One more time

LOS ANGELES VOTERS met the March 6 election with a collective shrug, turning out in astonishingly low numbers and raising the unhappy prospect of an even smaller response in today’s follow-up -- a runoff in races in which no candidate grabbed more than 50% of the vote. Although a large turnout would be good for the cause of more-robust citizen oversight, a small turnout in these low-profile races increases the clout of each voter.

There are three elections today. In a runoff for the Community College District Board of Trustees, every voter within district boundaries -- which is larger than the city of Los Angeles and the L.A. Unified School District -- can cast a ballot in the one at-large race. There also are runoffs in two races that will determine whether Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s picks will become a majority on the school board. And there is a special election in the 39th Assembly District to replace Richard Alarcon, who vacated the seat to join the Los Angeles City Council. The Assembly race is on a different ballot, and voters in that district who also want to vote in the community college and school board races will be directed to adjacent polling places.

The Times recommends:

L.A. Unified School District Board of Education, District No. 3: Tamar Galatzan. This West San Fernando Valley challenger is part of a team of reformers eager to shake up the status quo at the school district.

L.A. Unified School District Board of Education, District No. 7: Richard Vladovic. He is part of the mayor’s reform slate.

L.A. Community College District Board of Trustees, Seat No. 5: Georgia L. Mercer. The incumbent has a good handle on the part-time post.

Member of the Assembly, 39th District: Felipe Fuentes. The broad interest by candidates in this abbreviated special election is encouraging, but none match Fuentes’ grasp of the issues.