Updated: LCF City Council Race: Davitt, Incumbents in the Lead

Updated 11 p.m.: With all six precincts reporting, but more ballots to be counted Friday, challenger Michael Davitt holds a narrow lead for the third city council seat over Charlie Kamar.

Preliminary election results thusfar show incumbents Laura Olhasso has won 23.86 percent of the vote, Don Voss has garnered 19.85 percent of the vote and Davitt was coming in with 18.79 percent of the vote to try to caputure the third seat. Just behind Davitt, Kamar has earned 17.51 percent of the vote.

But another 348 votes, from vote-by-mail ballots that arrived at City Hall Tuesday, and more provisional ballots, will be counted Friday, said City Clerk Sylvia Baca.

"It's not over,'' Kamar said by phone late Tuesday.

The owner of La Cañada Union 76 Station characterized his numbers as "awesome'' for a first-time city council candidate. With all six precincts reporting, Kamar received 1,794 votes to Davitt's 1,926 - a difference of 132. 

"It could go my way or Davitt's way,'' Kamar said.

Olhasso pulled in 2,445 votes so far with Voss having earned 2,034.

Earlier: Election workers nearly outnumbered constituents at City Hall Tuesday night, as preliminary election results show incumbents Laura Olhasso, Don Voss and challenger Davitt in the lead.

Far more raucous was a party at Dish, where screams and cheers rippled through the restaurant.

"I'm very appreciative and very humbled. It's exciting,'' Davitt said of the presumed win, in between calls and texts from his just-turned 18-year-old son who fed his dad numbers from City Hall after voting in his first election.

And what would Davitt's first order of business be as a council member? Improving the city's website.

"It's not very user friendly,'' he said, noting that he was poking around looking for information Tuesday afternoon and thought it could've been found quicker. Upgrading the website would be accomplishable fairly quickly, and not come with a lofty price tag, he said.

Rushing off to a party, Voss said the votes show the community is pleased with the direction council has taken in the last several years.

Earlier: With a majority of mail-in ballots counted - mail-in ballots from Tuesday and provisional ballots will be added to the final numbers - incumbents Laura Olhasso, Don Voss and challenger Michael Davitt earned  1,400, 1,162 and 1,061 respectively. Challenger Robert Richter garenered 446, Charlie Kamar earned 895, James K. Hill collected 442 and Jacqueline Harris brought in 327.

City Council staff projected voting numbers onto a screen in Council Chambers, as retiring councilman Greg Brown chatted with a handful of folks who watched as the results rolled in.

"It'll be fine if it stays like this,'' he said of votes cast for Olhasso, Voss and Davitt, all candidates he endorsed.

Voss' second term objectives are the same as when he took office four years ago: support education, ensure fiscal responsibility, enhance public safety, protect and advance LCF's quality of life support the business community and foster an open and responsive government.

As for Olhasso's eight years experience on the council, she has touted the permanent banning of trucks on Angeles Crest Highway, a downtown revitalization, sewer installation in part of the city, additional public parks safer traffic routes to schools.

Davitt, director of real estate for the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles and two-term planning commissioner, is the only challenger to be endorsed by all five seated members of council. State Assemblyman Anthony Portantino and L.A. County Supervisor Mike Antonovich also endorsed Davitt.

The newly elected will begin their four-year terms with a swearing-in ceremony on March 21, the next council meeting.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story misstated the date of the next council meeting.