LOS ANGELES (CNS) — After weeks of silence, Los Angeles City Councilman Gil Cedillo conceded defeat Friday in his bid for re-election, with final election tallies confirming an upset victory for community activist and public policy advocate Eunisses Hernandez.
Hernandez prevailed in the District 1 race with 16,108 votes, or 54.04%, while Cedillo collected 13,700 votes, or 45.96%.
In a statement, Cedillo thanked his supporters and vowed to continue serving the community.
“I want to thank the people of Los Angeles for giving me the opportunity to serve as their elected representative these past two and a half decades,” he said. “Since the beginning of my early activism in Boyle Heights, I have dedicated my life to public service, and I am grateful that I have been able to work with so many incredible people to make substantive impacts on the lives of our neighbors and for our communities.
“... I am proud and humbled to have done this work and I am grateful for all those who have worked with me and supported me through the years,” Cedillo said. “Now it is time for a new chapter of service to our city and our communities and a chance to spend more time with my family and loved ones. I look forward to closing out my time on City Council, finishing projects and preparing to serve in a new way.”
Cedillo has been absent from council meetings for the past two weeks.
Hernandez previously proclaimed victory in the race. On social media last week, she wrote, “Now the hard work begins. We must stay rooted in not leaving people behind and uplifting and taking the lead of directly impacted people. We will continue to lead our work with love, compassion, deep strategic analysis and patience.”
The final results of the June 7 election released Friday by the county Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office also confirmed the November runoff battle between Rep. Karen Bass and businessman Rick Caruso in the race for Los Angeles mayor.
Despite being vastly outspent during the campaign, Bass finished atop the field of candidates with 278,511 votes, or 43.11%. Caruso received 232,490, or 35.99%, of the vote.
The closest race in the municipal election was in the battle to replace Mike Feuer as city attorney.
Civil rights attorney Faisal Gill easily topped the field with 24.23% of the vote to advance to the November runoff. But the battle for the second spot in that election remained in doubt until Friday with the final tally.
In the end, financial law attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto emerged victorious by a mere 136 votes over former federal prosecutor Marina Torres. Soto earned 112,978 votes, or 19.9%, compared to Torres’ 112,842 votes, or 19.87%.