The complaint to the Federal Elections Commission is the latest skirmish in the battle between the fellow Democratic congressmen seeking the same Valley seat.It's the latest twist in an increasingly vitriolic campaign for Congress: Rep. Brad Sherman is going after payments made to the brother of his rival, fellow Democratic Rep. Howard Berman.

Voters will decide whether to require actors to wear condoms during filming. AIDS activists praise the initiative, which is opposed by much of the adult film industry.A ballot measure asking Los Angeles County voters whether porn actors should be required to wear condoms during filming has received enough signatures to qualify for the November election, a county elections official said.

Two elections are now part of an FBI investigation into allegations of corruption at Cudahy City Hall. Transcripts of wiretaps allegedly show that local officials believed they could control election outcomes.When Luis Garcia and Daniel Cota decided to run for City Council in the small Southeast L.A. County town of Cudahy in 2007, bad things started happening.

L.A. County's registrar upholds disputed ballots that city officials said were fraudulently cast and a city panel moves to evict some of the voters in question.Vernon's first competitive elections in years took more bizarre twists this week when the L.A. County registrar announced it would uphold disputed ballots that city officials had ruled were fraudulently cast and the city moved to evict some...

In most of the undecided candidate contests, it's not yet clear who finished second — a crucial position in the state's new 'top-two' elections system.Days after Tuesday's primary election, four congressional and 11 Assembly races — as well as Proposition 29, a proposed cigarette tax — still are undecided.

The party fails to secure a November election slot in an Inland Empire district it was counting on. Redrawn lines and the 'top two' rule produce at least seven same-party races for Congress.California's new elections system and redrawn political maps have surprisingly combined to forge a rockier path for Democrats hoping to win back a majority in Congress this fall.

Under the state's new voting system, the top two vote-getters regardless of party will face each other in November. A political analyst says the 'nastiest campaigns are between candidates who are closest ideologically.'A glossy political ad mailed to voters in Pasadena grouses that an Assembly candidate in Tuesday's primary "missed" participating in five state elections since 2006.

Everyone agrees San Diego's streets are a mess, and the voters are angry about it. So the mayoral hopefuls have made street repair a top campaign promise.SAN DIEGO — As befits a place that calls itself America's Finest City, over-the-rainbow rhetoric is a common feature of San Diego mayoral elections. Candidates routinely promise to make this a world-class city at the cutting edge of technol...

Democratic leaders are hoping the state provides six of the 25 seats needed to win back the House majority. Money and national attention are being lavished on the races.The balance of power in Congress will hinge partly on the outcome of California's demolition-derby elections this year, with new voting districts and Tuesday's "top-two" state primary attracting Washington's attention and money. ...

The tiny city with a history of corruption scandals is holding its first open, competitive council election in years. But some of its 74 registered voters resent the commotion.Council elections in the city of Vernon are usually formalities. The last time a new candidate was voted into office, Richard Nixon was still president.

The agreement settles a suit that claimed current at-large elections for City Council seats diluted the voting power of Latinos, who make up a majority of residents but a minority of the electorate.Responding to long-standing complaints that Latinos are grossly underrepresented in local government, the city of Compton has agreed to settle a voting rights lawsuit with a plan that could change how o...

Rep. Howard Berman raised more than $1 million in the last three months of 2011, according to campaign reports, for a total of $2.9 million. His opponent, Rep. Brad Sherman, reports having $3.7 million on hand.Reporting from Los Angeles and Sacramento -- The public got an early look this week at the money behind the candidates in this year's pivotal California elections.

If a challenge to new maps qualifies for the November ballot, it could complicate voting in other elections that day.The California Supreme Court expressed concern Tuesday that there might be too little time to redraw new voter maps for this year's state Senate elections even though the existing political boundaries could be put on hold pending a November referendum.

Tax advocates point to recent elections and surveys that suggest voters are receptive to tax hikes for education and programs they deem worthwhile.As various California power players develop an array of tax initiatives to propose for next year's ballot, they are reading the political tea leaves, hoping to discern how receptive voters might be in a sluggish economy.

Republican activists turn in enough signatures to put on the ballot a measure that would overturn some new voting districts. But the signatures may not be verified in time to affect next year's elections.Republican activists trying to overturn some new voting districts cleared a significant hurdle toward putting the issue on the ballot by turning in petitions bearing hundreds of thousands of signa...

