The campaign for the 54th Assembly District is winding down and unlike other statewide races in off year elections, this special election has had its share of fireworks.
Christopher Armenta, a former Culver City mayor and city clerk, is squaring off against Sebastian Ridley-Thomas and John Jakes.
The winner of the election will represent Culver City in the Assembly, a seat vacated by state Sen. Holly Mitchell (D- Culver City) who ran for the Senate seat after Curren Price was termed out.
Price is now on the Los Angeles City Council and Ridley- Thomas is his education deputy and a public policy director.
He is also the son of Second District County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, whose district includes Culver City.
Jakes is a realtor and the president of the Olympic Park Neighborhood Council.
Supporters of Armenta recently took issue with the structure of one of the last candidate forums for the campaign. The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan organization, reportedly withdrew from the candidates forum in South Los Angeles because they questioned the objectivity of the moderator, according to a collection of civil rights organizations.
“The league, according to reports also had a major concern about the impartiality of the moderator and the venue,” said the Los Angeles Civil Rights Leadership Coalition.
League of Women Voters Executive Director Elizabeth Ralston confirmed that her organization pulled out of sponsoring the forum.
“It was brought to our attention that the moderator’s father (Starlett Quarles, a Los Angeles radio host) had endorsed one of the candidates and we felt that could affect the audience’s perception of impartiality,” Ralston explained.
Some Culver City residents expressed concern with some of the organizations that have donated to the Ridley-Thomas’ campaign, which include oil companies, unions and highprofile individuals.
He has far outpaced his competitors in campaign donations as well as endorsements. He recently secured the backing of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (DCa) and Los Angeles City Atty. Michael Feuer to add to the growing list of local and statewide elected leaders as well as Culver City lawmakers and residents.
Earlier this month, a campaign mailer that was sent to Culver City voters angered Ridley-Thomas’ supporters because it accused the supervisor of unduly influencing other candidates from entering the race, alleged that the supervisor’s son was tied to special interests and that the elder Ridley-Thomas had influenced the date of the special election so that it was in the middle of Hanukkah.
The date for the special election was set by Gov. Jerry Brown.
“We’re weary of the same old, tired tactics of slash and burn attacks and character assassination that have degraded campaigns and emboldened the candidates who believe it will work,” said Frederic MacFarlane, Sebastian Ridley-Thomas’ communications director.
“Mr. Armenta may not have raised as much money as his opponent to mount his campaign, so maybe he feels that his libelous attack strategy is his only political play.”
The last state legislator to reside in Culver City was Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson when he was the Assembly speaker.
The special election will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 3.
