has not received a voter's completed ballot by specified dates as determined by the county elections officials

Patch Staffer Michael Wittner contributed to this report.