Independents Barred from Republican Primary

With just 7% voter turnout in yesterday's election, all the incumbent LA City Council members who were up this year were re-elected. Richard Alarcón-- just elected to the Assembly last November-- will return to the Council. All four incumbents were re-elected to the LA Community College Board of Trustees, but the Unified School Board races are not all decided. Meantime, Governor Schwarzenegger is expected to sign a new law that makes February 5 the date for California's presidential primaries. The change will give California a major voice it never had when the primaries were in June. Independents, the fastest growing bloc of California voters, will be invited to vote for a Democrat--but not, for the moment at least, for a Republican.