Nury Martinez Wins L.A. City Council Seat in San Fernando Valley

Former Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education member Nury Martinez defeated former Assemblywoman Cindy Montanez in Tuesday's special election to fill L.A.'s Sixth District City Council seat.

Martinez received 54.57 percent of the vote with all 63 precincts reporting and all vote-by-mail ballots counted, according to unofficial results released by the City Clerk's Office.

Martinez defeated Montanez, 4,917-4,093. Turnout was 10.22 percent.

Martinez and Montanez were seeking to replace Tony Cardenas, who resigned in January to take the seat in the House of Representatives he was elected to in November.

The two were the top two vote-getters in the May 21 primary election, but neither obtained the more than 50 percent needed to win the seat outright, setting the stage for today's contest.

Martinez will become the sole woman on the 15-member City Council and represent a district that includes Arleta, Van Nuys, Lake Balboa, Panorama City, North Hills East, Sun Valley, and portions of North Hollywood.

Like Montanez, Martinez had been a member of the San Fernando City Council. She was a member of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education from 2009 through June 30 and executive director of Pacoima Beautiful, an environmental justice and health nonprofit organization.

Martinez touted her experience serving in public office and leading a nonprofit organization and said she will cut through politics to bring more city services to San Fernando Valley residents.