First published in the June 11 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.
Incumbents representing Glendale and La Crescenta at the state and federal levels are poised to retain their seats after Tuesday’s primary election.
With the updated ballot count on Friday, Assemblywomen Wendy Carrillo and Laura Friedman emerged as the clear frontrunners in their districts. Carrillo, the sitting Assemblywoman for District 52, will face fellow Democrat Mia Livas Porter in the general election. Friedman, in District 44, will face Republican Barry Curtis Jacobsen in her bid for a fourth term.
Meanwhile, U.S. Reps. Adam Schiff and Judy Chu also led the way in the races for their own congressional districts.
Friedman will be the familiar name many in north Glendale and unincorporated La Crescenta-Montrose, as she has represented those areas since initially being elected to then-District 43 in 2016. She also previously represented Glendale as a City Council member.
District 44 also retains Burbank, alongside Glendale, and brings North Hollywood, Toluca Lake, Studio City, Sherman Oaks and Valley Village into the mix.
Carrillo, however, is new for south Glendale, which was carved away to District 52 after the state’s redistricting commission split the Jewel City into two assembly districts.
In addition to south Glendale, District 52 includes a plethora of Los Angeles neighborhoods such as nearby Echo Park, Atwater Village and Eagle Rock, but also reaches as far south as City Terrace and East Los Angeles.
Carrillo, a Democrat, was first elected to the assembly in a 2017 special election for then-District 51.
In Tuesday’s primary, Friedman ran away with 70.4% of the vote as of Friday’s update, capturing 46,706 votes. Jacobsen, who lives in Toluca Lake, garnered 19,638 votes. Given that they were the only contestants for the seat, the results figure to echo in November for the general election.
“Thank you to all who helped propel our campaign to a decisive victory,” Friedman tweeted on Wednesday. “Elections are opportunities to engage in crucial dialogue on issues. We commend all candidates who ran honest campaigns, their passionate volunteers and the Californians who preserve our democracy by voting.”
Carrillo, a Boyle Heights resident, brought in 50.88% of the vote as of the current count, representing 25,177 votes. Porter, who lives in Los Angeles, finished second with 34.47%, or 17,056 votes. A third challenger, Republican Gia D’Amato, was eliminated after trailing significantly with just 7,246 votes.
“Thank you to everyone who made calls, knocked on doors, sent texts and supported our campaign,” Porter tweeted on Wednesday. “Last night, we showed the power of our movement and we’re only getting started.”
Carrillo’s office did not return a phone call as of deadline.
Schiff, a Burbank Democrat who has long represented Glendale, coasted to 61.66% of the vote among nine candidates, with 60,658 people picking him. Competing for second place are G “Maebe A. Girl” Pudlo, a Democrat, and Ronda Kennedy, a Republican, with 10.32% and 9.44% of the vote, respectively. After redistricting, Schiff and his opponent will now run to represent District 30.
Chu, a Monterey Park Democrat whose congressional district was redrawn this year to absorb La Crescenta-Montrose from Schiff’s previous district, finished with 65.24% of the vote, or 52,056 votes. She will face Republican Wes Hallman, who had 26.72%, or 21,322 votes. They now compete in District 28, which was, coincidentally, once Schiff’s area.
“Thank you to everyone who supported my campaign for reelection,” Chu tweeted on Wednesday. “I’m proud to fight for California’s working families, and I’m ready to keep going.”
