Greater LA

LA County said this morning that it has counted more than 3.3 million ballots, with about 618,000 to go. KCRW gets a rundown of the results so far — including for district attorney, LA City Council and Board of Supervisors. What do the votes say about demographics, turnout, and trends. 

In this special one-hour broadcast the day after the election, Greater LA goes to Sherman Oaks to hear from voters on the streets. In the hotly contested race for LA District Attorney, George Gascón now has a lead over incumbent Jackie Lacey. Also currently posed to pass is Measure J, which would commit more county funds toward social service programs. And in Orange County, Katie Porter won reelection in the U.S. House, former mixed martial arts fighter Tito Ortiz is now on the Huntington Beach City Council, and Vicente Sarmiento is poised to be Santa Ana’s first new mayor in more than two decades.

In the first few hours of voting this morning, things have been smooth at LA County’s voting centers. Voters are in and out without significant delays. This is very different from Super Tuesday in March, when wait times were at least 45 minutes at the voting centers that KCRW reporter Caleigh Wells visited. Today, with 12 million ballots already cast in California, it’s a much slower pace.

The 2020 election is a significant source of stress for 68% of Americans, according to a recent study by the American Psychological Association. While some people are calming that stress by turning to reliable data and news sources, others have decided to tune out entirely on Election Day, November 3.

Music venues in LA are closed due to the pandemic, so artists have taken their performances to the internet and other creative places. Bike paths and home yards are now serving as performance venues. Meanwhile, mariachis in Boyle Heights are struggling to find work.

The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Tampa Bay Rays in game six of the World Series on Tuesday night, earning their first World Series title since 1988. The Dodgers played at a neutral Texas stadium instead of their home field due to the pandemic. But fans still went to Dodgers Stadium to watch the game on massive screens from their cars. 

After the victory, fans left the stadium headed to downtown. People banged pots and pans in their cars as fireworks went off. Late in the evening, the police declared an unlawful assembly and made at least eight arrests — as people hugged in the streets, waved flags, sung and danced.

More than 90,000 Orange County residents have fled their homes after two fires exploded on Monday, pushed by strong Santa Ana winds. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Silverado Fire has burned more than 11,000 acres in the Irvine area and is 5% contained, while the Blue Ridge Fire has burned more than 15,000 acres in the Yorba Linda area and is 0% contained. Two young firefighters are in critical condition with second and third degree burns.

About one-third of all California eligible voters have voted by mail, and more than 100 in-person voting centers in LA opened over the weekend. LA County Registrar Recorder Dean Logan says 2020 voter participation is already shattering previous records. “We’re at about 50,000 voters that have voted in person. And you add that onto the 1.7 million LA County voters who have already returned a vote-by-mail ballot, and there’s a strong indication that people are heeding that call and showing up to vote early in this election,” Logan says.

Dozens of immersive but socially distanced Halloween events have popped up across Southern California. KCRW visits The Bite LA at Legg Lake, and looks at other holiday destinations designed around pandemic life.

During the pandemic, the co-owners of downtown LA’s The Last Bookstore nearly ran out of money, laid off most of their staff, and closed their store. Then they began offering curated book bundles based on customers’ interests, conducting more online sales, and renting out their store for small events. The store is now back open for in-person shopping — at limited capacity and with mask requirements.