It’s been nearly a week since Californians fanned out across the state to vote in the primary election. First-place candidates in more than 40 races don’t yet know whom they will compete against in November.
Experts warn that California — and particularly Los Angeles County — is notorious for slow election counts. As my colleague Grace Toohey reports, California’s emphasis on voter accessibility and accuracy have slowed the process, but it’s a product of the system working.
Many significant races are still too close to call, including the race for governor, in which Xavier Becerra probably will face Steve Hilton in November.
Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass also has secured a spot in the general election. Whom she will face remains up in the air, but there’s a strong chance it will be Nithya Raman, who surged past Spencer Pratt on Sunday.
Confirming the final spot in the mayor’s race could take several more days, depending on how close the contest becomes and how many ballots still need to be counted.
Late results could bring good news for the Democratic Party as Democrats tend to be more likely to vote by mail, a system that accepts ballots up to seven days after election day as long as they are postmarked by that Tuesday. And this year, Democratic voters held on to their ballots longer amid an unsettled governor’s race.
Here are some updates on California’s most contentious races.
Nithya Raman closes in on Spencer Pratt’s lead
Raman now sits in second place with Pratt in third, capping off a five-day turnaround after she fell behind Pratt on election night. Raman jumped to 27.1% of the votes counted so far while Pratt fell to slightly more than 26%, according to results from the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.
“The odds have shifted dramatically in Raman’s favor,” said Zev Yaroslavsky, a former council member who runs the Los Angeles Initiative at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.
Mail-in ballots with a June 2 election day postmark will continue to be accepted by county election officials through Tuesday. Election officials estimated there are still about 368,000 ballots left to process countywide.
Xavier Becerra advances to November
Becerra won one of the top two spots for California’s gubernatorial runoff, according to the Associated Press, putting him in a prime position to become the state’s first elected Latino governor.
Steve Hilton remains a close second and appears on the cusp of securing the right to face off with Becerra in the November general election, my colleagues wrote.
Tom Steyer appears likely to finish in third place — a disappointing end to a campaign that saturated California’s television screens, social media scrolls and mailboxes thanks to the billionaire spending $216 million of his own money.
City attorney may be ousted in primary
Until this primary, an incumbent city attorney had made the runoff in Los Angeles since 1933, according to a city archivist.
Hydee Feldstein Soto appears to be on track to break that record as it seems she probably will finish a distant third in her primary contest, ending her reelection bid.
Marissa Roy, a deputy attorney general with the California Department of Justice who leads the race with ballots still being counted, wooed voters with shoe leather and social media savvy, promising to use the office to fight for wage workers and tenants.
L.A. County prosecutor John McKinney tapped into voter frustration over homeless encampments, a blighted downtown and general distrust of City Hall to earn the second runoff spot.
As the post-election vote count trudges on, here’s where you can keep up with The Times’ coverage of the election and the results for the races. Updates will continue until the end of the month.
Today’s top stories
Pump jacks are seen in the century-old Inglewood Oil Field in Los Angeles.
(Gary Coronado / For The Times)
Hazardous industrial sites in L.A. County
- In the wake of the multiday chemical crisis in Orange County, Los Angeles County has launched an online map to let people know whether they live or work near an industrial or waste site.
- The map shows the location of more than 6,000 active or idle oil wells, as well as 1,300 industrial facilities, “some located in and around residential and community areas.”
Stand-out moments from the 2026 Tony Awards
2026 FIFA World Cup
What else is going on
Commentary and opinions
This morning’s must-read
For your downtime
(Kyle Platts / For The Times)
Going out
Staying in
A question for you: What’s your favorite summer beach getaway?
William says, “I have to say, my favorite summer beach getaway has always been La Jolla Shores down in San Diego. It just had the perfect combination of sun, sand, and water, along with a great beach side park for picnics and lounging about, taking naps and reading books.”
Email us at [email protected], and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.
And finally … your photo of the day
Leonor Torres helps Diana De Los Santos, 15, as she tries on dresses for a Sweet 16 celebration at Galvez Fashion in Los Angeles.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times )
Today’s great photo is from Times photographer Robert Gauthier at an L.A. dress shop where dress sales have plummeted after immigration raids in L.A.’s Fashion District scared off their Latino clientele.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Hailey Branson-Potts, staff writer
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, Fast Break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to [email protected]. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.
