Source: Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA)

May 29, 2009, Los Angeles, CA - David Vahedi's bid to become the first Iranian American elected to the City Council of Los Angeles remains undecided. On May 27th, the Los Angeles County Register's Office confirmed that there are still an estimated 500 to 1,000 uncounted ballots remaining and that official results were not expected until June 15th. The conduct of the election is also under investigation.

Vahedi, whose campaign was endorsed by the LA Times, faced former West Hollywood Mayor Paul Koretz in the May 19th run-off election to fill the vacant 5th District Los Angeles City Council Seat. On election night the candidates were separated by 335 votes. As of yesterday, Koretz had extended his lead to 702 votes, winning 18,286 votes compared to 17,584 votes for Vahedi.

"Never for a moment have I not felt honored by your support and that so many voters cast their ballot with us," said Vahedi in a statement on his website. "While I wish we would have won this race straight out on election night, I am so happy that I was the candidate that you supported. Simply, win, lose or draw, we would not change a thing."

Vahedi, who was born and raised in Los Angeles, began his career in public service as an auditor for the California State Board of Equalization after receiving his bachelor's degree in accounting. Vahedi then continued his education by receiving his Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School, after which he started his own private practice focusing on civil litigation.

Vahedi's campaign received key endorsements from the law enforcement community, homeowners associations, as well as the Los Angeles Times. The Iranian American Political Action Committee (IAPAC), the connected PAC of PAAIA, also endorsed and contributed to Vahedi's campaign.

Running against five other well funded and politically connected candidates in the March 3rd primary, Vahedi made history by becoming the first Iranian American to ever win a City of Los Angeles primary.

Click here to learn more about David Vahedi's campaign.

... Payvand News - 05/30/09 ... --

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