Los Angeles City Council

Democratic Assemblyman Paul Krekorian was the top vote-getter in Tuesday’s special election to fill a vacancy on the Los Angeles City Council and will now move on to a runoff election Dec. 8. He will go head-to-head with former California Film Commission Chairwoman Christine Essel, who finished second in Tuesday’s election for L.A.’s 2nd Council District. A Krekorian victory could temporarily leave the 43rd Assembly District, which covers Glendale and Burbank, without a representative.

Democratic Assemblyman Paul Krekorian will make his final campaign push for Los Angeles City Council over the weekend in advance of an election Tuesday that could spur a race to replace him. Krekorian is one of 10 candidates vying to take over for now-L.A. City Controller Wendy Greuel as the city’s representative for Council District 2, which sweeps across the San Fernando Valley from Sherman Oaks to Tujunga. He is considered one of three front-runners, and many observers expect him to be one of the top two vote-getters Tuesday, which would qualify him for a runoff election Dec. 8. Any candidate receiving more than 50% of the vote Tuesday could be elected outright, but most consider that scenario unlikely as each of the so-called big three candidates for the spot have received significant support and endorsements in an increasingly tight race.

F or nearly all of state Sen. Carol Liu's term in office, she has had to deliver bad news to officials in Glendale and Burbank. Trouble began shortly after Liu's election in 2008, when the national economy went south. California state officials worked last year to close a combined deficit totaling $60 billion, and some of the lawmakers' solutions directly affected cities. Liu (D-La Cañada Flintridge) met with city officials from her district, which includes Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, Pasadena, San Gabriel, Temple City and parts of Los Angeles.

Special election brings new voice to council 1 Voters went to the polls in the first month of 2006, for a special election to heal a fracture left in the City Council when Councilwoman Stacey Murphy vacated her seat in August 2005. Murphy's resignation came a week after she was charged with one felony drug possession charge and a misdemeanor child endangerment charge. In his first bid for public office, long-time council critic David Gordon edged out former Mayor Bill Wiggins on Jan. 24 by less than 300 votes, the culmination of a campaign heralding the need for fresh leadership to overthrow the status quo and put the "people first."

Claudia Peschiutta Assemblyman Scott Wildman (D-Burbank) will be stepping down from his post and moving on to a new phase in his political career. After four years in the state Legislature and a failed run for state Senate, Wildman is going after a Los Angeles City Council seat. The 49-year-old Mt. Washington resident has been influential throughout his district, which includes Burbank, Glendale and parts of Los Angeles. He fought to protect open space in the Verdugo Mountains and sought ways to keep film production work in the area.

Burbank officials have proposed axing the city's primary election, a move they say would save roughly $72,000 a year, but would also require voter approval. Critics called the proposal "short-sighted," but election experts said it may actually bring more voters to the polls. POLL: Shoudl Burbank axe its primary election? Burbank is one of just about 15 cities in the state that has more than one election, according to a city report. Neighboring cities Glendale, Pasadena and La Cañada-Flintridge are among the more than 460 cities in California with just one. The last time in Burbank that the primary results differed, in terms of top vote-getters, from those of the general election was in 1989, when the second top-vote getter in the primary won the treasurer seat in the general election, according to Deputy City Clerk Susan Domen.

Lolita Harper GLENDALE -- Scott Wildman's official term as a Glendale Assemblyman comes to a close today with the swearing in of Dario Frommer (D-Glendale). Wildman, however, will hold a party tonight at Brandview Collection to celebrate four years of achievement and fund-raiser for his next political move. Attending the celebration will be Rep-Elect Adam Schiff (D-Glendale), Ginger Bremberg, State Senator Jack Scott (D-Glendale) and city councilmen Gus Gomez and Rafi Manoukian.

Good morning, readers. Today is Thursday, November 1. A mountain lion was spotted in Glendale on Wednesday, but officials say there's nothing to worry about. Still, they remind residents to know what to do if they come in contact with the animal . Glendale News-Press Two Valley residents face drug charges after police raided a pot shop , reports the Contra Costa Times . A "bug bomb" blew out a window in a Reseda apartment Wednesday , reports the Daily News . The Los Angeles City Council is preparing for four tax increases.

Complaints about the massive open-air recycling facility in Sun Valley flow in each month in minute, sometimes stomach-turning detail. Rats have skittered off the property of Community Recycling & Resource Recovery and into a nearby business, according to calls logged by the city. Churning dust is said to be "making everyone's eyes burn," making breathing difficult and causing bloody noses among workers at a neighborhood paving firm. Gulls scavenging from piles of food waste have scattered bits of garbage from the sky. And then there is the stench, variously described in the logs as "a dead animal smell," a "rotten egg odor" and "putrid.