Runoff election likely in 2nd Council District race

Assemblyman Paul Krekorian and former Paramount Pictures Corp. executive Christine Essel were jockeying for the top spot, according to partial returns representing a sliver of the nearly 124,000 registered voters in the 2nd Council District. Los Angeles school board member Tamar Galatzan, a deputy city attorney based in Van Nuys, was a distant third.

If no candidate breaks 50%, the top two candidates will face a runoff Dec. 8.

Awaiting results at his campaign headquarters in North Hollywood, Krekorian said he was pleased to be leading Essel in early returns after being outspent almost 2 to 1. He characterized the race as a stark contrast "between the candidate that is the choice of the largest developers and corporate interests in downtown Los Angeles, and the candidate -- me -- who is supported by the grass-roots neighborhood activists."

"The people of this district want to make sure they have adequate public safety resources, police and fire response times that keep us safe," Krekorian said. "They want to have land-use decisions that are made based on neighborhood interests and impacts, and not based on who has the best paid lobbyist. . . . They want to have hope that their city government listens to them and responds to their concerns."