California election results: Some contests remain undecided

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Most of the big-ticket races in California were called late Tuesday night, but even with most of the vote counted Wednesday morning, some close contests remained just that.

In the crowded race for state superintendent of public instruction, the state’s only nonpartisan statewide office in which the top two vote-getters advance to the November runoff, former Assn. of California School Administrators Larry Aceves and Assemblyman Tom Torlakson (D-Antioch) were leading the pack. Sen. Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles) was in a close third, however, less than 1% behind Torlakson. The day after did bring clarity to some local races:

-- Assembly District 47: In the Democratic primary in a race to succeed former Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, Holly Mitchell, head of a child care advocacy group, defeated Reginald Jones-Sawyer, an asset manager for the city of L.A., in a crowded race.

Bass, by the way, trounced her Democratic opponent in her bid to replace Rep. Diane Watson (D-Los Angeles).

-- Assembly District 53: Among the most crowded, fiercely fought Democratic primaries was in this eight-way race to represent the Venice/South Bay district. Betsy Butler, a former fundraiser for nonprofit groups, defeated leading environmental educator James Lau, Manhattan Beach Mayor Mitch Ward, prosecutor Nick Karno, attorney Kate Anderson and three others.

- Congressional District 19: In a hard-fought Republican primary in the Central Valley to replace Rep. George Radanovich (R-Mariposa), his choice of successor, state Sen. Jeff Denham of Atwater, defeated former Fresno Mayor Jim Patterson, former Rep. Richard Pombo and Fresno Councilman Larry Westerlund.

-- Congressional District 42: Rep. Gary Miller (R-Diamond Bar) fended off three GOP challengers: accounting firm owner Phil Liberatore, business owner Lee McGroarty and sales representative David Su.

-- Phil Willon in Los Angeles