By: Denny Cristales
Editorial Assistant
Incumbents Lori Woods and Ed Wilson and City Clerk Robert Copeland currently lead the standings to fill three Signal Hill City Council seats, according to unofficial election results provided by Kimberly Boles, deputy city clerk, on Wednesday.
Although also unofficial until March 16, the numbers also show that Measure F, a citizen’s initiative that would incur a 10-percent tax on monetary transactions for medical-marijuana facilities in Signal Hill, yielded a 497-to-425 “no” vote.
Measure H, a countywide initiative that would authorize a 0.25-percent county sales tax to fund homeless services and prevention, has a 67.4-percent approval vote, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk website as of press time.
Boles explained in a phone interview on Wednesday that the results will remain unofficial until March 16. She said the votes have been sent to the County for signature verification.
Shortly before press time, Boles added that the City has received more than 200 combined mail-in and provisional ballots, postmarked on the date of the election, that still need to be counted.
Unconfirmed council standings are 491 votes for Woods, 448 votes for Wilson, 444 votes for Copeland, 437 votes for Keir Jones, 307 votes for City Treasurer Larry Blunden, 274 votes for Maria Harris, 256 votes for Carol Churchill, 226 votes for Thomas Benson and 77 votes for Jason Aula.
“It’s very, very close, as it tends to be in Signal Hill, and we’re trying to continue to move the city forward,” Wilson said after the total unofficial results were in. “We’re all excited. I’m happy to be where I’m seated now, but we’ll see when the final votes are counted. And I want to congratulate all the candidates that were in the race. It was a very well run race.”
Mayor Woods said she was feeling confident in light of the results.
“It was four years ago that the voters elected me, a newcomer, by a significant margin, and it was a great vote of confidence to go on and represent them on the council,” Woods said. “And, so, I’m feeling that again tonight. It was a clear decision that they invested in me. They invested their trust in me. Hopefully I have given them a good return on that investment, and I will continue to do so. I plan to.”
Blunden, who is currently fifth in the standings, said that he is prepared for any outcome, adding that he hopes the candidates who are selected have a clear understanding of what makes Signal Hill great.
“Whoever gets it, I want someone who’s going to do great things for the Hill,” he said. “Someone, who in 20 years, 30 years, 50 years from now, will show how we’ve grown in Signal Hill. Someone who will recognize the long-term advantages of being here.”
He added that, in the event that he does not get elected to city council, he will still serve as the city treasurer.
Jones, who has lived in Signal Hill since 2009, said he is excited about potentially serving the city’s residents.
“The themes were very consistent,” said Jones, who is trailing in the unofficial standings by seven votes behind Copeland for the third council spot. “People on the Hill are very proud of where we live. They want to make sure we are safe, and then they want to see a little bit more development so we have a great grocery store and a community space. That’s what I’m really looking to do.”
Jones said he will continue to be involved in the city if he is not elected. He touted his involvement with the chamber of commerce and the Signal Hill Community Foundation as examples of his participation in the city.
[aesop_image imgwidth=”400px” img=”https://signal-tribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Screen-Shot-2017-03-10-at-12.00.22-PM.png” credit=”Courtesy City of SH” align=”left” lightbox=”on” caption=”Unofficial results of the March 7 Signal Hill election” captionposition=”left” revealfx=”off”] Measure F, proposed by candidate Aula, is estimated to raise $0 annually if approved because medical-marijuana facilities are not presently allowed in the city, according to City Attorney David Aleshire’s analysis of the measure on the Signal Hill website.
On the other hand, Measure H currently holds the two-third majority vote that would require it to pass.
Also unconfirmed is the possibility of Tuesday’s ballot-counting being the last of its kind to be held inside the council chamber.
Boles said a city council decision to consolidate with the County for future elections will be made after the official results of the election are revealed on March 16.
SB 415, introduced nearly two years ago, prohibits cities or local political subdivisions from hosting elections on dates other than statewide elections if its voting turnout was at least 5-percent lower than the average turnout for the previous four statewide elections.
The Signal Hill City Council will get to decide if the counting of ballots will take place at the county office instead of city hall.
“Our voter turnout has decreased over the years,” Boles said. “[…] We are waiting till after the election. We’ll see if that is the direction city council decides to go.”
