Los Angeles-area council election overturned over alleged fraud, incumbent must give up seat to challenger

The result of a closely contested suburban Los Angeles City Council race that was decided by one vote has been overturned and an incumbent will be replaced by his challenger following an election-rigging scandal.

Two-term Compton City Councilman Isaac Galvan must give up his seat so his opponent Andre Spicer can take office, the Los Angeles Times reported. A judge on Friday determined that four votes cast in the 2021 election were submitted by people who didn’t live in the council district both candidates were challenging for. 

A June 2021 runoff between the pair saw Galvan seize a narrow 855 to 854-vote victory. With the four votes being declared invalid, Spicer was declared the new winner. He was expected to be sworn into office Tuesday. 

“I am excited, thrilled, and relieved that Judge Michelle Williams ruled in my favor,” Spicer said in a statement to KABC-TV. “We have work so hard and tirelessly to prove our case and represent for a community who needed it the most. Today is a new beginning for not only myself but 25,000 residents that have been pleading for change.”

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Galvan and several others are facing election fraud charges related to the election. He has pleaded not guilty. 

Prosecutors alleged he conspired with primary opponent Jace Dawson to have voters from outside the council district vote for him in the June runoff. He is also accused of trying to bribe election officials with concert tickets, according to the Times report, citing a criminal complaint. 

Fox News has reached out to Spicer and Galvan. 

Galvan has been embroiled in several controversies since his election in 2013. Federal investigators served a search warrant on his home in 2020 as part of a probe into marijuana licensing practices in Baldwin Park. He was also subpoenaed to testify in grand jury proceedings that saw the mayor of a nearby suburb hit with corruption and bribery charges, according to the Times. 

Last week, an aide was arrested in connection with the murder of a 33-year-old man.