The election for Los Angeles mayor between real estate developer Rick Caruso and Congresswoman Karen Bass remains too close to call, as officials continue receiving mail-in ballots.
Bass narrowly pulled ahead Friday evening, with a 4,384-vote lead on Caruso, according to the L.A. County Registrar, hanging on to 50% of the votes while Caruso is behind with 49%.
Election officials expect the results will take several more days to confirm, as poll workers continue to receive mail-in ballots. Mail-in ballots that are postmarked on Election Day are acceptable through next Tuesday.
As election ballots continue to arrive, voting officials work to confirm the ballot signatures for election integrity. Approximately 900,000 ballots are still uncounted, according to Politico.
The registrar’s office said updates will be less frequent as they receive ballots to ensure any update provides substantial information, according to KTLA.
Both candidates have released statements on their social media telling their supporters to be patient as the votes are counted and encouraging them to be optimistic.
Caruso is a former real estate developer who has served as president of the department of water and power commission, as well as president of the Los Angeles police commission.
To address homelessness, he plans to declare a state of emergency and utilize emergency funding to create support programs for the unhoused. Caruso also intends to demand state and federal assistance for additional funding and case workers, to address those with substance abuse and mental health problems, according to his campaign website.
Caruso plans to promote clean energy by expanding mobility options for safer bicycle and pedestrian access, as well as utilizing federal and state funding to assist renewable and clean energy programs.
If Bass maintains her lead, she will become the first Black woman to hold the position in the city’s 241-year history.
Bass is the current representative for California’s 37th congressional district, covering South Los Angeles, Crenshaw, Baldwin Hills, Miracle Mile, Pico-Robertson, Century City, Cheviot Hills, West Los Angeles, and Mar Vista.
If Bass is elected mayor, she plans to address homelessness by identifying available city-owned land to build affordable housing. She also plans to renovate existing closed buildings to create housing and work with groups to provide assistance to the unhoused, according to her campaign website.
To combat climate change, Bass supports the initiative to make L.A. 100% clean by 2035 and wants to reduce vehicle emissions by encouraging a switch to electric vehicles. She aims to expand electric vehicle charging stations in the city by creating jobs in underserved communities to install and maintain the stations.