Thousands of ballots remain uncounted in tight L.A. County races

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Relaxed after his easy victory over challenger Neel Kashkari, Gov. Jerry Brown checks the progress of state Democratic candidates at campaign headquarters with former Assembly Speaker John Perez, right, and current Speaker Toni Atkins. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Gov. Jerry Brown delivers his victory speech with wife Anne Gust Brown at his side in front of the governor’s mansion in Sacramento. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Republican gubernatorial candidate Neel Kashkari officially concedes to incumbent Gov. Jerry Brown during Kashkari’s election night party in Costa Mesa. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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Republican gubernatorial candidate Neel Kashkari arrives at his election night party in Costa Mesa. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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Los Angeles County supervisor candidate Sheila Kuehl hugs a supporter at an election night party in Santa Monica. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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Los Angeles County Supervisor candidate Bobby Shriver and his wife Malissa wait to be introduced on election night at The Abbey Food & Bar in West Hollywood. (Wally Skali / Los Angeles Times)

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California Gov. Jerry Brown on the phone inside the governor’s mansion in Sacramento just before the polls closed. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Marshall Tuck, center, a candidate for state superintendent of public instruction, held an election night party at his home. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was on hand to lend his support. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

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Jim McDonnell, candidate for Los Angeles County sheriff, with wife Kathy, daughter Kelly, right, and Megan, left, at the JW Marriott in Los Angeles. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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State Sen. Ted Lieu arrives at the Proud Bird restaurant for his election night party. Ted Lieu, running for retiring Rep. Henry Waxman’s congressional seat. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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State superintendent candidate Marshall Tuck’s campaign staff work on their computers in a corner of his backyard. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

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Ana Barillas, left, and her husband, Armando, vote at St. Anthony Grand Lodge in South Los Angeles. (Christina House / For The Times)

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A dog stands outside the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship church polling location in Laguna Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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James Fearce of Inglewood votes at Love, Peace and Happiness Family Christian Fellowship in South Los Angeles. (Christina House / For The Times)

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A man votes at St. Anthony Grand Lodge in South Los Angeles. (Christina House / For The Times)

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Recently naturalized citizen Guadalupe Portillo, who is 102 years old, is serenaded by mariachis prior to voting at the Montecito Heights Recreation Center in Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Gubernatorial candidate Neel Kashkari speaks to reporters after casting his ballot at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship church in Laguna Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Bobby Shriver’s daughter, Natasha, takes a selfie of the family after Shriver and his wife, Malissa (holding their younger daughter, Rosemary), cast their ballots at Carlthorp School in Santa Monica. Shriver is running for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Guadalupe Portillo, who is 102 years old, is swarmed by the media as she casts her ballot for the midterm election at the Montecito Heights Recreation Center in Los Angeles. Portillo recently became a citizen and is voting for the first time. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Firefighter Cheyne Hansen takes a sign out of storage at a municipal garage while helping election officials set up a polling place in Camden, Maine. (Robert F. Bukaty / Associated Press)

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Laguna Beach Lawn Bowling Club members relax outside while voters cast ballots inside. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Jim McDonnell, candidate for Los Angeles County sheriff, talks to the media after casting his ballot at the International City Masonic Temple in Long Beach. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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Voters in Santa Monica line up at the polling station at Carlthorp School in Santa Monica to cast their ballots. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Gubernatorial candidate Neel Kashkari walks his dog Newsome at Heisler Park in Laguna Beach after voting at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship church in Laguna Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Betty Lieu places an “I Voted” sticker on her husband, congressional candidate Ted Lieu, after the two voted at Coast Christian Fellowship in Torrance. (Christina House / For The Times)

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L.A. County Board of Supervisors candidate Bobby Shriver laughs and smacks his head on the table at a joke by poll clerk Aimee Goldberg, right, while signing in to vote at Carlthorp School in Santa Monica. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Voters file into the polling station at the American Cetacean Society at Point Fermin Park in San Pedro. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

By Emily Alpert ReyesStaff Writer

Nov. 5, 2014 8:16 AM PT

As the sun rose Wednesday on a late night of election-returns watching, thousands of ballots were still left to be counted in Los Angeles County, which could tilt some closely fought races.

As of Wednesday morning, all votes cast at Los Angeles County precincts had been counted, but thousands of other ballots, including vote-by-mail ballots that were handed in on election day, provisional ballots and write-in ballots, remained.

Meanwhile, Sheila Kuehl held onto her lead overnight against former Santa Monica City Councilman Bobby Shriver in the race for the 3rd District seat on the County Board of Supervisors, updated election results showed early Wednesday.

Kuehl, a former state lawmaker, had garnered nearly 53% of the vote compared to 47% for Shriver.

The winner will take the seat vacated by Zev Yaroslavsky. The race was seen as a pivotal one because the results could tilt power on the county board toward either labor unions or business and development.

In the race for county assessor, Jeffrey Prang, a special assistant in the assessor’s office, continued to hold a narrow lead of 50.5% over John Morris, a head deputy to the Los Angeles County district attorney.

Proposition P, which would impose a $23 parcel tax for Los Angeles County parks, had received 62% of the vote, but it needed at least 66% to pass.

In Malibu, Measure R — an initiative that would give voters the power to approve or deny any commercial development bigger than 20,000 square feet -- had won with 59% of the vote.

To the south in Santa Monica, Measure D, which pushed for the city to stop its effort to scale back or shut down Santa Monica Municipal Airport until the public could vote on future proposals to close the facility or change its land use, had been defeated with 58% voting no.

A competing measure that would let the airport be used only for parks, open space and recreational facilities until voters could approve further limits on development, Measure LC, fared much better with nearly 60% of the vote.

The election results will not be official until December.

Follow @latimesemily for what’s happening at Los Angeles City Hall.