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Thursday, November 28-December 04, 2024
VOL. 28,
Tran declares victory after lead grows slightly in congressional race By Joe Taglieri
Decision on Menendez brothers' bid for release pushed to next year By Fred Shuster, City News Service
joet@beaconmedianews.com
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emocrat Derek Tran declared victory Monday after an additional 36 votes increased his lead over incumbent Rep. Michelle Steel, R-Cypress. The latest vote count that concluded Monday evening showed Tran's lead edged upward from 545 votes to 581 in the 45th Congressional District race. Tran leads 157,622157,041, or 50.1% to 49.9% of the vote, according to the California Secretary of State's Office. Tran gained 26 votes in his lead over Steel following Saturday's count in Orange County, the Registrar of Voters reported. No ballots from the Los Angeles County areas of the district were counted Saturday. No ballots were counted Sunday. Ballot processing in the LA County section of the district will resume Tuesday, according to the RegistrarRecorder/County Clerk's office. Tran, a consumer rights attorney and co-owner of an Anaheim pharmacy with his wife Michelle, trails in Orange County 142,219138,586 votes, or 50.65%49.35%. He leads in the LA County portion — Artesia, Cerritos, Hawaiian Gardens and a section of Lakewood — 19,036-14,822, or 56.2%43.8%. While the margin is still very slim, Tran released a statement Monday proclaiming victory. “This victory is a testament to the spirit and resilience of our commu-
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Derek Tran. | Photo courtesy of Derek Tran for Congress
nity," Tran said. "As the son of Vietnamese refugees, I understand firsthand the journey and sacrifices many families in our district have made for a better life. My parents came to this country to escape oppression and pursue the American Dream, and their story reflects the journey of so many here in Southern California. "Throughout this campaign, I heard from voters who wanted representation that prioritizes our community’s unique challenges. From the need for affordable healthcare and housing to the importance of an economy that includes everyone, people here are looking to the future with hope and determination. I look forward to representing that optimism and working tirelessly to ensure that our
communities’ voices are heard in Washington. "I want to thank every volunteer, supporter, and voter who believed in our campaign’s mission. This victory is a powerful reminder of what we can accomplish together. I am honored to represent you and eager to get to work and put people first.” Steel, who is seeking a third term, or her campaign have not commented on the race publicly since Nov. 4, the day before Election Day. Tran led by 519 votes entering vote counting Saturday, 480 votes entering Friday, 397 votes entering Thursday, 314 entering Wednesday and 102 at the start of ballot processing Tuesday. His first lead posted Nov. 16, moving ahead by 36 votes after trailing by 11,363
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on Nov. 6. On Nov. 8 Tran trailed by 7,590 votes, 6,901 Nov. 9, 6,128 Nov. 10 when only ballots from LA County were processed, 3,908 Nov. 11, 2,227 Nov. 12, 349 Nov. 13, 236 Nov. 14, and 58 Nov. 15. The number of ballots remaining to be counted was not known. House Republicans attained 219 seats as of Tuesday, one over the 218 needed for a majority, the Associated Press reported. Democrats have 213 seats, and three races are still undecided. Republicans won 53 seats in the Senate, gaining four. Democrats lost four and have 47 Senate seats. The GOP also won 27 of the 50 governorships that were up for grabs this election.
rik and Lyle Menendez, who are serving life sentences without parole for the 1989 shotgun slayings of their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion, will have to wait until the new year for a decision on their bid for release, with a judge Monday scheduling a hearing on the matter for late January. Attorneys for the brothers are pursuing various avenues in hopes of securing their release from prison, contending that new evidence backs the Menendez's claims that they were sexually abused by their father. During a hearing in Van Nuys, a judge heard testimony from two of the brothers' aunts, both of home pleaded for their release from prison. Judge Michael V. Jesic made no immediate decision, instead scheduling a two-day hearing for Jan. 30-31 to hear the various arguments in the case. That hearing will replace a previously scheduled Dec. 11 hearing, and will also allow newly elected District Attorney Nathan Hochman, who is set to be sworn in next week, more time to review the case. Current District Attorney George Gascón announced last month that he supports the resentencing of the brothers. But Hochman has not yet said whether he will take a similar position in the case, saying he wants the chance to review the voluminous evidence before making a decision. See Menendez Page 28
Erik Menendez, 53, and Lyle Menendez, 56, both attended Monday's hearing in Van Nuys via an audio link from prison in San Diego. The pair were expected to appear via video, but the video link would not function in the courtroom. The brothers did not speak, other than acknowledging they were able to hear the proceeding. Defense attorney Mark Geragos said after the hearing that it was "quite the moving experience" to hear two of the brothers' aunts make "impassioned pleas with the judge to send the brothers home." "The judge has now set January 30th and 31st as the days for a ... hearing on the resentencing," Geragos said, adding that the judge has asserted full jurisdiction over the case. "He's going to ... ask for further briefing, and by January 30th or 31st, we're hoping by the end of that or sometime sooner that we will in fact get the brothers released." Geragos is hoping to have the brothers re-sentenced on the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter based on alleged new evidence of sexual abuse. The pair were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without the chance of parole for killing their parents, Jose and Mary Louise "Kitty," in their Beverly Hills mansion on Aug. 20, 1989. The defense filed a petition last year arguing that