Candidates position for top 2 in state Senate races

Updated results trickled in on Wednesday for state Senate races, though the winners and losers remained largely unchanged from election day.

Like all seats above the municipal level, the top two vote-getters, regardless of party preference, in each race for state Senate will move on to the November general election for the right to represent vast districts across L.A. County.

Each state Senate district represents roughly a million people. The state Senate itself — the upper house at the state Capitol in Sacramento — is comprised of 40 members, each elected to four-year terms.

In L.A. County, races garnered more interest this year because longtime incumbents were seeking higher office. That opened up seats to an array of new candidates. So, two L.A. County seats are guaranteed a fresh face come November.

The secretary of state released the first round of early mail-in votes, consistently of vote-by-mail ballots received before election day, shortly after polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday. Subsequent waves of results will include of ballots cast at vote centers and in drop boxes. The results are unofficial until April 12.

Here is where the races stood Wednesday afternoon.

District 23

Republican Suzette Martinez

Valladares was leading with 34% of the vote in the race to represent an area spanning from L.A. County's Santa Clarita and Palmdale to San Bernardino County's Victor Valleys. Democrat Kipp Mueller was in second with 26%.

Republican James Hamburger followed in third with 25%. Trailing was Democrat Blanca Gomez, with nearly 10%; and Ollie M. McCaulley, a Democrat, had nearly 5%.

District 25

Elizabeth Wong Ahlers, a Crescenta Valley Town Council member, had nearly 39% of the vote; Democrat Sasha Renee Perez, vice mayor of Alhambra, had nearly 28%, followed by Democrat Yvonne Yiu, a councilmember for Monterey Park, at 19%; Democrat Sandra Armenta, a Rosemead councilmember, had nearly 10%; and Democrat Teddy Choi, a professor and insurance agent in Pasadena, had 4.8%.

The seat spans SunlandTujunga, Glendale, Pasadena, Altadena, Atwater Village, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, South Pasadena, San Marino, Sierra Madre, Monrovia, Duarte, Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Claremont, San Antonio Heights and Upland, plus most of Burbank. Assemblymember Anthony Portantino, D-Burbank, has held the seat in the 25th District since 2016. As his term comes to an end, Portantino is running for Congress.

District 27

Incumbent state Sen. Henry Stern, D-Woodland Hills, led in the race to represent a seat that spans from southwest San Fernando Valley into Agoura, Malibu, Moorpark and Simi Valley. Stern had 41.2% of the vote. He was closely trailed for the top spot in the top two by Republican challenger Lucie Volotzky, a business owner, at 41.1%; Susan A. Collins, a Democrat, trailed with 17.7% of the vote.

District 33

Democratic incumbent Lena Gonzalez was leading with 64.4%, followed by Republican Mario Paz, 19.1%; and Republican Sharifah Hardie at 16.4%.

The seat includes most of Long Beach and moves into southeast L.A. cities, including Lynwood,Vernon, Huntington Park, Bell and South Gate. This area is heavily populated with historic neighborhoods and industry.

District 35

Democrat Laura Richardson was off to an early lead in the race to fill the South L.A. County seat being vacated by state Sen. Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, who is being termed out.

In early results, Richardson had garnered 26.5% of the vote, followed by Michelle Chambers, with 22.7%. Republican James Arlandus Spencer had 21.5%. Several other candidates were trailing far behind.