4/13/16 at 12:25AM | Austin Ready for Another 4 Years, Pearce Looks Confidently Toward June Runoff
“Tomorrow we get back to work,” Al Austin II said regarding his District 8 win. “We’ve had a great four years and we’re looking forward to four more.”
Meanwhile, the festive mood was palpable at The Blind Donkey, with Pearce and her supporters enjoying celebratory bouts of karaoke.
“I think I had the most to prove to everybody, whether through funding or voter contact,” said District 2 candidate Jeannine Pearce to the Post‘s Keeley Smith, prior to the final results. “I feel amazing. Look—I’m in the lead because I have great, amazing supporters who knocked on doors and put their hearts into it. They’re passionate about their district.”
“I support her because of the passion she has for all the issues,” said Ernesto Rocha, who has known Pearce for nearly four years. “The community issues are all real. She does an extremely good job of piecing together each issue. These are real people and real families… I’m so excited for her.”
“We’ve got 10 more weeks of fighting to ensure we get to the doors and people vote, Pearce added after the final results were posted. “A June election means we are going to win.”
11:54PM | Al Austin Wins in District 8; Malauulu, Otto Win LBCCD Seats, Williams, Meyer Win LBUSD Seats
With all 196 precincts reported, 19,238 total ballots were cast, representing just 11.5% of the registered voters in the districts that voted today.
District 2 candidate Jeannine Pearce finishes in the lead with 43.6 percent of the vote, or 1,629 votes. Eric Gray is placed in second, with 36.9 percent, or 1,378 votes. Joen Garnica finishes at 19.5 percent. Pearce and Gray will now go to a runoff election June 7.
District 6’s Dee Andrews finishes with 48.1 percent of the vote, or 828 votes followed by Erik Miller with 27.4 percent, or 471 votes. Robert Harmon finishes with 14.4 percent and Josephine A. Villasenor with 10.1 percent of the votes. Andrews and Miller will face off in June.
The District 8 race shows Al Austin II with an outright win at 50.1 percent, with 1,694 votes. Wesley Turnbow followed with 33.5 percent and Laurie C. Angel with 16.4 percent.
LBCCD’s Area 2 gives Vivian Williams Malauulu the win with 59.3 percent of the votes, or 2,350 votes. Irma Archuleta comes in at 40.7 percent.
Area 4 shows Doug Otto, also with the win, at 72.1 percent, with 5,866 votes. Davina M. Keiser finishes with 27.9 percent of the votes.
LBUSD’s District 2 puts Felton C. Williams as the winner with 68.7 percent, or 2,680 votes with Jessica Vargas-Alvarez finishing at 31.3 percent.
Jon Meyer wins District 4 with 61.8 percent, or 4,910 votes, followed by Rosi A. Pedersen with 38.2 percent of the votes.
11:55PM | 81% of Precincts Reporting
4,392 day-of ballots have now been counted, with the total ballots cast now numbering 17,776. 159 of the 196 precincts have now been reported.
The race for the open Long Beach City Council seats heats up with District 8’s Al Austin II losing four tenths of a percent, leaving him stretching to meet the 50 percent mark. In districts 2 and 6, the front-runners maintain their leads, though neither has passed the 50 percent mark to prevent a runoff.
District 2 candidate Jeannine Pearce increases her lead with 42.1 percent of the vote, or 1,380 votes. Eric Gray still follows, falling a tenth of a percent with 1,244 votes. John Garnica slips further, now sitting at 19.9 percent.
District 6’s Dee Andrews extends his lead slightly with 47.8 percent of the vote, or 810 votes. Erik Miller sits behind with 27.5 percent, followed by Robert Harmon with 14.6 percent and Josephine A. Villasenor now with 10.2 percent of the votes.
The District 8 race shows Al Austin II with a .4 percent loss, placing him at nearly 50 percent, with 1,481 votes. Wesley Turnbow sits in second with 34.2 percent, and Laurie C. Angel with 15.9 percent.
LBCCD’s Area 2 shows Vivian Williams Malauulu holds a strong lead with 59.1 percent of the votes, or 2,199 votes. Irma Archuleta comes in at 40.9 percent.
Area 4 places Doug Otto still ahead with the same 72.1 percent of the votes, now with 5,591 votes. Davina M. Keiser sits with the same 27.9 percent of the votes.