Elections are being held Tuesday for city council and school board seats and to decide a handful of ballot measures aimed at relieving some fiscal concerns.Elections are scheduled Tuesday in dozens of cities, school districts and other jurisdictions throughout Southern California. Voters will choose city council and school board members and weigh in on a handful of ballot measures designed to augm...

Tunisia's landmark election for a constituent assembly that will write a new constitution takes place Sunday, but balloting is being held at voting centers outside the country, including in L.A.After she dropped her 7-year-old son off at school Thursday, Dorsaf Naouali drove more than two hours to Los Angeles to vote for the first time in a Tunisian election.

The move comes in response to criticism that the current system stifles open elections. The housing commission will have the power to set rents based on an independent valuation.The Vernon City Council on Tuesday approved a new policy for renting out city-owned dwellings, responding to criticism that the current system stifles open elections.

With 600 bills on his desk, Gov. Jerry Brown faces some important decisions on guns, baby-sitting and elections.Gov. Jerry Brown has a clutter of 600 bills piled on his desk to sign or veto by Oct. 9.

Among late-session bills are a tax break extension for filmmakers, a requirement that private insurers cover autism treatment and a bid to limit ballot measures to fall elections.In the final hours of the legislative year, state lawmakers sent a bevy of bills to Gov. Jerry Brown, including proposals to extend a coveted tax break for Hollywood, require private insurers to cover treatment for autism...

Republican critics of the possible legislation, which would require initiatives go before voters only in November general elections, described it as a political move driven by organized labor.State Democratic lawmakers are considering a move to dramatically alter California's initiative process by prohibiting such measures from appearing on primary-election ballots.

City Council seeks to address criticism by expanding housing, adding Civil Service job protections for city workers and vowing to hold elections to fill vacant council seats.The Vernon City Council voted unanimously Thursday to adopt a series of reforms proposed by a state senator as an alternative to disincorporation, including doubling the city's tiny and controversial housing stock.

Judge Harvey Silberman had been accused of offering to pay a rival to drop out of a 2008 vote.A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge was acquitted Monday of the charge that he had offered to pay an opponent to drop out of a 2008 election.

Jury is deliberating charges that Harvey Silberman tried to bribe his opponent to drop out of 2008 Superior Court race. His two political consultants pleaded no contest to conspiracy charges.With the clock ticking on a deadline to file for judicial elections in 2008, Deputy Dist. Atty. Serena Murillo got a phone call with an unexpected offer.

The union spent $7 million on last year's elections, and of the 107 candidates it endorsed, 104 were elected.Last week, I found myself cruising the website of the California prison guards union. I was curious about whether the $7 million the California Correctional Peace Officers Assn. spent on last year's elections — including $2 million on Jerry Brown's governor's race alone — might ...

Janice Hahn, Craig Huey could meet in the runoff. But Secretary of State Debra Bowen, who trails Republican Huey by just 206 votes, is raising money for a potential recount.Who will compete in the runoff to replace former Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice) won't be determined until at least Friday, when workers finish counting the estimated 9,811 remaining ballots, L.A. County elections officials said We...

The party holds the power in the Capitol, but that hasn't yet led to solving of major problems. Key issues at the convention will be the 2012 elections and Proposition 14, which ended partisan primaries.California Democrats, kicking off their annual convention Friday in Sacramento, celebrated their statewide sweep in November that defied a nationwide Republican wave.

After a contentious battle, Republicans settle on a strategy to blunt the effect of new open-primary law. They'll survey all GOP voters by mail and the top vote-getter will be the party's official candidate.When the California Republican Party adopted a plan to survey the state's 5.3 million GOP voters to decide who should be their party's standard-bearer in future elections, the move provided a c...

Council members, mayors, city clerks and treasurers are up for election. Board members are chosen in three school districts and a community college district.Thirty cities, three school districts and a community college district in Los Angeles County held elections Tuesday.

Weeks after Tuesday's vote, the council will have to decide whether to slash jobs, public services and worker hours to deal with a $404-million budget gap.No matter who wins Tuesday's election, the job of governing Los Angeles City Hall is about to get much tougher.