An LA area city election from 2021 was overturned after a judge ruled that the incumbent rigged the vote to win the race by a single vote.
Superior Court Judge Michelle Williams Court determined that Councilman Isaac Galvan cheated his way into a win. According to the ruling, the Councilman got 4 people from outside the district to cast illegal votes for him. It had previously been determined that Galvan won 855 votes to his opponent’s 854.
Following the ruling Andre Spicer was named as the new Councilman for the district. The judge ruled that Spicer was the actual winner of the close race, garnering 854 votes to Galvan’s 851. It is unclear when he will take office.
Spicer has contested the results ever since his razor thin loss last year.
“I’m grateful to the judicial system,” soon-to-be Councilman Spicer said. “This is something we’ve been fighting hard for -for the last 11 months.”
The decision comes after the LA County District Attorney’s Office charged Galvan along with 5 others with conspiracy to commit election fraud last August. Four of those conspirators were accused of registering illegally to cast votes in Compton during the election.
To make it worse, Galvan was also charged by prosecutors for allegedly trying to bribe an LA county registrar employee to miscount the votes on election night.
Galvan is no stranger to legal controversies since he took office in 2013. According to the Los Angeles Times, in 2020 Galvan’s home was searched by investigators in connection to a marijuana licensing practices scheme in Baldwin Park. Then only a year later in 2021 he was subpoenaed and forced to testify in the corruption and bribery case against Mayor Ramon Medina.
Galvan has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
Los Angeles has a long history of fishy politics. This is just another example of a government official who thought he was above the law. What do you think the punishment should be for people like Isaac Galvan who abuse their power?
