Measure B bounced by Hermosa Beach voters, women take the lead in 2013 elections
Jeff Duclos and Nanette Barragan stand together after viewing the election results placing them in the top two council positions on Tuesday night. Photo by Chelsea Schreiber
Hermosa Beach voters Tuesday night resoundingly rejected the Measure B “Quiet Nights” initiative intended to curtail local nightlife, reelected Councilman Jeff Duclos, and elected two political newcomers to the City Council.
First time council candidate Nanette Barragan garnered 1,584 votes, for 16.96 percent of the vote, while incumbent Jeff Duclos came in a close second with 1,501 votes, or 16.07 percent. Carolyn Petty and H.S. ‘Hany’ Fangary were separated by only two votes – with Petty currently in the lead with 1,480.
Hany Fangary celebrates the two vote margin that could potentially put him on the dais. Photo by Chelsea Schreiber
Fangary, who currently has 1,478 votes, said he has not lost hope yet because provisional ballots are yet to be reviewed.
“Win or lose it was a win-win situation because the benefit I got from meeting so many people in Hermosa was a win,” Fangary said after results were announced at an election party late Tuesday night. “Hopefully counting the provisional’s may change the outcome and I look forward to serving if it does.”
Deputy City Clerk Linda Abbott said that the official results, including additional absentee ballots and provisional ballots, will be available by November 25.
“I have mixed feelings,” Duclos said about being re elected for a second term. “I’m grateful I earned a second term. When I first started my goal was to serve two terms, now I’ll be able to build on my first term and make some important changes… There’s no prep school for city council, the only way to do it is to do the job.”
CPA Karen Nowicki beat 16-year former councilmember J.R. Reviczky by 802 votes with a final count of 1,925 for the recently vacated City Treasurer position. She will serve the remaining two years of the term vacated by David Cohn in May.
Kiwanis Youth Center polling place volunteer Priscilla Atwell said that voter turnout had been steady throughout the day.
“We’ve had twenty kids and thirty dogs,” said Atwell, commenting on how the community has embraced this election. “We even had people waiting when we opened this morning.”
Karen Nowicki reacts after viewing 100 percent of the precinct results, officially naming her as the new City Treasurer. Photo by Chelsea Schreiber
By 7 p.m., an hour before polls closed, Atwell said that they had received 460 ballots – a significantly higher number than usual.
“I try to vote at every election,” 28-year-old Amanda Wilson said while waiting in line to vote outside of City Hall. “I just think it’s a right and we should always exercise it. It’s part of being American.”
The hotly debated Measure B, intended to reduce downtown bar hours by one to two hours, was defeated as almost 72 percent of residents voting no.
Carolyn Petty watches the final results and reacts after learning she potentally won third place by just two votes. Photo by Chelsea Schreiber
“Most people I talked to said, ‘Hey, Hermosa Beach can be controlled with the law rather than taking away rights,’” said Ron Newman, bar owner and anti-Measure B activist, early in the evening Tuesday. “I’m confident in the voters of Hermosa Beach.”
27-year-old first time voter Drew Pedersen said that he decided to vote for the first time because he wanted to vote no on Measure B.
“I don’t know the politicians,” said Pedersen. “But a lot of my friends and roommates work in the bars and they’d miss out on a lot of work if it passed. I don’t see what the big deal is; it would detract a lot from Hermosa.”
Sitting council member Kit Bobko only received 13.32 percent of the votes while former Hermosa Beach Police Chief Greg Savelli received 11.73 percent. Former council member John Bowler came in last with only 958 votes, or 10.26 percent.
Greg Savelli makes a toast with friends and family during his campaign party on Tuesday night. Photo by Chelsea Schreiber
“I feel good,” Barragen said about her win. “I’m proud of my campaign. I really got out there and talked to the residents, I couldn’t have done it without them. I worked hard, knocked on doors and asked them about their concerns and learned about what they were concerned about. That’s what really helped.”
“Congratulations to Nanette,” Duclos said. “She showed herself to be a strong candidate and a force of nature in this race. I knew we would be a different council but it was unclear what the differences would be. ”
Barragen, a business advocate and counselor at a Los Angeles law firm where she specializes in employment law, based her campaign on an anti-oil platform, taking a strong stance against the potential E&B oil drilling project. However, in the days leading up to the election, citizens voiced their concerns that she would be unable to vote in any oil decisions because of her proximity to the city maintenance yard, the area of the proposed oil drilling.
