Los Angeles District 9 Council Race: Ugarte's Lead Narrows to 156 Votes

Vote counting continues in the Los Angeles City Council District 9 race, and the leader's advantage keeps shrinking. According to the latest figures released Tuesday by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, Jose Ugarte leads Estuardo Mazariegos by 19,200 votes to 19,044, or 50.20% to 49.80% — a margin of just 156 votes.

Lead has shrunk for eight straight days

Ugarte's lead has narrowed for eight consecutive days: 286 votes on Monday, 346 on Sunday, and 1,271 on Friday morning. Shortly after the polls closed last Tuesday night, he had led by a wide margin, 57.51% to 42.49% (9,400 to 6,945). County officials estimate about 37,500 ballots remain to be processed countywide, and it is unknown how many are from the district.

Winner would make history

The two are vying to succeed Councilman Curren Price, who is termed out, in a district that stretches from downtown Los Angeles to South Los Angeles. The winner will be the first Latino to represent the district since Edward Roybal resigned in 1962 to take a seat in Congress. Sources: MyNewsLA; Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.