LBUSD’s District 2 puts Felton C. Williams still as a front-runner with 68.4 percent, or 2,510 votes with Jessica Vargas-Alvarez following at a slightly higher 31.6 percent.
District 4 shows Jon Meyer still ahead with 62.4 percent, or 4,663 votes, followed by Rosi A. Pedersen with 37.6 percent of the votes.
11:18PM | With 68% of Precincts Reporting, Austin Passes 50% Mark; Front-Runners Maintain Their Leads
3,316 precinct ballots have now been counted, bringing the total to 16,700, and 133 of the 196 precincts now reported.
The race for the open Long Beach City Council seats have hardly changed, with the three candidates ahead still maintaining their leads.
District 2 candidate Jeannine Pearce comes in with 41.8 percent of the vote, or 1,267 votes. Eric Gray sits in second with 38.1 percent, or 1,154 votes, followed by Joen Garnica at 20.1 percent.
District 6’s Dee Andrews maintains his lead with 46.8 percent of the vote, or 686 votes. Remaining in second is Erik Miller with 27.4 percent, followed by Robert Harmon with 15.1 percent and Josephine A. Villasenor now with 10.7 percent of the votes.
District 8 shows Al Austin II now with 50.4 percent of the total, or 1,321 votes. Wesley Turnbow remains in second place with 34 percent, and Laurie C. Angel with 15.6 percent.
The race for LBUSD and LBCCD board positions remain steady, with LBCCD’s Area 2 showing Vivian Williams Malauulu maintaining her lead with 59.3 percent of the votes, or 2,044 votes. Irma Archuleta comes in at 40.7 percent.
Area 4 puts Doug Otto still ahead with 72.1 percent of the votes, or 5,417 votes. Davina M. Keiser follows with 27.9 percent of the votes.
LBUSD’s District 2 shows Felton C. Williams still in the lead with 68.7 percent, or 2,341 votes with Jessica Vargas-Alvarez following at 31.3 percent.
District 4 shows Jon Meyer still ahead with 62.5 percent, or 4,511 votes, followed by Rosi A. Pedersen with 37.5 percent of the votes.
11:05PM | Dee Andrews, Al Austin II Voice Their Confidence, Eric Gray Revels in Support
“From the way it’s going, I’m going to have me another four years,” Dee Andrews, District 6’s write-in candidate, told the Post‘s Stephanie Rivera in response to his lead in vote-by-mail ballots earlier tonight.
Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia tweeted two hours before, “Congrats to Dee Andrews on his big first place write-in-win tonight,” unofficially calling the election for the confident candidate.
The feeling at Weiland Brewery where District 8 candidate Al Austin’s party gathered in Bixby Knolls was also one of confidence, according to Post reporter Jason Ruiz.
“I tend to do well on election night,” Austin said, confident that the numbers will continue to come in favorably.
Eric Gray and supporters gathered at The Stave on The Promenade in downtown Long Beach.
“There are a lot of great people from the city here,” the District 2 candidate told the Post‘s Keeley Smith, adding that there will likely be a runoff. “It’s nice to have so many here. It started a long time ago. I announced my candidacy last June. It feels more relaxed tonight.”
“He’s an honest man,” said Kevyn Reekes, a supporter of Gray and a Long Beach resident of 30 years. “It’s not a gay thing. He is about the city,” Reekes added, referring to Gray’s prominence in Long Beach’s LGBT community.
“I support Eric because he’s been providing a lot of services to the city,” Gray supporter Chas Escalante told the Post. “You know, I first met [him] when we were tree planting next to Berlin. He’s a standup guy. He’s great with building places that will positively affect the city.”
10:45PM | First Round of Election Day Results In
The next significant wave of preliminary results have come through, with 1,123 precinct ballots cast, bringing the total to 14,507 ballots cast, and 74 of the 196 precincts now reported.
The race for the open City Council seats barely wavers, with three candidates ahead maintaining their leads.
The District 2 seat remains a close race with Jeannine Pearce still in the lead with 40.4 percent of the vote, or 900 votes. Eric Gray remains in second with 38.7 percent, or 860 votes, followed by Joen Garnica at 20.9 percent.