A resident refreshes an iPad while keeping an eye on the election results. Photo by Chelsea Schreiber
“I disagree legally with the conclusion,” Barragan said during an interview last week about her property’s less than 500-foot distance from the site. “Two experts conclude that I’m outside of the 500-feet zone, and I’m committed to speaking on this issue.”
Barragan did not provide specific information on the experts she referenced.
Former city councilmember Gary Brutsch said that Barragan is legally required to recuse herself from any city related oil negotiations because of a Political Reform Act and Municipal Code section that states that any candidate that lives within 500 feet of the city maintenance yard has a legal conflict of interest because of the proximity to the site.
“I strongly urge that Nanette challenge the scope of this potential conflict of interest statute in the appropriate judicial venue,” Brutsch wrote in a letter to the editor. “This candidate possesses strong oil related opinions. However as the law stands today she would be restrained from participation in valuable oil related public hearings.”
Kit Bobko watches as results roll in during the election on Tuesday night. Photo by Chelsea Schreiber
He estimates by viewing a Department of Regional Planning map that she is a projected 367-feet from the property.
Lauren Jamison said that she felt a sense of accomplishment after voting on Tuesday night.
Volunteers clean up after closing the polls at 8 p.m. Photo by Chelsea Schreiber
“I’m a two year resident of Hermosa and I’m very involved in the community,” 29-year-old Jamison said. “I felt like this was going an extra mile, and it’s important.”
She said she wasn’t as knowledgeable about the candidates but voted no on Measure B because of her friends in the area who work at bars would be affected if it passed.
“It would affect their businesses and livelihood,” said Jamison. “It would hit the younger Hermosa Beach community hard because Hermosa Beach is such a social, active, outgoing place.”
While waiting for the election results shortly after 8 p.m., Bobko said that he was proud of his campaign.
“We had a positive message and a track record of accomplishment on the council,” said Bobko.
While City Council candidates were watching their stats, nine Hermosa Beach City School Board candidates were refreshing their results, keeping an eye on the close race for just three open seats.
At the end of the night, first time candidate Mary Campbell led with 1,568 votes, or 20 percent of the vote.
Incumbent Carleen Beste gained 16 percent of the votes. Newcomer Margaret Bove-Lamnica clenched the third spot with 1,286 votes, or 16.34 percent.
Jim Caldwell trailed in fourth position with 1,069 votes while James Scott, Doug Gneiser, Seth Weiss and Michael Goodhue all earned less than 1,000 votes.
Photo by Chelsea Schreiber
“I feel really good and excited,” Campbell said in an interview on Wednesday about her win. “Now is the chance to really shift all the focus onto the issues. It’s an opportunity for people to voice where things stand and where they think there’s work to be done.”
The school board, which typically is a mix of men and women representatives, will now be comprised of all women. The city council, which was previously all men – will now have at least one woman sitting on the dais.
“I think people really seemed to be focusing on qualifications and the messages that were coming out,” said Campbell. “I’m not sure if people voted for gender at all, there might be a few – but I definitely like that there will be diversity on our city council.”
Savelli, who came in 6th, kept an eye on the results throughout the entire evening.
“This whole process was very good. It was a very educational experience,” Savelli said during his election party at the Bottle Inn Tuesday night. “I appreciate that people are willing to put their time in and it’s nice they’re willing to be invested in the community. I met a lot of good people and there are a lot of people who really care about the community. I’m proud of the residents for making their vote known.” ER
2013 Hermosa Beach Election Voting Results
Registration 13,813
City Council
Nanette Barragan 1,584 16.96%
Jeff Duclos 1, 501 16.07%
Carolyn Petty 1,480 15.84%
H. S. Fangary 1,478 15.82%
Patrick Bobko 1,244 13.32%
Greg Savelli 1,096 11.73%
John Bowler 958 10.26%
Treasurer Unexpired Term
Karen Nowicki 1,925 63.16%
J.R Reviczky 1,123 36.84%
Measure B – Reduce Business Hours
Yes 1,011 28.19%
No 2,575 71.81%
School Board
Mary Campbell 1,568 20.19%
Carleen Beste 1,286 16.56%
M Bove-Lamonica 1,269 16.34%
Jim Caldwell 1,069 13.77%
James Scott 896 11.54%
Doug Gneiser 836 10.76%
Seth Weiss 442 5.69%
Michael Goodhue 400 5.15%