Election Central: California votes

Thanks to mail-in voting, about 2 million ballots were cast before he spoke.

His razzle-dazzle dims as polls show his ballot measures are in peril.

Before the May 19 runoff election, Los Angeles 5th District City Council candidates highlight their strengths.

Measure B falls short of a majority in a blow to Villaraigosa and a labor group whose top officials proposed it. San Fernando City Councilwoman Nury Martinez wins school board seat.

New UTLA-backed members increase labor’s presence but probably won’t tip political balance.

The L.A. mayor was reelected to a second term with 55.6% of the vote. Some political observers think he needed a higher percentage to give him momentum for a 2010 race.

Voters will also weigh a solar energy initiative, and select a city attorney, city controller and three school board members.

Many of the candidates have websites, which they use to introduce themselves to voters, post homemade campaign commercials and solicit contributions, with little success, judging by finance reports.

In last-minute ads, candidate Wendy Greuel attacks opponent Nick Patsaouras for late tax payments and his management of a bank, while he mocks her for attacking government programs she supported.

The two-term city councilman, now seeking a new office, has drawn admiration and animosity in his district.

Walter Moore is regarded as more than a minor candidate but not big enough to unseat Antonio Villaraigosa. He has raised $208,000, a fraction of Villaraigosa’s war chest but far more than any other challenger.

David ‘Zuma Dogg’ Saltsburg is taken to a police station, where he is asked about a complaint filed by fellow candidate Craig X Rubin. Saltsburg says he didn’t make a threat.

Councilwoman Wendy Greuel works at building consensus while Nick Patsaouras is more confrontational, ripping bureaucrats who disappoint him.

In his campaign for the L.A. city attorney post, the environmental lawyer plays up his anti-gang work.

Contestants in the March 3 election discuss their stances on approving real estate development projects in the crowded district.

His keen political instincts have helped him achieve substantial victories in the four years since he defeated James Hahn. But some question his ability to follow through on major projects.

Though the city already spends millions to lure companies, Measure E would grant more financial incentives that supporters say are needed to create new jobs.

Videos catch someone taking the placards of hopeful David T. Vahedi, supporters say. The candidate says he’s lost $1,600 worth of lawn signs. Six people are running to replace Councilman Jack Weiss in

When Los Angeles County voters passed a half-cent sales tax to raise $40 billion for transportation last fall, about $4.1 billion was set aside for the first phase of a subway extension west from downtown Los Angeles.

Carmen Trutanich has been asked to stop running a TV commercial said to unfairly depict Latinos as gang members. His campaign says the complaints were orchestrated by supporters of rival Jack Weiss.

With so many outdoor ads in the district, candidates vying to replace Jack Weiss are vowing to crack down on supergraphics and billboards -- digital or otherwise. Some offer punitive proposals.

Contestants in the March 3 primary describe their stances on Measure B, a solar energy measure that proposes putting photovoltaic cells on roofs and parking lots across Los Angeles.

Prominent ex-planning commissioner backs Nuch Trutanich, takes a swipe at Jack Weiss’ ‘reliance’ on lobbyists.

They take issue with the portrayal of the city attorney candidate as the sole leader in efforts to test DNA evidence in rape cases. But police chief says he ‘led charge’ on the issue.

L.A. mayor launches campaign on the same day that his opponents, mostly unknown, participate in a candidates’ forum across town.

Angelenos will be asked to weigh in on a solar power plan on the city’s March 3 ballot, but officials haven’t really told us what we’re voting on.

Carmen ‘Nuch’ Trutanich -- who is behind in fundraising but has been praised by Sheriff Lee Baca and Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley -- says he would cut back on outside counsel and increase transparency.

Adeena Bleich has raised slightly more money than her opponents, but each has amassed at least $150,000 for the race for L.A. City Council.