District 6’s Dee Andrews maintains his lead with 44 percent of the vote, or 540 votes. Sitting in second is Erik Miller at 27.6 percent, followed by Robert Harmon with 17 percent and Josephine A. Villasenor now with 11.3 percent of the votes.
District 8 keeps Al Austin II in the lead with 49.5 percent of the total, or 1,132 votes. Wesley Turnbow sits in second with 34.8 percent, and Laurie C. Angel with 15.7 percent.
The board positions for LBUSD and LBCCD have moved slightly, with LBCCD’s Area 2 showing Vivian Williams Malauulu with a slightly stronger lead at 58.8 percent, or 1,731 votes. Irma Archuleta comes in at 41.2 percent.
Area 4 shows Doug Otto still ahead with 72.9 percent of the votes, or 4,933 votes. Davina M. Keiser now has 27.1 percent of the votes.
LBUSD’s District 2 keeps Felton C. Williams in the lead with 68.5 percent, or 2,023 votes. Jessica Vargas-Alvarez follows with 31.5 percent.
District 4 shows Jon Meyer still ahead with 63.6 percent, or 4,118 votes, with Rosi A. Pedersen coming in with 36.4 percent of the vote.
9:20PM | Garnica Supporters Hopeful, Miller Looks Ahead to June
Despite the early results, District 2 candidate Joen Garnica told Keeley Smith of the Long Beach Post that her spirits remain high, saying, “I’m feeling great. It’s hard not to feel great with wonderful friends and family around and the second district as a backdrop.”
Garnica was surrounded by fans and supporters during her election gathering at Hotel Maya.
“I’m hopeful these last 6, 7, 8 months of campaigning pay off,” said Jeremy Harris, Senior Vice President of The Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, who endorsed Garnica this election. “It’s one of the great processes of the city, to watch the voters come and support the candidates they believe in.”
District 6 candidate Erik Miller told reporter Stephanie Rivera, as he convened with friends and family at the Ronald McDonald house, that he’d be lying if he didn’t say he was hoping for an outright win, but is hoping for a June runoff because he feels the sixth district needs a change.
8:55PM | Education Seats Preliminary Results
Two LBCCD Board of Trustees seats are open: Areas 2 and 4.
With 13,384 vote-by-mail ballots counted, Area 2 has Vivian Williams Malauulu leading with 58.5 percent, or 1,502 votes. Irma Archuleta comes in with 41.5 percent.
Area 4 shows Doug Otto pull ahead with 73.3 percent of the votes, or 4,564 votes. Davina M. Keiser has 26.7 percent of the votes.
Two LBUSD Board of Education have seats available, District 2 and 4.
District 2 has Felton C. Williams in the lead with 68.9 percent, or 1,777 votes. Jessica Vargas-Alvarez trails behind with 31.1 percent.
District 4 shows Jon Meyer ahead with 63.7 percent, or 3,815 votes, with Rosi A. Pedersen sitting behind with 36.3 percent of the vote.
8:45PM | Districts 2, 6 and 8 Preliminary Results
With 13,384 vote-by-mail ballots counted, District 2 shows Jeannine Pearce ahead with 40 percent of the vote, or 873 votes. Eric Gray sits just behind at 38.9 percent, or 850 votes and Joen Garnica at 21.1 percent.
District 6 has write-in candidate Dee Andrews in the lead ahead with 41.4 percent of the vote, or 414 votes. Sitting in second is Erik Miller at 28.3 percent, followed by Robert Harmon with 17.5 percent; and Josephine A. Villasenor with 12.7 percent of the votes.
District 8 puts Al Austin II in the lead with 48.7 percent of the total, or 1,059 votes. Wesley Turnbow is sitting in second with 35.3 percent, and Laurie C. Angel with 16.
8:00PM | As the polls close at 8:00PM this evening, Long Beach awaits the results from 196 precincts that voted today for eight city and education positions.
Tonight, the city council seats for District 2, 6 and 8 will possibly be determined, alongside even-numbered areas for the boards of the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) and Long Beach Community College (LBCC). The city council District 4 seat is uncontested, as Daryl Supernaw is running unopposed.
If no single candidate earns at least half of the vote for their position, the top two vote-getters will face each other in a runoff, set for June 7.
For those of you on Twitter, make sure to join the conversation using the hashtag #BeVocalVoteLocal.
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